Microsoft Research India announced August 21 the launch of a center for Societal impact through Cloud and Artificial Intelligence (SCAI). Part of the Microsoft Research (MSR) Lab in Bengaluru, this center will focus on creating and nurturing projects that can have real-world and large-scale societal impact. Through SCAI, MSR India will collaborate with several partners, such as academia, startups and NGOs.

“I am excited about the creation of the center for Societal Impact through Cloud and Artificial Intelligence, and I am looking forward to the efforts and collaborations ahead. There are so many opportunities to leverage recent advances in cloud computing and AI technologies to address long-term societal challenges spanning multiple sectors and realms, including health and wellness, education, transportation, and agriculture,” said Eric Horvitz, Technical Fellow and Director at Microsoft Research.

Sriram Rajamani, Managing Director of Microsoft Research India, said, “At MSR India, we have been researching the ICTD space since our inception. We see SCAI as a natural evolution of this, and we will partner with like-minded collaborators to apply technology to solve some of the most pressing problems in today’s world. I am looking forward to truly impactful projects emerging from SCAI.”

SCAI will engage with NGOs, academicians and startups through external collaborations; graduate and undergraduate students through the SCAI Fellow program in collaboration; and actively seek collaborators through calls for proposals. SCAI collaborators will be provided with financial grants, access to world-class Microsoft researchers, technologies, as well as access to business insights from Microsoft for Startups. The physical space at MSR India will enable members to exchange ideas and create a collaborative ecosystem.