Microsoft Supports Higher Education with More than $6 Million in Grant Money

In a July 16^thpress release, Microsoft Research, a division of Microsoft Corporation, announced that colleges and universities throughout the United States will be granted almost $6.5 million to supplement research, research faculty and research facilities. The announcement was made during the Microsoft Research Faculty Summit, held annually at Microsoft Corporate headquarters in Redmond, Washington. The Summit, held in 2007 for the eighth year, was attended by more than 400 leaders in academia and research.

Microsoft Research Senior Vice President Rich Rashid said the following regarding Microsoft's commitment to technological research: "Regardless of whether you're a botanist or a brain surgeon, computer science increasingly impacts your work and has the power to provide better outcomes. We're investing in programs with academia to build better technologies that can lead to better lives."

A number of key areas of research will benefit from the $3.7 million in grant monies conferred to specific projects. One million dollars will be allocated towards research aimed at the utilization of cellular phone technology in healthcare; in particular, funding will support research into creating tools that can utilize cellular technology to enhance healthcare services offered in both rural and urban settings. Seven hundred thousand dollars will be granted in another arena of healthcare, sponsoring genome wide association studies that will lay the groundwork for patients to have more personalized methods of treatment available, based on their own genetic mapping.

Three of the six areas receiving grant monies from Microsoft Research are near and dear to the core workings of the Microsoft Corporation: projects dealing with enhanced computing capabilities. First, $500,000 will be allocated to Intelligent Web 3.0. Intelligent Web 3.0, according to the press release, enables a "a human-centric, context-aware model of information access". Next, $500,000 was granted for operating system research, towards the effort of enabling "safe and scalable concurrent programs". Finally, $500,000 will fund research to make computer systems more energy efficient.

The last project to be funded by Microsoft Research is perhaps the most forward thinking. Five hundred thousand dollars will be conferred on research in working to enhance the level of interaction technologically possible between human beings and robots. The extent of this project will be to bring gadgets to the marketplace within five to ten years to enhance quality of life.

Other recipients will benefit from an additional $2.75 million dollars, donated by Microsoft Research. One million dollars will fund the A. Richard Newton Breakthrough Research Award. Mr. Newton died in January 2007. He was a long-serving member of the Technical Advisory Board for Microsoft Research, and the former Dean of the College of Engineering at UC Berkeley. Monies from this award will sponsor research in a variety of areas.

The Microsoft Research New Faculty Fellowship will provide $1 million to be split between five chosen faculty members. This program is in its fourth year of existence and seeks to recognize researchers who stand to make a profound impact in their chosen fields.

The final portion of the grants announced in the July 16^th press release will be used to establish the Center for Collaborative Technologies at University of Washington. Over the next three years, Microsoft Research will dedicate $750,000 to start up of this organization, the eleventh of which have benefited from Microsoft's beneficence.

Following the announcement of the various awards, Sailesh Chutani, Microsoft Research External Research and Programs Director, commented, "We're anxious to extend our relationships

and accelerate innovations that hold the promise to improve education, healthcare and the environment."

Microsoft Research was founded in 1991 as the research arm of the Microsoft Corporation, founded in 1975.

Reference:

"Microsoft Research Commits More Than $6 Million to Academic Collaborations ." (http://prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/07-16-2007/0004626221&EDATE)