5 February 2024
5 February 2024
On 5 February 2024 ai@cam announced the first five AI-deas challenge projects — the public moment when Cambridge’s flagship mission on AI for science, citizens and society came to life. Neil Lawrence chairs the mission; Jess Montgomery is its director.
The projects take seed funding and institutional support in the hope they grow into what Neil has called academic unicorns: interdisciplinary teams aimed at public value rather than private valuation, using state-of-the-art AI on problems that matter outside the lab. The first cohort spans lifelong brain and mental health, fertility and early infant neurodevelopment, language equity and inclusion, ethical AI in local decision-making, and AI for climate and nature. A University of Cambridge story accompanied the announcement.
AI-deas had opened with a concept-paper call in July 2023 and a first researcher workshop in November. The February announcement of the funded challenges is when the mission’s approach — incubator, not institute; projects before process — became visible beyond the University. Internal funding for ai@cam had been agreed earlier; this was the public launch.
17 April 2020
The Royal Society launches DELVE — Data Evaluation and Learning for Viral Epidemics — to feed data-driven analysis into SAGE. Neil Lawrence helps lead the group; Jessica Montgomery provides secretariat.
4 May 2020
The first DELVE report argues that face coverings, including homemade cloth masks, could reduce community transmission when physical distancing is hard to maintain.
27 May 2020
A DELVE report sets out when TTI can help control COVID-19; Andrei Paleyes and colleagues release open simulation software used in the supporting analysis.
