Google Gives $8.5M to Fund COVID-19 Data Analytics, AI Projects

Google.org is donating more than $8.5 million to 31 universities, nonprofits, and other academic institutions that are using artificial intelligence and data analytics to combat COVID-19.

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The funding is part of Google.org’s $100 million commitment to COVID-19 relief and focuses on four key areas where new information and action is needed to mitigate the impact of the pandemic.

These areas will include projects centered around monitoring and forecasting disease spread, which will lead to a better understanding of where the virus is likely to spike.

“Understanding the spread of COVID-19 is critical to informing public health decisions and lessening its impact on communities,” Mollie Javerbaum, program manager of Google.org, and Meghan Houghton, university relations program manager wrote in a recent blog.

“We’re supporting the development of data platforms to help model disease and projects that explore the use of diverse public datasets to more accurately predict the spread of the virus.”

Organizations conducting projects in this area include Carnegie Mellon University, where researchers will inform public health officials with interactive maps that display real-time COVID-19 data from multiple sources.

Additionally, a team from Boston Children’s Hospital, Oxford University, and Northeastern University will build a platform to support accurate public health data for researchers, public health officials, and citizens.

The grants will also fund projects that aim to improve health equity and minimize secondary effects of the pandemic.

“To address health disparities and drive equitable outcomes, we’re supporting efforts to map the social and environmental drivers of COVID-19 impact, such as race, ethnicity, gender and socioeconomic status,” Javerbaum and Houghton stated.

“In addition to learning more about the immediate health effects of COVID-19, we’re also supporting work that seeks to better understand and reduce the long-term, indirect effects of the virus—ranging from challenges with mental health to delays in preventive care.”

Organizations conducting projects in this area include Boston University School of Public Health, where researchers are investigating the drivers of racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic disparities in the causes and consequences of COVID-19. A team from the University of North Carolina and Vanderbilt University will also work to investigate molecular mechanisms underlying susceptibility to COVID-19 and variability in COVID-19 outcomes.

Google.org will also fund projects that aim to slow disease transmission by advancing contact tracing and environmental sensing.

“Public health officials around the world are using digital tools to help with contact tracing. Google.org is supporting projects that advance science in this important area, including research investigating how to improve exposure risk assessments while preserving privacy and security,” said Javerbaum and Houghton.

“We’re also supporting related research to understand how COVID-19 might spread in public spaces, like transit systems.”

At Arizona State University, researchers will apply federated analytics to contact tracing, including an on-campus pilot. A group from the University of Washington will investigate environmental SARS-CoV-2 detection and filtration methods in bus lines and other public places.

The grant will cover projects that will work to support healthcare workers as well.

“Whether it’s working to meet the increased demand for acute patient care, adapting to rapidly changing protocols or navigating personal mental and physical wellbeing, healthcare workers face complex challenges on the frontlines,” said Javerbaum and Houghton.

“We’re supporting organizations that are focused on helping healthcare workers quickly adopt new protocols, deliver more efficient care, and better serve vulnerable populations. Together, these organizations are helping make the community’s response to the pandemic more advanced and inclusive, and we’re proud to support these efforts.”

At the University of California Berkeley and Gladstone Institutes, a team will develop rapid at-home CRISPR-based COVID-19 diagnostic tests using cell phone technology.

The grants will add to Google.org’s commitment to COVID-19 relief, an effort that spans areas including health and science, economic relief and recovery, and distance learning.