Science for
Social Good
Applying artificial intelligence, cloud and deep science to scale social impact.
Applied science can help solve the world’s toughest problems and inspire business innovation
Launched in 2016, IBM Science for Social Good partners IBM Research scientists and engineers with academic fellows, subject matter experts from a diverse range of non-governmental organizations (NGOs), public sector agencies, and social enterprises to tackle emerging societal challenges using science and technology. The Science for Social Good program is built on the premise that applied science and technology can solve the world’s toughest problems by accelerating the rate and pace of solutions through the scientific method.
28
Projects
IBM Science for Social Good has executed 28 projects, from detecting new epidemics and diseases and understanding the causes of opioid addiction recognizing hate speech, and accelerating scientific discovery.
19
Partnerships
IBM Science for Social Good has partnered with 19 organizations. Partners include innovative NGOs, social enterprises, and government agencies.
9
Patents Pending
While working to solve some of the toughest challenges facing our world, novel solutions resulted in 9 pending patents.
47
Published Papers
IBM Science for Social Good has generated 47 published research papers since its launch in 2016. Many of the papers have been accepted by major research conferences.
36
Fellowships
IBM Science for Social Good has awarded 36 fellowships since 2016 and contributed over 13k hours advancing partner projects.
114
IBM Volunteer Scientists
IBM Researchers from our 12 global labs volunteer their time to support the IBM Science for Social Good projects by working with both the student fellows and partner organizations.
Using AI for Smarter, Sustainable Development
IBM Research and the United Nations Development Programme developed a natural language processing algorithm to streamline sustainability procedures in developing countries.
Hunting Zika Virus with Machine Learning
IBM Research and The Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies collected and mined biological and ecological data to create algorithms that can determine which primates are carriers for the virus to more greatly monitor and control in the spread of the Zika virus.
Cognitive Financial Advisor for Low-Wage Workers
IBM Research and Neighborhood Trust Financial Partners developed predictive models and decision support that allowed for personalized financial advice tuned to the unique situation of the client at hand.
Prescription Guidelines for Opioid Epidemic
IBM Research and IBM Watson Health created the first machine learning model using causal interference to possibly predict which patients would be more likely to become addicted to opioids following an initial opioid prescription.
New projects for 2019
The IBM Science for Social Good program is pleased to announce its 2019 partnerships and projects. This year's projects aim to tackle multiple pressing social issues ranging from healthcare to poverty.
PROJECT NAME | PARTNER ORGANIZATION(S) | EXPLORE |
---|---|---|
Prescribing Guidelines for Addressing the Opioid Epidemic | Watson Health, Truven Health Analytics | |
Causal Pathways Out of Poverty | CityLink Center | |
Repurposing Drugs for Cancer Treatment | Cures Within Reach for Cancer | |
Fairness in AI-based skin cancer diagnosis | IBM Research | |
Trustworthy AI Pentathlon | IBM Research |
All projects
Since 2016, IBM Science for Social Good has executed 28 projects, from understanding disease epidemics, to creating antimicrobial peptides, to modeling hate speech, to developing cognitive counselors that guide people out of poverty. We've done so by relying on more than 110 of our researchers who have volunteered their unique skills, expertise and passions to these projects. We've also contributed 47 scientific papers and awarded 36 Social Good student fellowships.
PROJECT NAME | PARTNER ORGANIZATION(S) | EXPLORE |
---|---|---|
Prescribing Guidelines for Addressing the Opioid Epidemic | Watson Health, Truven Health Analytics | |
Causal Pathways Out of Poverty | CityLink Center | |
Repurposing Drugs for Cancer Treatment | Cures Within Reach for Cancer | |
Fairness in AI-based skin cancer diagnosis | IBM Research | |
Trustworthy AI Pentathlon | IBM Research | |
Fair Financial Inclusion and Transfer Learning | IBM Research | |
Optimized Fairness Pre-Processing | IBM Research | |
Winning Video Games “Morally" | IBM Research | |
Cognitive Disease Hunter | Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies | |
Ask Nature for Design Inspiration | Biomimicry Institute | |
Food Assistance Best Practice: The Digital Experience | St. John’s Bread & Life | |
Simpler Voice: Overcoming Illiteracy | Literacy Coalition of Central Texas | |
Cognitive Policy Advisor | Pardee Center for International Futures | |
Open Discovery Platform for a Multiple Sclerosis Cure | Accelerated Cure Project for Multiple Sclerosis | |
Cognitive Financial Advisor for Low-Wage Workers | Neighborhood Trust Financial Partners | |
Neurology-as-a-Service | Nanyang Technological University, Singapore | |
Using AI for Smarter, Sustainable Development | United Nations Development Programme, International Center for Advocates Against Discrimination | |
Demystifying Social Entrepreneurship | Echoing Green | |
Changing Behaviors to Conserve Energy | International Center for Appropriate and Sustainable Technology | |
Recognize Hate Speech | United Nations Global Pulse | |
Creating New Antibiotics of Last Resort | IBM Research | |
Hunting Zika Virus with Machine Learning | Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies | |
What Works in Global Development? | Clinton Global Initiative | |
Disseminate the Best Treatment for Diarrhea | Clinton Health Access Initiative | |
Real-Time Understanding of Humanitarian Crises | ACAPS (Assessment Capacities Project) | |
How to Foster Innovation | IBM Research | |
Trusted Models and Results | IBM Research |
Partner with us
Projects are conducted in collaboration with partner organizations who work with us to define the problems and commit to using the results. If you are an innovative NGO, social enterprise or government agency facing challenging problems and would like to work with us to tackle them using artificial intelligence, please contact us.
Become an IBM Science for Social Good Student Fellow
The Science for Social Good program is built on the premise that applied science and technology can address the world’s biggest challenges. IBM Science for Social Good offers summer fellowships for graduate students and postdoctoral fellowships.
Benefits
- Collaborate with and learn from renowned researchers
- Work on an important problem for the social good
- Hone your data science skills
- Complete a project to showcase in your portfolio
- Have fun and bond with other fellows
- Receive a competitive stipend
Requirements
- Bachelor’s Degree (or higher)
- At least 2 years of experience in predictive modeling, machine learning, data science, data mining, pattern recognition, design, mobile development or visualization.
Learn more about IBM Research
At IBM Research, we invent things that matter to the world. We power the breakthroughs that define industries in the age of information technology, such as cloud and blockchain, for almost 75 years. We tackle the toughest challenges facing the world today with tools built on artificial intelligence and other foundations. And we create technologies like quantum computing that will transform both business and society tomorrow.