AI for Disabled People Accessibility grants with Valuable Awards from Microsoft

Microsoft is offering the AI for Accessibility grants which support projects that use AI to empower people living with disabilities. Microsoft is looking for individuals or teams who are not only passionate about making the world more inclusive, but also firmly rooted in the communities they intend to benefit. Universities, non-profits, for-profit companies, startups, and other organizations are encouraged to apply.

Grant Themes:-

• In this Request for Proposals (RFP), Microsoft is prioritizing scalable solutions in the following three themes:
• Increasing skills and education.
• Connecting workers with opportunities.
• Reimagining AI-supported employment systems.
• Please click here for more information about each theme.

• Azure compute credits worth $10,000, $15,000, or $20,000 (depending on your project scope and needs). 
• The grants also cover costs related to collecting or labeling data, developing models, or other engineering-related work. 
• Applications are evaluated on their scientific merit, innovative use of AI technology, and potential for scalability.
• The community of AI for Accessibility grantees also receive Azure developer support, resources, and opportunities to collaborate and showcase their work.

• AI for Accessibility is a call to action for developers, NGO’s, academics, researchers, and inventors to accelerate their work by and with people with disabilities. 
• From a tinkerer in a basement to an established corporation, from students to professionals. This is a global program; grant applications from all countries in the world are eligible.
• The most important part of each application is a project proposal that describes the accessibility challenge addressed, the technical solution proposed, and its potential impact on people with disabilities.

Selection Criteria:-

Applications are evaluated on the following criteria:

• Relevance: AI and/or machine learning are core to the project success.
• Impact: Your project clearly elevates education, employment, community, or home outcomes for someone with a disability.
• Data: Your team is open to sharing privacy compliant data for future innovation.
• Feasible: The project is achievable within a one-year timeframe. This could be phase 1 of your project, but there should be tangible deliverables completed each quarter that are wrapped up in 12 months.
• Capable: Your team should have the knowledge and skill to deliver the idea, or you should have a plan to partner with someone who can fill in any gaps.
• Sustainable: The project has room to grow beyond the first year of funding.
• Showcase-able: Microsoft wants to talk about whatever you deliver.

About Microsoft :-

Microsoft Corporation is an American multinational technology company which produces computer software, consumer electronics, personal computers, and related services. Microsoft ranked No. 21 in the 2020 Fortune 500 rankings of the largest United States corporations by total revenue. It was the world's largest software maker by revenue as of 2016. It is considered one of the Big Five companies in the U.S. information technology industry, along with Google, Apple, Amazon, and Facebook.

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