Fiocruz project selected to receive funding from Google.org

The Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz) was selected to receive funding from Google.org, through the institution’s fund to support projects using innovative Artificial Intelligence (AI) and data analytics to help understand COVID-19 and address its impacts. The project by the Centre for Data and Knowledge Integration for Health (Cidacs/Fiocruz Bahia), with Bahia Federal University (UFBA), was one of only two selected in Brazil by Google.

Researchers Marcos Ennes Barreto (UFBA) and Mauricio Lima Barreto (Cidacs / Fiocruz Bahia), with a team of experts from different fields, will receive USD 76.600 from Google.org to establish a cloud-based platform to support research and inform decisions related to Covid-19 in Brazil. The project will also receive Google Cloud credits, in a total of USD 189.200.

The platform will provide tools for large scale data linkage and management, a set of mixed AI models for prediction and decision-making support and interactive bibliometrics resources focusing on the synthesis of evidence and correlations within the increasing literature on COVID-19. The project will be stablished within the scope of the Rede CoVida, a cooperation network involving professionals from several Brazilian institutions.

“We are very happy to be supported by Google.org. This funding will allow us to expand the activities being conducted with Rede CoVida, especially towards the use of Google tools and Artificial Intelligence-based models to manage a diversity of data sources and run a set of investigative studies focusing on complex scenarios related to the pandemic across Brazil”, said Marcos Ennes Barreto, one of the main researchers of the project.

Google.org, Google's philanthropy, selected the projects to receive funding through a competitive, merit-based review process. “It’s been remarkable to see leaders across different industries, sectors and areas of expertise come together during this critical time in our world’s history” said Brigitte Hoyer Gosselink, Head of Product Impact for Google.org.