AWS Public Sector Blog
AWS social impact awards accelerate innovation at Columbia
Every year, an estimated 3 million Americans receive home healthcare services, with the majority being over the age of 65. These programs often improve health outcomes, but they also carry risks. Patients may fall, miss medications, or face complications that lead to hospitalization.
Researchers at Columbia University’s School of Nursing are exploring how artificial intelligence (AI) could help predict and prevent such events. By analyzing large datasets from home healthcare agencies, they aim to develop an AI-powered “nursing agent” capable of identifying risks early and recommending timely interventions. The potential impact is enormous, but bringing this kind of innovation to life requires significant computational power.
Such resources can be difficult to secure without early, flexible support. Supporting research like this is part of the mission of Amazon Web Services (AWS) Social Responsibility & Impact (SRI). Through AWS social impact credits, AWS helps researchers at Columbia University accelerate discovery across health, climate, and education.
Bridging research ambition and infrastructure
Columbia’s research enterprise spans 17 schools and dozens of departments, labs, centers, and institutes, and receives about $1.3 billion in research grant funding. Beyond its medical campus, the university’s most research-intensive areas include science and engineering. Faculty and students pursue breakthroughs that range from new treatments for once-incurable diseases to deeper insights into the human brain and innovative solutions to environmental challenges, including extreme weather.
The large datasets behind many of these projects require significant computational resources to store, analyze, and interpret. When applying machine learning and AI to accelerate discoveries, researchers also need access to graphics processing units (GPUs) to train models. Yet specialized equipment like this is expensive and difficult to fund. How can researchers build a proof of concept for future funding without the seed resources to power their work?
“You need to have done the initial research that demonstrates you’re headed in the right direction in order to be competitive for larger sources of funding,” explained Sharon Sputz, associate vice president for Columbia’s Office of Research Initiatives and Development (ORID). “But it’s often challenging to get computational resources funded for early-stage research.”
Through awarded AWS social impact credits, AWS helps researchers bridge the gap between innovative ideas and the necessary infrastructure to bring them to life.
Connecting Columbia researchers to AWS cloud credits
As a longtime AWS customer, Columbia first learned about AWS social impact credits through its AWS account management team. The credits support research that leverages cloud computing and AI to address critical challenges in health, climate, and education. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis, and eligible projects generally fall into one of three categories: proof of concept or benchmark; development of repeatable, shareable solutions; or advanced workshops and tutorials.
“We believe that cloud technology is a really powerful tool for making progress in solving the most complicated challenges that the world is facing,” said Lauren Hollis, program manager at AWS SRI. “Our main lever is providing promotional credits to expand access for researchers to the AWS Cloud and AI technology.”
To identify suitable projects, Columbia ORID worked closely with Angela Helfrich, principal for U.S. Higher Education and Academic Medical Centers at AWS, to host a series of webinars for Columbia faculty on how AWS cloud credits can support their work. They emphasized the benefits of data security and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) compliance built into AWS services, access to Amazon SageMaker, GPUs, and Amazon Q, and the awards’ focus areas. The team also proactively reached out to university departments that were already heavy AWS users.
Investing in health, education, and climate
In addition to the AI-powered nursing agent for home healthcare, AWS social impact credits are supporting research at Columbia that addresses health risks affecting women, children, and underserved communities. For example, the engineering and medical schools are collaborating to create digital twins to better understand the reproductive system and identify risk factors for preterm births.
To accelerate diagnosis of acute lymphoblastic leukemia in children—an illness that can be deadly if left untreated—researchers are developing a tool that uses DNA sequencing to produce a full genomic profile within 72 hours, far faster than current methods. Another project focuses on creating a prenatal diagnostic tool for women in rural areas who lack easy access to major hospitals.
Accessibility in education is another area that Columbia researchers are exploring. An Arts and Sciences faculty member working with Columbia Engineering is using AWS cloud credits and multiple GPUs to train models that convert video into text, delivering richer, more expressive descriptions of artworks for people who are blind or visually impaired. The work exemplifies how AWS SRI’s focus areas often overlap—in this case, addressing both health-related accessibility needs and educational equity.
Climate research is also benefiting from AWS support. Columbia researchers are applying cloud-based tools to climate and earth science, using geospatial mapping and other data-driven methods to improve understanding of where critical minerals are found and how these resources can support a clean energy transition.
Altogether, these projects represent Columbia’s first cohort of AWS-supported research, with additional initiatives under review. “Columbia does such amazing work, and there are so many synergies with what we’re trying to support,” said Helfrich. “It speaks to where AWS and Columbia are aligned around areas for impact.”
Building partnerships to accelerate discovery
AWS social impact credits, the AWS Cloud, and the AWS services provide the computational power and services required to advance this innovative, life-saving research. Sometimes people think that only dollars count, but AWS Cloud credits and the services they unlock make this program so unique.
For other academic institutions looking to drive discovery through strong industry partnerships, Columbia’s experience with AWS underscores the combined power of the two to advance research agendas in meaningful ways.
The collaboration between Columbia and AWS demonstrates how academic institutions can accelerate breakthrough research by establishing strong partnerships that provide access to transformative technology and resources beyond traditional funding mechanisms. From AI-powered healthcare solutions to climate modeling and accessible education tools, these projects showcase the potential of cloud computing to address society’s most pressing challenges.
Whether you’re researching life-saving treatments, developing climate solutions, or expanding educational access, AWS is committed to helping you scale your impact. If you can dream it, you can build it.
Learn how AWS helps academic institutions leverage cloud computing for social impact research.