AWS Public Sector Blog
FSU researchers improve cloud skills with AWS Research Skilling Accelerator
Modern research is increasingly data-intensive. Whether analyzing millions of satellite images for transportation safety, building predictive models from sensitive health records, or running high-performance computing workloads, today’s researchers need cloud and AI skills to accelerate science. At Florida State University (FSU), a growing community of faculty, staff, and students is proving what’s possible when researchers gain hands-on cloud expertise. The Amazon Web Services (AWS) Research Skilling Accelerator (RSA) is helping make it happen.
The challenge: Bridging the cloud and AI skills gap in research
Universities across the globe face a common challenge: Researchers generate massive datasets and need powerful computing capabilities, but many lack the cloud or AI skills to take full advantage of the tools available to them. Traditional training often doesn’t account for the unique workflows of health science researchers or the infrastructure professionals who support them.
At FSU, the university’s partnership with AWS has already delivered meaningful results, including a $20,000 Research Acceleration Fund that provides AWS credits to faculty and no-cost cloud services training available campus-wide. But researchers wanted something more: a structured, guided program that would build practical cloud skills around real research scenarios.
Introducing the AWS Research Skilling Accelerator
The AWS Research Skilling Accelerator (RSA) is a structured, 5-week, no-cost cloud skilling program designed specifically for health science researchers and research IT professionals at universities. Participants complete hands-on labs in AWS Workshop Studio built around authentic health science datasets and scenarios. The curriculum covers five progressive modules:
- AI-powered research tools with Kiro – Participants use Kiro, an AI-powered integrated development environment (IDE), to explore agentic coding workflows purpose-built for accelerating research software development.
- Machine learning model development with Amazon SageMaker – Researchers build, train, and deploy machine learning (ML) models using Amazon SageMaker, applying techniques like feature engineering and hyperparameter tuning to health science datasets.
- Genomics research agents with Amazon Bedrock and Agents Strands SDK – Participants construct AI-powered research agents using Amazon Bedrock and the Strands Agents SDK to automate genomics literature review and data analysis tasks.
- Cost optimization for research workloads – Participants focus on right-sizing compute resources, using Spot Instances, and using AWS cost management tools to maximize research budgets.
- Specialized elective (medical image classification or high-performance compute bursting) – Researchers choose between building a medical image classification pipeline using deep learning on AWS or configuring hybrid high-performance compute (HPC) bursting to scale on-premises clusters into the cloud for computationally intensive simulations.
The program runs with two parallel tracks built for both researchers and research IT professionals so those doing the science and those supporting the infrastructure gain practical, directly applicable skills in tandem. Throughout the 5 weeks, participants engage with AWS Solutions Architects through discussion hours, dedicated communication channels, and hands-on program support. Those who complete all five assignments receive AWS promotional credits to continue exploring on their own.
FSU’s experience with the RSA
FSU was initially selected as a pilot school for the first RSA cohort in October 2025 with four participants, and then re-enrolled in the second cohort with double the typical enrollment, which is a testament to the university’s commitment to building cloud competency across its research enterprise. FSU RSA participants included both research IT and research participants who reported gaining skills they could immediately apply to their work.
When asked how the RSA has impacted researchers and research IT professionals at FSU, Breeze Howard, director of IT Infrastructure Services, responded, “The Research Skilling Accelerator has given FSU researchers a practical path to build cloud and AI skills they can apply directly to their work. Faculty have responded very positively to the program because it connects hands-on training with real research challenges and helps them move faster from idea to discovery.”
Balu Bhasuran, research faculty in FSU’s School of Information specializing in Clinical NLP and Machine Learning, shared their experience as a participant of the program: “The RSA helped me develop a scalable data analysis pipeline using Amazon SageMaker, enabling more efficient processing and analysis of research data. Working with Amazon Q and AWS Cost Builder was also a valuable experience, helping me better understand cloud-based development, resource planning, and cost management.”
Results that speak for themselves
Across two cohorts spanning 11 universities globally, the RSA has reached 102 active participants and delivered measurable outcomes:
- NPS of 51, indicating strong participant advocacy (industry benchmark sits at 30 for education and training programs)
- 91% satisfaction (CSAT 4.5 out of 5)
- 72% full completion rate (percentage of active participants who completed all five assignments; industry benchmark sits at 15–25% for structured online learning cohorts)
- 25% increase in self-reported AWS comfort levels
AWS plans to begin its third cohort with a target of 30 institutions globally, including repeat participation from FSU and seven other R1 research universities across the US, Canada, and the UK.
A model for research cloud adoption
The RSA represents a scalable approach to closing the cloud skills gap in higher education research. By meeting researchers where they are with health science-specific scenarios, dual tracks for different roles, and ongoing expert support, the program builds confidence alongside competence.
If your university is interested in bringing the AWS RSA to your campus, contact the AWS Research Skilling Accelerator team at aws-rsa@amazon.com. Visit the AWS Public Sector Blog to explore how cloud computing is accelerating scientific discovery across disciplines.