Microsoft’s Middle East and Africa(MEA) Multi-Country Cluster(MCC) was declared Top subsidiary Award winner for Small and Multi Countries Subsidiary Category for FY19. Announced at Microsoft Inspire and Microsoft Ready 2019 partner conference in Las Vegas.
Formed a year ago, the MEA MCC includes countries in Africa(minus South Africa and Egypt), Indian Ocean Islands, Levant and Pakistan. I remember when Ibrahim Youssry Microsoft General Manager MEA MCC visited Ghana to talk to Partners. The forum was to introduce the MCC and share Microsoft’s one core vision with partners.
Ibrahim Youssry joined top Microsoft executives including CEO Satya Nadella on stage for the recognition. Watch this in the video below.
I am incredibly honored and proud to announce that Microsoft MEA Multi-Country Cluster (MCC) has been selected as the top Microsoft subsidiary. This is an amazing recognition of our collective collaboration and commitment to serve our customers in the region which spans across Africa, Indian Ocean Islands, as well as Levant and Pakistan. The award comes as we celebrate one year of the MCC subsidiary, and as I take a moment to reflect on this achievement, I feel utmost pride and appreciation. To all our staff located across the 67 markets of our subsidiary, and for our valued partners, thank you all for making it all possible!
Microsoft is awarding new grants to fellow pioneers in the Middle East and Africa through a new partnership with the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation and the National Geographic Society
The Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation (LDF) aims to create a world where both nature and humanity coexist in harmony. Over the past twenty years, LDF has awarded over $100 million in grants, funding 200+ high-impact projects in 50 countries across Asia, the Americas, Africa, the Arctic, Antarctica, and all five oceans.
LDF has achieved this success through active collaboration with a broad network of effective organizations to find and support the best, results-driven projects in the world’s most wild and threatened ecosystems.
Microsoft’s AI for Earth program supports organizations who are working to solve global environmental challenges using artificial intelligence.
To further their missions, LDF and Microsoft are collaborating on the AI for Earth innovation grant to support applicants in creating and deploying open source machine learning models, algorithms, and data sets that directly tackle environmental problems faced by the world today.
AI for Earth Innovation Grant Priorities:
With the latest IPCC Special Report outlining the level and urgency of broad action required to prevent global temperatures from exceeding 1.5 degrees, we would like to request a call for proposals that can deliver impactful solutions to immediate matters in the following four categories:
· Climate change · Biodiversity conservation · Agriculture · Water
Applications that also include the following will be prioritized for review:
· Demonstration that the work will lead to implementation of proposed solution (whether directly by applicant or in collaboration with others);
· Solutions that are developed in and/or will be implemented in developing countries or underserved geographies;
· Solutions that demonstrate ability to rapidly scale and create lasting impact.
Details:
Proposal requests can be up to $100,000, for support over one year only. In addition to financial support, successful proposals will receive free access to AI for Earth API’s, applications, tools, and tutorials, and support for their computational work on Microsoft Azure. Applicants must demonstrate a plan for continued support of the work beyond the grant period.
Applicants must consider how to utilize AI for global environmental impact in at least one of the following core categories:
Biodiversity conservation: Species are going extinct at alarming rates, and our planet’s oceans and last wild places need protection. We would like to see how AI can help, particularly in the following areas:
· Protected area identification, management and restoration · Sustainable supply chain management · Illegal trade and poaching control Wildlife tracking and ecosystem health monitoring · Realizing natural capital (including valuing natural capital, species identification)
Climate change: Extreme weather events, rising sea levels, higher global temperatures, and increased ocean acidity threaten human health, infrastructure, and the natural systems we rely on for life itself. We would like to see how AI can help, particularly in the following areas
· Climate resilience · Extreme weather and climate modeling · Measuring carbon sequestration through natural climate solutions · Pollution monitoring and reporting on air quality · More efficient energy and transportation systems
Agriculture: To feed the world’s rapidly growing population, farmers must produce more food on less arable land, and with lower environmental impact. We would like to see how AI can help, particularly in the following areas
· Sustainable land use planning and management · Natural resource conservation · Sustainable, closed loop food systems · Climate-resilient, regenerative agriculture · Food recovery
Water: In the next two decades, demand for fresh water—for human consumption, agriculture, and hygiene, as well as for the well-being of natural systems and species—is predicted to dramatically outpace supply. We would like to see how AI can help, particularly in the following areas
· Beneficial water supply strategies for human and natural systems · Water quality and sanitation · Water source monitoring · Water use efficiency · Extreme-event (droughts, floods, disasters, etc.) water management
All models supported through this grant must be open source, and grant recipients must be willing to share their models for use by other environmental researchers and innovators. More specifically:
(1) Grant recipients must make their solutions available for publication on the AI for Earth website through a designated open source license;
(2) Grant recipients must make the training data on which their solutions are developed publicly available in standard digital format;
(3) Grant recipients must include with their solutions a standard description template, including information on the machine learning data on which the solution was trained, summary statistics about solution performance, example use cases, and a disclaimer about the prototype nature of the solution; and
(4) Grant recipients must implement and deploy their solutions on Microsoft Azure.
Applicant Qualifications:
Applicants must be nonprofit organizations or academic institutions. We recommend that the main applicant has a demonstrated background in environmental science and/or technology, and we require that at least one member of the team has strong enough technical skills (such as machine learning, statistical data analysis, scientific modeling, software development, and/or remote sensing) to complete the proposed project successfully.
Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation believe great ideas spring from a diversity of experiences, and thus encourage applications from all over the world.
Timelines:
The AI for Earth innovators grant will begin accepting applications beginning May 21, 2019. The application period will close on July 31 2019 at 11:59pm PST. Only applications received during this period will be accepted.
Applicants will be reviewed and awarded within 2-3 months of application close. It is anticipated that the selected projects will commence on January 1, 2020 and will be completed by December 31, 2020.
Please note this RFP application, deadline, and anticipated project timeline is different from other LDF grant programs.
Microsoft to partner with 15 nonprofits in 8 countries to upskill 1.4 million youths in computer science across the Middle East and Africa region.
By the next three years, Microsoft wants to impart digital skills to 10 million youths in Middle East and Africa. To reach this goal Microsoft plans to work with nonprofit organizations. Organizations whose mission aligns with its focus on computer science education.
Microsoft says “Digital Skills are becoming essential for the jobs of today and tomorrow. These skills can open doors to greater economic opportunities in the work place of the future. Microsoft believes in a future where every young person has the skills, knowledge and opportunity to succeed“.
Microsoft will work with 15 nonprofits in 8 countries across the Middle East and Africa region to upskill 1.4 million youths in computer science.
Nonprofits will receive grants through the Microsoft YouthSpark initiative. With a target of being able train 13,000 educators to teach digital skills to youths across the region.
Microsoft hopes to reach new goals with this initiative. That 80 percent of the beneficiaries will represent underserved communities and 50 percent female.
Team Beach Safer will be the only team from Africa presenting at the 2018 Imagine Cup World Finals
The annual student developer championship, Imagine Cup world finals is here with us. Students from across the nations will have an opportunity to showcase their live changing innovations. They have qualified from the various national and regional finals and stand a chance of winning this years prize package. A prize value of $700,000 comprising of cash, travel, Azure credits and a mentoring session with Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella.
Team Beach Safer emerged winners from the teams that qualified to compete in the Middle East and Africa regional finals. Team Beach Safer comprises of computer engineering students from the University of Cairo, Egypt.
The Beach Safer project seeks to make sea swimming much safer by eliminating the danger of drowning. It comes as a smart integrated IoT solution providing interactive real-time monitoring and supervision dashboard on swimmers’ state and location through lifeguard mobile app and smart wearable devices worn by swimmers, Quick accurate drowning detection technique using biometrics and then finally an immediate automated rescue procedure using a portable flotation device and an autonomous drone carrying a buoy. It also provides the individual with a web portal for data management and a BI insights dashboard. The team leverages on Microsoft’s Azure platform, Azure IoT hub, Stream analytics job, Power BI and other technologies.
The finalists from the Middle East and Africa regions haven’t been very lucky in recent years at the finals. It will be nice to see team Beach Safer make it to the final stage of this years competition.
Join us on from the 23rd – 25th July, 4pm GMT as we share updates and stream live the Imagine Cup World Finals championship.
15 Teams are contesting in this years Microsoft Imagine Cup Middle East and Africa Finals underway in Beirut, Lebanon.
The Imagine Cup competition is Microsoft’s global completion for student developers. It empowers the next generation of computer science students to team up and use their creativity, passion and knowledge of technology to create applications that shape how we live, work and play. This years Imagine Cup Finals already has an aura around it seeing it marks a milestone and not forgetting the $ 100,000 top price package.
Imagine Cup Middle East and Africa finals 2017 is being hosted by Microsoft’s Lebanon Team. The 3 day event, 18th to 20th of may is taking place at the American University of Beirut, Lebanon. The grand final and awards ceremony will take place on Saturday 20th.
Follow the Microsoft Imagine Cup Middle East and Africa Finals competition event on social media via the hashtag #ImagineCupMEA. Don’t forget to cheer your team on. All the best to all teams and hopefully they all impress at the finals in Seattle, Washington later this year.
Teams Green Jam (UAE), Bl!nk (Lebanon), DocStroke (Jordan), E-Park (Morocco), Beta (Oman) and WaCoMo(Qatar) have qualified for the world finals in Seattle.
