After announcing an additional ¥1 billion (about US $6.8 million) investment in “AI for Brain Science,” Tianqiao and Chrissy Chen Institute (TCCI) unveils new program to support to university students.
On July 18, TCCI officially launched the global competition themed “AI for Brain Science” with Tongji University as the first stop. Focusing on AI-empowered brain science innovations, glial cells identification based on machine visuals, and BCI-dedicated contests, the two-month competition opened its arms to undergraduate and post graduate students at Tongji University. A prize pool worth ¥300,000 has been set up to reward outstanding individuals or teams by providing them an opportunity to attend the domestic and overseas “AI for Brain Science” summer schools organized by TCCI.
It’s introduced that the following several stops have selected a number of well-known universities at home and abroad. Generally, the competition has adopted a highly open-minded and flexible mode. Under the them of “AI for Brain Science”, host universities are allowed to determine their own competitive topics to reflect their respective characteristics and advantageous resources. The event will continue seeking cooperation with universities, academic institutions and associations around the world who share an interest in the same field.
The competition was supported by UCloud, a listed company specialized in cloud computing, and TMTPost, the tech-savvy media platform. The first stop was jointly hosted by TCCI and Tongji University, organized by the School of Electronic and Information Engineering of Tongji University, and co-organized by the School of Medicine of Tongji University and Yangzhi Rehabilitation Hospital of Tongji University. At the launching ceremony, Stanley Chan, a famous science fiction writer and Deputy Director of the Science Fiction Literature Committee of the Chinese Writers’ Association, and Peng Qi, an associate professor at the School of Electronics and Information Engineering of Tongji University exchanged views on AI and the brain in science fiction classics and their implications for modern science and technology.
Wei Cao, the person in charge of the competition, introduced that TCCI has built a framework including frontier labs, conferences, summer schools, media and cornerstone partners under the strategy of “AI for Brain Science”. As a new member of the “AI for Brain Science” ecosystem, the competition aims to fully mobilize the innovative power of young students and take the first step in interdisciplinary talent cultivation.
Junhe Zhou, Deputy Dean of the School of Electronic and Information Engineering at Tongji University, introduced that the school is one of the first universities in China to obtain the qualification to set up undergraduate programs related to “artificial intelligence”. The glial cell identification contest requires participants to apply AI technology in studying microglia which mediate neuroinflammation to identify the key factors in the development of Alzheimer’s disease. The BCI-dedicated contest assigns the task of developing an algorithm to analyze the signals of BCI control systems. And the innovative contest aims to stimulate students’ creativity.
“The new generation of AI technology represented by large language models will profoundly drive academic innovation and industrial development, with medical fields including brain science among the first to be impacted,” said Xinhua Ji, Chairman and CEO of UCloud, “Cloud computing companies will provide AI developers in different industries with stable, secure, high-performance technical support to accelerate innovation in relevant fields.” Xiangming Liu, co-founder of Titanium Media, said, “As an observer and recorder of cutting-edge technology, we believe that this competition will become a platform for converging innovative thinking and accelerating scientific research, and expect young research talents to explore the mysteries of AI and brain science more enthusiastically with the help of AI.”