University of Surrey fundraising reaches £50m milestone
The University of Surrey's first global philanthropic fundraising campaign, dubbed 'The Future Says Surrey', is celebrating reaching £50 million of its £60 million target.
This initiative was created to help key areas of research, including people-centred artificial intelligence (AI), get a significant injection of new funds.
Students from diverse backgrounds are another target demographic for the initiative, as the campaign will fund new initiatives to widen participation in education through scholarships, bursaries and additional support for those facing hardship.
Professor Max Lu, President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Surrey, said: "The tremendous success of The Future Says Surrey philanthropic campaign will not only elevate our research in pivotal areas like sustainability, artificial intelligence and animal/human health, but it is also already creating opportunities for care-experienced students to become part of the Surrey community, where they can receive a world-class education."
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The Future Says Surrey campaign has also secured a $1.5m gift from Google.org to increase digital accessibility for the deaf community.
Researchers from Surrey's Institute for People-Centred Artificial Intelligence (AI) will work with Signapse, a Surrey spinout company, to create AI technologies such as British Sign Language translations for internet web pages.
Patrick Degg, Vice President External Engagement at the University of Surrey, said: "A university education is a formative and incredible time in a person's life.
''However, many talented students cannot access this opportunity due to personal circumstances. The Future Says Surrey campaign allows us to continue the University's proud history of supporting talented people, regardless of their personal background or financial means."
Read more - Government launches £60 million Regional Innovation Fund to boost research and development
