FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

$200,000 in funding available for innovative data commons that enhance local decision-making and disaster response

NEW YORK CITY, New York—The Open Data Policy Lab, a collaboration between The GovLab at New York University and Microsoft, has launched the New Commons Challenge, an initiative to advance the responsible reuse of data for AI-driven solutions that enhance local decision-making and humanitarian response. 

The Challenge will award two winning institutions $100,000 each to develop data commons that fuel responsible AI innovation in these critical areas.

With the increasing use of generative AI in crisis management, disaster preparedness, and local decision-making, access to diverse and high-quality data has never been more essential. 

The New Commons Challenge seeks to support organizations—including start-ups, non-profits, NGOs, universities, libraries, and AI developers—to build shared data ecosystems that improve real-world outcomes, from public health to emergency response.

Bridging Research and Real-World Impact

“The New Commons Challenge is about putting data into action,” said Stefaan Verhulst, Co-Founder and Chief Research and Development Officer at The GovLab. “By enabling new models of data stewardship, we aim to support AI applications that save lives, strengthen communities, and enhance local decision-making where it matters most.”

The Challenge builds on the Open Data Policy Lab’s recent report, “Blueprint to Unlock New Data Commons for AI,” which advocates for creating collaboratively governed data ecosystems that support responsible AI development.

How the Challenge Works

The challenge unfolds in two phases: Phase One: Open Call for Concept Notes (April 14 – June 2, 2025) 

Innovators world-wide are invited to submit concept notes outlining their ideas. Phase Two: Full Proposal Submissions & Expert Review (June 2025)

• Selected applicants will be invited to submit a full proposal

• An interdisciplinary panel will evaluate proposals based on their impact potential, feasibility, and ethical governance.

Winners Announced in Late Summer 2025

Two selected projects will each receive $100,000 in funding, alongside technical support, mentorship, and global recognition.

“Generative AI can only be as powerful as the data that informs it. Microsoft is committed to advancing equitable access to public data that enables well-performing and representative AI solutions worldwide,” said Burton Davis, Vice President and Deputy General Counsel at Microsoft.

A Growing Coalition of Support

The Challenge is backed by leading institutions committed to ethical AI and open data. Partners include Direct Relief / CrisisReady, and Harvard Law School Library, and UNESCO as international observer, which will provide subject-matter expertise and evaluation support.

“We’re seeing a surge in AI-powered tools for disaster response and climate resilience,” said Andrew Schroeder, Vice President of Research and Analysis at Direct Relief and Co-Director of the CrisisReady project with the Harvard Data Science Initiative. “For these tools to produce genuine public benefit, they require high-quality, diverse datasets—which is exactly what the New Commons Challenge is driving forward.”

Harvard Law School Library’s Greg Leppert, Executive Director of the Institutional Data Initiative, added: “Expanding access to data is key to ensuring that, as the potential of AI grows, all of humanity is empowered along with it. Our work with libraries to publish vast data collections of knowledge is born from the same public-interest principles that animate this Challenge.”

UNESCO’s Guilherme Canela de Souza Godoi, Director for the Division of Digital Inclusion and Policies and Digital Transformation, emphasized the broader implications: “As we have been emphasizing in several multilateral recommendations and guidelines, ethical and human rights-based approaches must guide innovation. The New Commons Challenge offers a concrete framework for how data collaboration can align AI with societal needs.”

Join the Challenge

The New Commons Challenge is now open for applications. Interested participants can find more details, including the full challenge guidelines, at newcommons.ai.

For inquiries, please contact: [email protected].

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