AIM cops Asia Awards for tech innovation program

MANILA, Philippines — The Asian Institute of Management (AIM) has bested leading universities in Asia in the technological innovation category in the first Asia Awards organized by London-based Times Higher Education (THE).

AIM was awarded the Technological Innovation of the Year award during the THE Asia Universities Summit held in Abu Dhabi last week.

The recognition is awarded to higher education institutions that show innovative use of technology to improve function in the institutional, departmental or faculty level.

AIM was awarded for its Analytics, Computing and Complex Systems (ACCeSs@AIM) laboratory, which was established to complement existing academic programs and bridge the gap between theory and practice for research-led teaching in higher education.

ACCeSs@AIM “has given students a vital ability to learn with leading-edge technology that they can take into their future employment,” THE judges said in the citation of the program. 

“(It was an) exemplary initiative that perfectly illustrates strategic vision and technical innovation, creating positive opportunities for advancement,” they added.

Filipino-American biologist Michael Purugganan, dean for science at the New York University, said the laboratory is a good counterargument to those who say that the Philippines is lagging in science, technology, engineering and mathematics education.

“It shows what dedicated and brilliant faculty, resources and vision can do to propel us forward,” Purugganan said in his message after the awarding.

ACCeSs@AIM executive managing director Christopher Monterola said the laboratory is AIM’s concrete step in improving the economy of developing countries in Southeast Asia as well as in promoting partnerships that will directly impact businesses, society and communities.

“Its aim is to lead, inspire and transform the use of data science, artificial intelligence and computational models to help industries, government agencies and other sectors innovate,” Monterola added.

Launched last year, ACCeSs@AIM boasts a multidisciplinary team of experienced scientists working with a 500-teraflop supercomputer optimized for artificial intelligence technology, said to be one of the fastest in the country.

The resources provided through the laboratory extend to support the teaching of Master of Science in Data Science (MSDS) students, providing them with “real-world” scenarios and direct links with industry partners.

“In less than a year, ACCeSs@AIM has already produced relevant research for select industries and has deployed decision-support platforms for our stakeholders,” MSDS program director and ACCeSs@AIM deputy managing director Erika Legara said.

“Building the platforms demanded the implementation of advanced-level analytics and formulation of mathematical and mechanism-based models, not to mention a true understanding of business needs,” Legara added.