RAND Corporation Study for Mississippi Tech Research Hub
Opportunities for an Artificial Intelligence-Focused Research Hub in Jackson, Mississippi
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Great City Mississippi Foundation commissioned the RAND Corporation to explore the feasibility of an Artificial Intelligence Research Hub in Jackson.
RAND Team: Vanessa Parks, Bridget R. Kane, Lewis Schneider, Gary Cecchine
Partners: Mississippi State University, The University of Mississippi, Jackson State University, and The University of Southern Mississippi.
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Research Completed
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Downtown Jackson - State of Mississippi - Hub and Spoke Model
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2023 - 2024, Project Report Completed
In 2023, Great City Mississippi Foundation commissioned the RAND Corporation to explore the feasibility of a technology research hub centered around artificial intelligence (AI) in Jackson, Mississippi. RAND Corporation is a nonprofit institution that helps improve policy and decision making through research and analysis, developing solutions that help make communities throughout the world safer and more secure, healthier and more prosperous.
Image: RAND Corporation Headquarters Santa Monica
The study was formed by a review of information about research parks, National Laboratories, interviews with key Mississippi stakeholders, and AI research priorities. RAND researchers combine information about existing needs in the AI research space with existing research and technology capabilities in Mississippi to provide an array of options for the development of a research hub in Jackson.
Key Findings from the RAND study summary report:
There are a number of strategies for organizing and supporting a research hub. A constellation model that includes multiple partners colocated in Jackson could provide partnering organizations the autonomy to pursue their own research agendas while sharing resources and space with other local partners. A hub and spoke model could connect Jackson to other regional and national research centers, military installations, and the Department of Energy National Laboratories.
Mississippi’s existing research and development capabilities could support AI applications in the areas of environment and critical infrastructure, health, education and community development, AI trust, and defense and homeland security.
Involved stakeholders were uncertain about the potential leadership and focus of the research hub but were encouraging and optimistic about the potential for conducting research that can support Mississippi and the broader nation, as well as support economic and community development. The direction of the research hub will likely become clearer as key stakeholders continue working together in collaboration.