STAFF REPORT IBD: Microsoft Research (Redmond), the research and development arm of global software leader, Microsoft Corporation, USA, has accepted a proposal for award of a research grant for development of SoftUPS, submitted by Dr. Affan Syed, Assistant Professor, National University of Computer and Emerging Sciences (NU-FAST), Islamabad.
According to a press release issued here, the research would start from next month.
The SoftUPS solution builds upon a recent technology developed by MSR called HomeOS, intended to provide an OS like abstraction for smart Homes. The solution aims to build a smart-home application that replaces current UPS-based solutions to load-shedding, with a more ICT-inspired, greener, lower-cost, and more efficient solution; hence the name “SoftUPS”.
National ICT RandD Fund, an organization of Ministry of IT and funded by research and development (RandD) contribution of all telecom operators, has provided support to Dr. Affan Syed and his team for research projects.
The Fund has so far funded 86 RandD projects involving Rs. 1.42 billion cost. Out of these, 10 projects have won various national and international awards, four patents filed and 189 publications published by various academia and industry organizations and researchers.
The Fund has also provided scholarships to 3,875 students in information and communication technologies (ICTs) mostly from rural areas on pure merit and has disbursed Rs. 1.85 billion on such scholarships.