SAS and NC State Launch AI Partnership for Health Research

SAS and North Carolina State University (NC State) have announced the launch of a new research partnership, the SAS Think & Do Tank, aimed at applying trusted data and artificial intelligence (AI) to complex challenges in human health, nutrition, and environmental resilience.

The initiative integrates SAS' expertise in data and AI with NC State's interdisciplinary research capabilities, focusing on accelerating the path to new treatments. The partnership seeks to move promising discoveries toward real-world impact while embedding responsible AI practices into the research from the outset.

SAS CEO Jim Goodnight stated, "The next generation of innovators will need more than powerful technology. They'll need the judgment to use it responsibly." NC State Chancellor Kevin Howell added that the collaboration extends a decades-long relationship and aligns with the university's "Think and Do" approach to translating knowledge into impact.

One of the initial research efforts will concentrate on translational predictive biology, utilizing advanced biological models, data, and AI to better predict disease progression and treatment efficacy in humans. This work addresses the challenge of analyzing complex biological datasets, aiming to develop AI models that can identify reliable patterns and provide transparent insights.

Conceived as a scalable two-year pilot, the SAS Think & Do Tank aims to establish a model for future collaborations. This partnership also signifies a return to SAS' origins, as the company began as an agricultural research project at NC State 50 years ago. The project is expected to help identify promising treatments earlier, understand intervention outcomes, and reduce the time and cost associated with bringing new therapies to clinical use.