In addition, they will receive exclusive mentorship from Microsoft’s artificial intelligence experts and the opportunity to present their project to M12, the company’s Venture Capital.

For Diego CalasibettaDirector of Global Entrepreneurship and Open Innovation at Santander University, “Artificial intelligence is a rapidly growing technological revolution and, as in any cutting-edge sector, innovation is key to ensuring purposeful development towards the sustainable advancement of society. With this challenge we want to support and accompany companies in this sector who share our vision of a technology that is destined to come into our lives much sooner than we thought.”

Jens HansenGeneral Manager Data & AI at Microsoft EMEA, noted that “At Microsoft, we have always seen technology as a catalyst for progress, and we believe that Artificial Intelligence can positively impact and change our lives when used responsibly. We are committed to democratizing the use of AI, which is why we are excited to join Banco Santander in the Santander X Global Challenge | AI revolution”.

Clever SteveThe CEO of Oxentia Foundation highlighted this “Exploring exciting new technologies and helping entrepreneurs address global challenges in innovative ways is at the heart of what we do. We’re excited to be collaborating with Banco Santander and Microsoft to launch this new challenge. Artificial Intelligence is playing an increasingly important role in our lives and we look forward to learning more about the best cutting-edge technologies and transformative solutions from the candidates.”

Banco Santander and its support for education

Banco Santander maintains a strong commitment to progress and inclusive and sustainable growth with a pioneering and consolidated commitment to education, entrepreneurship and employability that has developed over 25 years and sets it apart from other financial institutions in the world. Since its launch, the bank has allocated more than 2,200 million euros and has supported more than one million student, professional and entrepreneurial projects through agreements with more than 1,300 universities in 25 countries.

Microsoft

Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT” @microsoft) is driving digital transformation for the intelligent cloud era and Intelligent Edge. Its mission is to help every person and every organization on the planet do more every day.

Oxentia Foundation

Oxentia emerged from a technology transfer from the University of Oxford, University of Oxford Innovations, with the aim of providing specialized innovation management services to public and private sector clients worldwide. This approach builds on Oxford’s strong tradition of supporting innovators and early-stage entrepreneurs globally to promote innovative projects that have an impact on the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. The Oxentia Foundation was established to support Oxentia’s goal of addressing global inequality through innovation and entrepreneurial activity.