Searching for solutions
Google.org aspires to use the power of information and technology to address the global challenges of our age: climate change, poverty and emerging disease. In collaboration with experienced partners working in each of these fields, we will invest our resources and tap the strengths of Google’s employees and global operations to advance five major initiatives.
Plug into a Greener Grid: RE
A significant amount of global greenhouse gas emissions are generated by coal-fired power plants and vehicles. To slow global warming, we must radically – and quickly – cut these emissions. Plug-in vehicles offer a major opportunity to reduce oil use and corresponding emissions while renewable energy sources – solar, wind, geothermal and others – could supplant a major portion of the planet's electricity generated from coal.
Google.org is confronting the climate crisis on two fronts: We're working on developing utility scale renewable energy cheaper than coal (RERechargeIT
Through our RechargeIT initiative, Google.org is working to accelerate mass commercialization of plug-in vehicles by seeding innovation, demonstrating technology, informing the debate, and stimulating market demand. In June 2007, we officially launched this initiative by unveiling our plug-in demonstration fleet, debuting Google's 1.6 megawatt solar installation, and announcing over $1 million in grants to support plug-in vehicle adoption. We also teamed up with PG&E to demonstrate vehicle-to-grid technology to show how electricity might be transmitted back and forth between plug-in vehicles and the grid.
Recharge a Car, Recharge the Grid, Recharge the Planet
RechargeIT is a Google.org initiative that aims to reduce CO2 emissions, cut oil use and stabilize the electrical grid by accelerating the adoption of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles and vehicle-to-grid technology.
By demonstrating the technology using our own fleet and supporting others through grants and investments, together we will drive toward a plug-in revolution. See for yourself how our plug-in hybrids are performing in real world conditions.
Predict and Prevent
Rapid ecological and social changes are increasing the risk of emerging threats, from infectious diseases to drought and other environmental disasters. This initiative will use information and technology to empower communities to predict and prevent emerging threats before they become local, regional, or global crises.
Google.org's initial focus will be on emerging infectious diseases, which are on the rise worldwide. Climate change, urbanization, and rising international travel and trade all contribute to this threat. Moreover, humans and animals are coming into closer contact because of environmental degradation and increased demand for animal products. Nearly three out of four new diseases in the last three decades have spread from animals to humans. While everyone faces increasing risk from emerging infectious diseases, the world's poor – who have minimal or no access to health care and may live with and depend on animals for their livelihood – are exceptionally vulnerable and stand to suffer the most.
This initiative supports two inter-related pathways from prediction to prevention. The first is vulnerability mapping and identification of "hot spots." The second, creating systems to better detect threats to provide early warning and enable a rapid response.
Identify Hot Spots
Understanding the complex drivers that lead to emerging threats can help communities anticipate surprises and reduce vulnerability. Google.org is initially focusing on:
+ Sharing knowledge across human, animal, and environmental health sectors
+ Improving data collection, sharing, and analysis for enhanced vulnerability mapping and modeling
+ Contributing to enhanced resilience of communities to withstand threats and adapt to changes
Enable Rapid Response
Timely, accurate, and accessible information can help prevent localized health crises from becoming regional or global threats. Google.org is focusing on:
+ Using innovative methods to quickly find threats wherever they occur
+ Confirming outbreaks and identifying their cause
+ Alerting key stakeholders, from villagers to global health authorities
See Google.org's Grants & Investments page for a list of current partners. For a closer look, please read our initiative brief.
While we are not accepting unsolicited proposals at this time, if you are working in the following specific issue areas and are interested in a partnership, please contact us.
+ Collection of specimens at the human/animal interface to identify and map hot spots
+ Innovative, event-based surveillance at the community level in the developing world
+ Integrated vulnerability mapping to the drivers of emerging infectious diseases
Inform and Empower to Improve Public Services
In rich countries we take it for granted that when we turn the tap clean water comes out, when our children go to school there will be a teacher present, and when we have health problems the medical provider will be attentive. Quality public services – clean water, health, and education – are vital for human welfare and a strong economy. But in many countries in the developing world, essential public services are failing, especially for the poorest members of society. Conventional approaches to tackling this challenge have focused on tracking money spent rather than results achieved. Accountability to citizens and communities has largely been absent.
While there are no quick fixes, Google.org believes that providing meaningful, easily accessible information to citizens and communities, service providers, and policymakers is a key part of creating home-grown solutions to improve the quality of public services. Better information can help governments and other providers spend scarce resources wisely. And, empowered by information, citizens and communities can demand better services from providers or develop new solutions to meet their own needs.
We will work with public, private, and civil society partners to address each side of this problem. This initiative will begin with a focus on education, health, and water and sanitation services in East Africa and India. Our work will support efforts that lead to empowered citizens and communities, responsive providers, and informed decision-makers. Success will depend on the presence of strong and effective leadership. We are committed to investing in the next generation of business, government, and civil society leaders to ensure the sustainability of this initiative.
Empowered Citizens and Communities
Google.org supports efforts to generate accountability and "bottom up" citizen engagement to influence the quality of public services. We will support efforts to provide easily accessible information to people so that they can choose the best strategy for themselves and their community. We will use multiple modes of communication (such as media, mobile, e-kiosks and other technologies) to allow a broader range of people to access information and we will seek innovative methods for disseminating information. We're focused on:
+ Informing individuals and communities of their rights, entitlements, choices, and quality of public services
+ Providing tools and information to increase access to and use of available services
+ Supporting civil society organizations that strengthen links between communities and policy makers.
Responsive Providers
We will enhance public and private providers' abilities to respond to the challenges of service delivery and increased demand. Access to new tools and better information will increase providers' autonomy and flexibility, shifting away from "business as usual" approaches to public services. Top-down accountability has too often failed because it is difficult to know what happens on the ground in an information-scarce environment. We envision providers that are responsive to citizen needs and committed to improving performance. We're focused on:
+ Increasing transparency in local budgeting and performance for improved resource allocation
+ Improving data quality to inform planning
+ Expanding service delivery with innovative information-based tools
Informed Decision-Makers
We will work to enhance the quality and quantity of data and evidence available for policymaking. To "unlock" existing data that is not publicly available, we are seeking innovations in the way data can be accessed, entered, stored, analyzed and communicated. Google.org believes that the transparency that comes with more public information increases checks and balances between citizens and communities, and policymakers. We're focused on:
+ Developing local capacity for data collection and analysis to inform decision making
+ Making existing information more public and useful for planning and advocacy
+ Generating evidence on "what works" and sharing this widely
Fuel the Growth of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises
Small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) are critical for creating more equitable economic growth. SMEs create opportunities for more people to participate in the formal economy and help reduce poverty by creating jobs. In many developing countries large businesses have access to formal, bank-based credit and capital markets while households and micro-entrepreneurs have access to micro-loans. This leaves a massive gap known as the “missing middle.”
While SMEs in rich countries represent half of GDP, they are largely absent from the formal economies of developing countries. Today, there are trillions of investment dollars chasing returns – and SMEs are a potentially high impact, high return investment. However, only a trickle of this capital currently reaches SMEs in developing countries. Our goal is to increase this flow.
We want to show that SMEs can be profitable investments. We will do this by focusing on lowering transaction costs, deepening capital markets to increase liquidity, and catalyzing capital for investment.
Lower Transaction Costs: Investing in SMEs in the developing world can be risky and expensive because of the difficulty in assessing entrepreneurs and the lack of standardized information. We will work on developing tools and systems to make it easier for growth capital to flow to these firms.
Deepen Capital Markets: Since there are few opportunities to exit successful SME investments to recoup the upside returns, as well as weak accounting systems and lack of transparency, investors are less likely to make equity investments in the first place. We will invest in information tools and investment mechanisms to increase liquidity in the market for risk capital.
Catalyze Capital: For the reasons listed above, investors are hesitant to invest in SMEs in the developing world. Google.org will invest in funds, partner with financial institutions, and directly support these firms to help make the business case for this sector and help make the market for new financial products and instruments.
Our geographic focus areas are India and East Africa.
While we are not accepting unsolicited proposals at this time, if you are working in the following specific issue areas and are interested in a partnership, please contact us.
+ Tools for better identifying high-potential entrepreneurs
+ Systems or methods for lowering financial transaction costs
+ Technology tools to standardize financial information
Google.org aspires to use the power of information and technology to address the global challenges of our age: climate change, poverty and emerging disease. In collaboration with experienced partners working in each of these fields, we will invest our resources and tap the strengths of Google’s employees and global operations to advance five major initiatives.
Plug into a Greener Grid: RE
A significant amount of global greenhouse gas emissions are generated by coal-fired power plants and vehicles. To slow global warming, we must radically – and quickly – cut these emissions. Plug-in vehicles offer a major opportunity to reduce oil use and corresponding emissions while renewable energy sources – solar, wind, geothermal and others – could supplant a major portion of the planet's electricity generated from coal.
Google.org is confronting the climate crisis on two fronts: We're working on developing utility scale renewable energy cheaper than coal (RE
Through our RechargeIT initiative, Google.org is working to accelerate mass commercialization of plug-in vehicles by seeding innovation, demonstrating technology, informing the debate, and stimulating market demand. In June 2007, we officially launched this initiative by unveiling our plug-in demonstration fleet, debuting Google's 1.6 megawatt solar installation, and announcing over $1 million in grants to support plug-in vehicle adoption. We also teamed up with PG&E to demonstrate vehicle-to-grid technology to show how electricity might be transmitted back and forth between plug-in vehicles and the grid.
Recharge a Car, Recharge the Grid, Recharge the Planet
RechargeIT is a Google.org initiative that aims to reduce CO2 emissions, cut oil use and stabilize the electrical grid by accelerating the adoption of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles and vehicle-to-grid technology.
By demonstrating the technology using our own fleet and supporting others through grants and investments, together we will drive toward a plug-in revolution. See for yourself how our plug-in hybrids are performing in real world conditions.
Predict and Prevent
Rapid ecological and social changes are increasing the risk of emerging threats, from infectious diseases to drought and other environmental disasters. This initiative will use information and technology to empower communities to predict and prevent emerging threats before they become local, regional, or global crises.
Google.org's initial focus will be on emerging infectious diseases, which are on the rise worldwide. Climate change, urbanization, and rising international travel and trade all contribute to this threat. Moreover, humans and animals are coming into closer contact because of environmental degradation and increased demand for animal products. Nearly three out of four new diseases in the last three decades have spread from animals to humans. While everyone faces increasing risk from emerging infectious diseases, the world's poor – who have minimal or no access to health care and may live with and depend on animals for their livelihood – are exceptionally vulnerable and stand to suffer the most.
This initiative supports two inter-related pathways from prediction to prevention. The first is vulnerability mapping and identification of "hot spots." The second, creating systems to better detect threats to provide early warning and enable a rapid response.
Identify Hot Spots
Understanding the complex drivers that lead to emerging threats can help communities anticipate surprises and reduce vulnerability. Google.org is initially focusing on:
+ Sharing knowledge across human, animal, and environmental health sectors
+ Improving data collection, sharing, and analysis for enhanced vulnerability mapping and modeling
+ Contributing to enhanced resilience of communities to withstand threats and adapt to changes
Enable Rapid Response
Timely, accurate, and accessible information can help prevent localized health crises from becoming regional or global threats. Google.org is focusing on:
+ Using innovative methods to quickly find threats wherever they occur
+ Confirming outbreaks and identifying their cause
+ Alerting key stakeholders, from villagers to global health authorities
See Google.org's Grants & Investments page for a list of current partners. For a closer look, please read our initiative brief.
While we are not accepting unsolicited proposals at this time, if you are working in the following specific issue areas and are interested in a partnership, please contact us.
+ Collection of specimens at the human/animal interface to identify and map hot spots
+ Innovative, event-based surveillance at the community level in the developing world
+ Integrated vulnerability mapping to the drivers of emerging infectious diseases
Inform and Empower to Improve Public Services
In rich countries we take it for granted that when we turn the tap clean water comes out, when our children go to school there will be a teacher present, and when we have health problems the medical provider will be attentive. Quality public services – clean water, health, and education – are vital for human welfare and a strong economy. But in many countries in the developing world, essential public services are failing, especially for the poorest members of society. Conventional approaches to tackling this challenge have focused on tracking money spent rather than results achieved. Accountability to citizens and communities has largely been absent.
While there are no quick fixes, Google.org believes that providing meaningful, easily accessible information to citizens and communities, service providers, and policymakers is a key part of creating home-grown solutions to improve the quality of public services. Better information can help governments and other providers spend scarce resources wisely. And, empowered by information, citizens and communities can demand better services from providers or develop new solutions to meet their own needs.
We will work with public, private, and civil society partners to address each side of this problem. This initiative will begin with a focus on education, health, and water and sanitation services in East Africa and India. Our work will support efforts that lead to empowered citizens and communities, responsive providers, and informed decision-makers. Success will depend on the presence of strong and effective leadership. We are committed to investing in the next generation of business, government, and civil society leaders to ensure the sustainability of this initiative.
Empowered Citizens and Communities
Google.org supports efforts to generate accountability and "bottom up" citizen engagement to influence the quality of public services. We will support efforts to provide easily accessible information to people so that they can choose the best strategy for themselves and their community. We will use multiple modes of communication (such as media, mobile, e-kiosks and other technologies) to allow a broader range of people to access information and we will seek innovative methods for disseminating information. We're focused on:
+ Informing individuals and communities of their rights, entitlements, choices, and quality of public services
+ Providing tools and information to increase access to and use of available services
+ Supporting civil society organizations that strengthen links between communities and policy makers.
Responsive Providers
We will enhance public and private providers' abilities to respond to the challenges of service delivery and increased demand. Access to new tools and better information will increase providers' autonomy and flexibility, shifting away from "business as usual" approaches to public services. Top-down accountability has too often failed because it is difficult to know what happens on the ground in an information-scarce environment. We envision providers that are responsive to citizen needs and committed to improving performance. We're focused on:
+ Increasing transparency in local budgeting and performance for improved resource allocation
+ Improving data quality to inform planning
+ Expanding service delivery with innovative information-based tools
Informed Decision-Makers
We will work to enhance the quality and quantity of data and evidence available for policymaking. To "unlock" existing data that is not publicly available, we are seeking innovations in the way data can be accessed, entered, stored, analyzed and communicated. Google.org believes that the transparency that comes with more public information increases checks and balances between citizens and communities, and policymakers. We're focused on:
+ Developing local capacity for data collection and analysis to inform decision making
+ Making existing information more public and useful for planning and advocacy
+ Generating evidence on "what works" and sharing this widely
Fuel the Growth of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises
Small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) are critical for creating more equitable economic growth. SMEs create opportunities for more people to participate in the formal economy and help reduce poverty by creating jobs. In many developing countries large businesses have access to formal, bank-based credit and capital markets while households and micro-entrepreneurs have access to micro-loans. This leaves a massive gap known as the “missing middle.”
While SMEs in rich countries represent half of GDP, they are largely absent from the formal economies of developing countries. Today, there are trillions of investment dollars chasing returns – and SMEs are a potentially high impact, high return investment. However, only a trickle of this capital currently reaches SMEs in developing countries. Our goal is to increase this flow.
We want to show that SMEs can be profitable investments. We will do this by focusing on lowering transaction costs, deepening capital markets to increase liquidity, and catalyzing capital for investment.
Lower Transaction Costs: Investing in SMEs in the developing world can be risky and expensive because of the difficulty in assessing entrepreneurs and the lack of standardized information. We will work on developing tools and systems to make it easier for growth capital to flow to these firms.
Deepen Capital Markets: Since there are few opportunities to exit successful SME investments to recoup the upside returns, as well as weak accounting systems and lack of transparency, investors are less likely to make equity investments in the first place. We will invest in information tools and investment mechanisms to increase liquidity in the market for risk capital.
Catalyze Capital: For the reasons listed above, investors are hesitant to invest in SMEs in the developing world. Google.org will invest in funds, partner with financial institutions, and directly support these firms to help make the business case for this sector and help make the market for new financial products and instruments.
Our geographic focus areas are India and East Africa.
While we are not accepting unsolicited proposals at this time, if you are working in the following specific issue areas and are interested in a partnership, please contact us.
+ Tools for better identifying high-potential entrepreneurs
+ Systems or methods for lowering financial transaction costs
+ Technology tools to standardize financial information
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