Google Hands Out $5.7M in Research Grants

Google may have started out as a search engine it its early days, but today the company is much more than a search engine alone. Google has programs that reach far beyond the realm of search alone and it funds research into various areas including green power.

Google has for a long time funded research at universities and research organizations that dovetail with the goals of the company. Today the search giant announced its first-ever round of Google Focused Research Awards. The awards are being handed out to researchers working in key areas that relate to Google's business operations.

The awards total $5.7 million and are being granted for research in four key areas including machine learning; the use of mobile phones as data collection devices for public health and environment monitoring; energy efficiency in computing; and privacy. It's easy enough to see how these areas of research would be beneficial to Google.