Beijing Institute of Big Data Research

Introduction
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Beijing Institute of Big Data Research (BIBDR Website: www.BIBDR.org) is a new institution jointly sponsored by the Peking University, the Beijing University of Technology, the Zhongguancun Science Park and the Haidian District government under the supervision of the municipal government of Beijing. It is the first institution in China that combines education, research, entrepreneurship and government service. Its mission is to create a world class research and education program that can serve both as the model for developing data science in China and as a platform for nurturing new enterprises in big data.


Big data in China has a huge market and encompasses a huge interest, yet progress has been hindered severely by the lack of qualified personnel. BIBDR’s priority is to attract the best people in all fronts (research, education, entrepreneurship) in big data and create the platform for these people to achieve their goals. This is done by joining forces from the academia, industry and the government. BIBDR is in the process of setting up basic research labs such as the Deep Learning Lab, the Natural Language Processing Lab, as well as application driven units such as the Center for Financial Data, the Center for Transportation Data, the Center for Medical and Health Data, etc.


For the last six years, Peking University has made serious progress in the area of data science. A committee headed by the provost Professor Song Gao has been created to oversee and coordinate data science programs across campus. In 2015, Peking University launched an undergraduate program in data science. Its graduate program in data science has won approval by the Ministry of Education. The Beijing University of Technology has also been very actively involved in big data research, particularly in the area of transportation data. At the same time, Zhongguancun Science Park and the Haidian District has been home to the most vibrant big data industry in China, with names such as Baidu.


China has made gigantic progress in the area of internet. Its potential in the area of big data is at least as big. BIBDR is leading the way to make it happen.