Improving the world through the power of advanced analytics

UvA and ORTEC launch Analytics for a Better World Institute Using data analysis to increase the impact NGOs and the public sector can have on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) - that is the goal of the new Analytics for a Better World Institute from the UvA's Amsterdam Business School and analytics and technology company ORTEC, in collaboration with Prof. Dimitris Bertsimas of Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). The new institute will, among other things, help organisations with the implementation of analytics in projects, but will also focus on, for example, knowledge sharing, research and the professionalisation of NGOs. 'Humanity is facing enormous challenges: climate change, poverty and hunger, the extinction of flora and fauna, you name it. That is why the SDGs are so important. In order to achieve the goals, it is crucial that the impact of NGOs and public organisations is as large as possible,' says Robert Monné, director of Analytics for a Better World. 'When it comes to creating impact, data analysis has more than proven its worth, so far mainly in the commercial world. But valuable research results, technology and knowledge don't always find their way to non-commercial organisations.' Dimitris Bertsimas, professor of Business Analytics at MIT, agrees: 'The financial rewards in the non-profit sector are less attractive, so data analysis in that sector is under-developed and there are still great gains to be made.' Science and practice come together in the Analytics for a Better World Institute.