University of Pennsylvania was picked as one of 16 universities to receive part of $75 million in funding for a five-year artificial intelligence research program from the Toyota Research Institute (TRI), one of the biggest collaborative research programs by an automotive company worldwide.

TRI’s chief science officer, Eric Krotkov, earned his Ph.D. in computer and information science at Penn as well as a BA from Haverford College. He told Technical.ly TRI has a place in Toyota’s ecosystem that allows it do applied research, and, in turn, work with academics to address fundamental questions.

“The universities are widely known for their excellence in posing good questions and developing the talent and minds to start to answer them,” he said. “Part of the reason we look to the universities is they are always bringing in fresh talent and fresh ideas. The perspective you get is much broader and wider than from an in-house staff. The fact we can add other universities makes for a very dynamic [experience].”

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