The University of Chicago (UC) is set to undertake one of the largest research projects imaginable in the world today: studying and resolving global conflict.

According to The Chicago Tribune, the school received a $100 million donation to establish a research institute to take a big data approach to global conflict. The Pearson Family Foundation cited migration and refugee displacement on the scale of the World War II era as the reason behind their donation.

The Pearson Institute for the Study and Resolution of Global Conflicts is on track to open by UC's next fall semester and the Harris School of Public Policy will house the institute. The donation also established an annual meeting for international policymakers called the Pearson Global Forum.

"The University of Chicago is deeply grateful to the Pearson Family for this transformative gift. Their generosity creates The Pearson Institute for the Study and Resolution of Global Conflicts and The Pearson Global Forum, signaling a vital and unprecedented step in confronting the new era of violent conflicts," University President Robert J. Zimmer said in a statement. "The direct use of analysis and understanding to improve lives is a longstanding attribute of the University of Chicago.

"Importantly, the study of global conflicts is a field ripe for groundbreaking research approaches, and The Pearson Institute will seek to inform more effective policy solutions for resolving violent conflicts to make a lasting impact around the world."

The Pearson Family Foundation is a nonprofit organization based in Delaware that focuses on global issues. The donation is tied for the second largest ever given to UC, The Tribune noted.

"Our choice of the University of Chicago for this gift underscores our recognition of the University's history of fostering an environment where rigorous inquiry is successfully applied to society's toughest problems," Thomas L. Pearson said in the school's statement. "It also signifies our belief that non-state conflicts, from drug cartels to insurgent organizations such as ISIS, increasingly constitute the foreign policy challenge of our time."