RTI International adopted Copilot for Microsoft 365 to boost productivity so staff can spend more time on high-value research and client work, and less time on routine tasks.

As an independent, nonprofit research institute working in social science, engineering, international development, and laboratory sciences, RTI has set an ambitious goal: improve the well-being of one billion people worldwide by 2030. To support that goal, the leadership team wanted tools that help:

• Reduce time spent on low-impact work like drafting emails, searching for information, and catching up on chats and meetings.
• Free experts to focus on their specialties so they can deliver stronger, evidence-based solutions for clients.
• Support creativity and flow by minimizing interruptions and context switching across apps.

By integrating Copilot into Microsoft 365, RTI is reimagining how its teams work day to day, with the aim of turning incremental time savings into meaningful impact on global issues like health, climate change, equity, and education.

RTI’s early pilot with Copilot for Microsoft 365 showed and a positive return on investment.

Key outcomes from the pilot include:

• About 20% of users saved more than an hour per week using Copilot.
• Those savings were measured across an initial group of around 300 users, many of whom are subject-matter experts doing work that no one else in the organization can do.
• The organization saw a “comfortable ROI” within just a few weeks, with licenses effectively paying for themselves through efficiency gains and saved billable hours.

Staff are using Copilot to:

• Search across Teams, Outlook, and meeting transcripts in one place instead of hunting through each app.
• Summarize long documents and research reports that can span dozens or hundreds of pages.
• Catch up quickly on Teams chats, inboxes, and meetings via AI-generated recaps.
• Draft and refine communications, including adjusting tone in emails and documents.

By offloading these routine activities, RTI is reshaping how experts spend their time—shifting effort away from administrative work and toward client projects and complex research that move the needle on RTI’s mission.

RTI is using Copilot for Microsoft 365 to support its people in practical, inclusive ways, while keeping organizational data protected.

People and inclusivity

• Copilot helps staff stay in a flow state by reducing interruptions and minimizing app switching—what Harvard Business Review calls the “toggling tax,” which research suggests can consume around four hours per week.
• Teams use Copilot to recap chats, inboxes, and meetings, so they can quickly understand project status and contribute their expertise.
• One of the most popular features is Copilot’s ability to adjust the tone of emails and documents. Amanda Greenway, Manager of Collaboration Technologies at RTI, notes that this is especially helpful for neurodiverse staff who may find it challenging to “find the right words.” Copilot helps remove that barrier and makes communication easier.

Data governance and security

• Copilot operates entirely within RTI’s Microsoft 365 tenant, so organizational data does not leave the secure environment or enter the public domain.
• RTI’s existing data governance policies work together with Copilot, ensuring that the AI only surfaces documents and information that a staff member already has permission to view.

In practice, this means RTI can reimagine how its teams access and use information—making it easier for people to do their best work—without compromising on privacy or security.