Academic Institutions Receive Multimillion-Dollar NSF Funding for AI Research Expansion

The National Science Foundation has awarded several colleges and universities $16.3 million in total funding to expand artificial intelligence research capacity.

Sethuraman Panchanathan, NSF director, said the “Expanding AI Innovation through Capacity Building and Partnerships” grant empowers institutions and communities of researchers to address opportunities and solve challenges related to AI.

Eleven academic institutions were selected under the ExpandAI program, the NSF said Tuesday.

Texas State University, The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, Meharry Medical College, Texas A&M University-San Antonio, California State University San Marcos Corp., Prairie View A&M University and Florida International University are among the grant recipients.

Projects listed under the program will focus on several areas, including workforce diversification, training and education, medical systems applications, clean energy and secure power grids, data transformation and environmental studies. 

The foundation has been releasing funding to several organizations in pursuit of various U.S. government goals over the recent months.

In September, the NSF and its partner companies released $45.6 million in funding to support 24 research and education projects focused on semiconductors and semiconductor manufacturing. In June, the foundation launched a $30 million funding program to improve the United States’ long-term competitiveness in critical technology development.