Seed Grants Power Faculty-Led AI Research at NCCU

This year, the Institute for Artificial Intelligence and Emerging Research (IAIER) launched its Seed Grant Program, in partnership with the NCCU School of Graduate Studies, as part of the Faculty Research Award Program (FRAP). The initiative provides up to $10,000 in funding to faculty, postdoctoral researchers, and students to spark early-stage AI projects, pilot innovative ideas and lay the groundwork for future large-scale research.

Eleven faculty-led projectswere selected, representing disciplines across the university and highlighting the collaborative spirit at the heart of NCCU's research culture. These scholars are advancing knowledge within their fields while creating new opportunities for students to engage with cutting-edge technology and research practices.

This year's awardees are leading initiatives that showcase the breadth of AI applications, from bridging the AI literacy gap in public libraries and advancing data science for social media analysis to creating digital archives and developing AI tools for clinical trial recruitment. Funded projects also explore AI's intersection with education, healthcare, culture and community impact. Researchers are piloting simulation-based approaches for social work training, applying AI to drug repurposing for diabetic stroke treatments and exploring machine learning applications in smart beverage packaging.

"To me, this is more than support for a single initiative-it's affirmation that our university continues to value scholarship, digital humanities, and public history as part of who we are. It also places NCCU's emerging AI Institute right at the heart of inventive, socially meaningful research," said Jim C. Harper II, Ph.D., interim associate provost and dean of the School of Graduate Studies.

Looking ahead, the IAIER plans to expand opportunities for collaboration across disciplines and strengthen partnerships with industry and community organizations.