BOSTON – The Healey-Driscoll Administration and the Massachusetts AI Hub (MA AI Hub), a division of the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative (MassTech), have announced $3,295,792 in support of five projects through the Massachusetts (MA) Applied AI Models Innovation Challenge grant program.
An MA AI Hub flagship initiative launched in January 2025, the MA Applied AI Models Challenge accelerates the development of domain-specific artificial intelligence (AI) models to solve real-world problems and industry challenges across key sectors such as healthcare, advanced manufacturing, emergency weather forecasting and more.
In this second round of funding, grantees’ focus areas range from strengthening coastal infrastructure against flooding and storm impacts to improving early detection of global disease outbreaks and enabling real-time coordination of multi-sensor systems for counter-drone operations.
Each project aims to boost workforce readiness and technological competitiveness through AI-based skill validation systems aligned to industry needs. In addition, grantees’ work will enhance flexible, AI-driven robotics which will learn tasks from real-world inputs.
“As AI changes how we live and work, Massachusetts is committed to investing in responsible AI that thoughtfully addresses challenges industries face across the state,” said Economic Development Secretary Eric Paley. “Through the MA AI Hub’s MA Applied AI Models Innovation Challenge, we are supporting innovative projects that will strengthen our economy, advance strategic sectors and reinforce Massachusetts’ position as a hub for applied AI.”
This second funding round marks a total of $6.1 million invested by the MA AI Hub in AI model projects across the state. These funds support projects that unlock breakthroughs, enhance the development of AI models that address critical societal and industry challenges and accelerate the commercialization of AI applications.
“From data gathering to deploying models in the field, the MA Applied AI Models Innovation Challenge provides support for projects at every stage of AI model development,” said Massachusetts AI Hub Director Sabrina Mansur. “By helping researchers build, test and refine domain-specific AI models, the Challenge moves innovative technologies closer to practical applications that can advance businesses and industries across Massachusetts and beyond."
Spanning Boston, Cambridge, Fall River, Marshfield and Lincoln, the five selected projects will have a statewide impact:
- Atlantic Resiliency Innovation Institute (ARII) – $958,550: The Atlantic Resiliency Innovation Institute (ARII) is developing an AI-driven coastal resilience platform to deliver hyperlocal flood risk predictions for energy infrastructure using enhanced weather models, sensor networks and infrastructure impact modeling.
- Boston University – $298,394: Boston University’s PandemIQ Llama (BEACON Platform), a domain-specific LLM for real-time global disease surveillance, risk assessment and automated epidemiological reporting, helps improve early outbreak detection, accelerate public health response and strengthen global situational awareness through a scalable, open-access system already used by public health agencies worldwide.
- Bristol Community College – $727,270: Bristol Community College aims to develop an AI-enabled system to validate workforce competencies through artifact-based assessment aligned with industry skill frameworks. The system will help improve workforce readiness, better connect education providers and employers, and support more effective hiring and upskilling pathways across multiple industries.
- Harvard University (Kempner Institute) – $811,578: The Kempner Institute at Harvard University seeks to develop Large Video Planner-Industrial, a video-based AI “world model” enabling robots to learn tasks from demonstrations and adapt without manual programming. LVP-Industrial will enable flexible, low-cost automation for small and midsize enterprises (SMEs), increasing productivity and competitiveness in manufacturing, logistics and recycling. It will also reduce reliance on specialized programming and accelerate adoption of AI-driven robotics across various industries.
- UMass Lowell Applied Research Corporation (UMLARC) – $500,000: UMass Lowell Applied Research Corporation’s (UMLARC) Autonomous Robotic Planning and Optimization for Intelligence (ARPO) Sensor Fusion platform is an AI-driven coordination of multi-sensor systems in counter-drone operations using reinforcement learning and network optimization. This platform will establish a vendor-neutral AI interoperability layer for robotics and defense systems while strengthening Massachusetts’ leadership in dual-use AI and autonomous systems.
These projects will leverage more than $1.1 million in matching resources from industry and academic partners.
The MA AI Models Innovation Challenge offers up to $1 million per project to cover the full model lifecycle, data acquisition and real-world testing. This prioritizes smaller, domain-specific models that are faster, more energy-efficient and easier to bring to market.
About the Massachusetts AI Hub (MA AI Hub)
The Massachusetts AI Hub (MA AI Hub), a division of the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative (MassTech), is Massachusetts’ central nexus for AI innovation and governance across industry, academia and the public sector. The MA AI Hub harnesses state resources and top-tier talent to drive transformative change in the AI sector. With a focus on responsible AI development at its core, the MA AI Hub is committed to supporting Massachusetts as a global leader in fostering a collaborative, inclusive and ethical AI ecosystem.
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