Collaborative Research: EPIIC: Rural AI Solutions and Engagement (RAISE)

The Rural AI Solutions and Engagement (RAISE) project is a collaboration between the University of Alaska Anchorage, Salisbury University, and Valdosta State University to build sustainable and strategic partnerships centered around Artificial Intelligence (AI) with industry, non-profit, indigenous, and government stakeholders in their respective regions. Each university serves a rural area in Alaska, Maryland, and Georgia, respectively. Rural communities face challenges such as limited technological infrastructure, educational resources, and access to rapidly evolving technology such as AI. This project addresses these challenges by building capacity at each institution to collaborate and partner with the community, strengthen research capabilities, and ultimately develop innovative AI solutions to rural problems. The broad goals shared by the collaborating institutions are to develop capacity in (a) building partnerships, (b) research administration, (c) research development, and (d) research leadership. Utilizing these capacities, each institution will utilize AI to advance practical solutions in fields such as agriculture, energy, and education that are central to addressing community and rural needs in their region. Selected approaches include the creation of an Alaska AI Solutions Consortium that will integrate disparate AI efforts, solicit feedback from the community, and advance research through a mini-grant program; the launch of a Regional Partnership Incubator in the South Georgia community that will build a partner relationship management system and strengthen connections across the region to explore AI-driven solutions; and the construction of a new partnership inventory and research specialization for the rural areas of the Delmarva Peninsula that will feed into “AI for ALL” workshops and incentivize faculty participation in use-inspired research in AI. The cohort will also develop a perspective on rural AI innovation needs, share expertise and lessons learned, and explore future collaboration opportunities. As Predominantly Undergraduate Institutions (PUIs) and Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs), the participating institutions will also provide a technological boost to the workforce, especially among underrepresented populations. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.