Accelerating AI
at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
The aim of the Provost’s AI Acceleration program is to encourage and enable Generative AI prototyping and application across campus in instruction, research and University operations. Whether you are faculty, staff or a student at UNC, this program is setup to take an idea you have about using Gen AI and incubating it using available cloud-based computing resources.
The mission of the Provost’s AI Acceleration program
- To foster a culture of innovation and excellence in GenAI across UNC-Chapel Hill by providing opportunities, resources and support for campus units, faculties and students to explore, adopt and advance GenAI technologies and practices.
- To leverage the potential of GenAI in ways that enhance the teaching, learning, research and service missions of UNC-Chapel Hill by facilitating access, collaboration and experimentation with AI tools and solutions among campus units, faculties and students.
- To empower UNC-Chapel Hill community members to engage with and contribute to the development and application of AI in their respective domains by offering programs, funding, training and guidance for campus units, faculties, and students to pursue GenAI projects and initiatives.
Program descriptions
Faculty and student fellowships, and staff awards
Awards: Varies by fellowship
Duration: maximum 1 year
Audience and purpose: Individuals; to recognize and support excellence in AI research and operations among faculty, staff and students.
Cloud resource grants
Individual awards: $5,000 – 100,000
Duration: 1 year
Audience and purpose: For individuals and small teams; to support incubation of projects using Azure cloud resources.
Cloud-delivered research cyberinfrastructure
Individual Matching Funds: $10,000 – 50,000
Duration: 1 year
Audience and purpose: For research endeavors of individuals and small teams; to augment existing resources through Azure services.
Major campus unit projects
Individual Matching Funds: $5,000 – 100,000
Duration: 1 year
Audience and purpose: For schools and large campus units; to offer matching resources in the Azure environment to units for incubating projects that have a departmental or school-wide scope.
Institutionally-scoped strategic projects
Individual awards: $5,000 – 100,000
Duration: 1 year
Audience and purpose: To fund GenAI projects that relate to institution-wide, strategic priorities.
Cloud cyberinfrastructure startup funds
Individual awards: $25,000 – 250,000
Duration: 3 years
Audience and purpose: For departments; to support faculty recruitment by providing access to cloud resources as part of a start-up package.
Submit your ideas
Ready to bring your AI-driven idea to life? If you believe your project idea would be a good fit for an AI Acceleration program, you can submit either a pre-proposal (to get ideas and develop your proposal) or a formal one. To submit a pre-proposal or a formal one, use the tiles above to visit the AI Acceleration program you’re interested in, or to get an overview of the proposal process, visit the link below:
