AIP May meeting

Updated May 8, 2026 Academic Industry Partnership

AIP Monthly Meeting

Invited brian.plancher@gmail.com Pete Bernard plancherb1@gmail.com hajar.mousannif@gmail.com Ed Doran rovai@unifei.edu.br mzennaro@ictp.it brian.k.plancher@dartmouth.edu f.conti@unibo.it tinoosh@jhu.edu e.kanjo@imperial.ac.uk morten@ece.au.dk whsu@ntu.edu.tw dhireesha.kudithipudi@utsa.edu c.frenkel@tudelft.nl

Attachments AIP Monthly Meeting

Summary

Group session explored workshops to sustainable research-focused seedling projects and industrial partnerships.

Research Scope and Funding
Participants examined balancing academic commitments with educational outreach while discussing research and current budget allocations.

Transitioning to Pilot Projects
The team decided to launch pilot projects for the AIP fellowship program, prioritizing measurable one-year outcomes and geographic focus.

Resource and Partnership Strategy
Members agreed to pursue industrial matching funds and non-monetary resource contributions to bolster the viability of future research seedlings.

Decisions

ALIGNED

  • Workshop transition to online format The Bhutan workshop strategy is pivoted to an online and distributed activity, allowing funds to be redirected toward hardware kits or future events due to travel restrictions.
  • Pilot seedling program launch The group decided to launch a small-scale, curated pilot seedling program for 2026, using established templates and focused project areas rather than a broad, open call.

Next steps

  • unchecked[Brian Plancher] Workshop Decision: Resolve workshop logistics and format plan. Decide on online activity, distributed kits, or redirecting funds ASAP.
  • unchecked[Brian Plancher] Update Calendar: Ensure Marco updates workshop calendar details. Provide clear timeline for promotion and hardware needs.
  • unchecked[Dhireesha Kudithipudi] Share Templates: Share successful seedling project templates. Include structure details on team formation and scope.
  • unchecked[Brian Plancher] Create Doc: Create shared Google Doc for seedling ideas. Synthesize conversation points on topical areas and scope.
  • unchecked[The group] Submit Ideas: Submit ideas for seedling topical areas. Determine necessary scoping restrictions for the pilot year.

Details

  • Group Identity and Operational Context: Brian Plancher described the group’s current identity, which centers on education, embedded systems, and machine learning, supported by the foundation’s budget and resources. The participants acknowledged the challenge of balancing their professional research and academic responsibilities with their desire to continue providing educational outreach.
  • Research Collaborations and Neuromorphic Computing: Dhireesha Kudithipudi discussed their work with the neuromorphic computing hub and Tiny Machine Learning foundations, noting interest in future research collaborations with Brian Plancher. Brian Plancher mentioned preliminary, ongoing research experiments utilizing Intel neuromorphic hardware in conjunction with a visiting student from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne.
  • Workshop Updates and Travel Challenges: Brian Plancher provided an update regarding the planned workshops, explaining that recent changes to UNESCO travel policies have restricted the travel of lead organizer Marco. To maintain momentum, the group discussed pivoting to an online format or a distributed model that involves the shipment of kits, ensuring the activities continue despite travel limitations.
  • Johns Hopkins Artificial Intelligence Defense Symposium: Tinoosh Mohsenin provided an update on the symposium scheduled at Johns Hopkins for September 18. This event is planned as a small, invite-only, one-day meeting focused on mission-critical edge artificial intelligence, featuring a curated list of academic and industrial participants.
  • Community Engagement and Strategic Growth: Brian Plancher and Tinoosh Mohsenin invited all participants to suggest additional community members or innovative ideas for future events to help foster network growth. The group collectively agreed to maintain open communication channels to facilitate these planning efforts as they arise.
  • Conference Attendance and Travel Constraints: The participants discussed upcoming event attendance, specifically the artificial intelligence event in London. Brian Plancher noted they are currently under travel restrictions due to family commitments, while Ed Doran noted that other group members based in the Netherlands and the Nordics are likely to attend.
  • Discussion on Pilot Projects and Fellowships: The group explored the idea of launching pilot projects or seedlings, as the current model of frequent travel for workshops is not sustainable. Dhireesha Kudithipudi advocated for seedling projects, noting that while travel awards are helpful, seedling projects offer a better mechanism for promoting long-term community engagement.
  • Budget Allocation and Funding Structure: Brian Plancher reported that the foundation has approximately 100,000 USD allocated for the year, with roughly 50,000 USD remaining following existing workshop commitments. The group discussed allocating 25,000 USD to 50,000 USD per seedling project, which would allow for approximately three projects while enabling collaboration and meaningful deployment outcomes.
  • Industry Matching Funds and Partnership: Ed Doran proposed that by defining a concise list of promising research areas, the foundation could approach industrial partners to request matching funds, thereby increasing the total budget available for these seedlings. The participants agreed that defining these research focus areas is the most appropriate starting point.
  • Project Evaluation and Scope Expectations: The group emphasized the need to define clear, short-term outcomes for pilot projects, with a preference for measurable results within a one-year horizon. Brian Plancher suggested that the application process should require concise, three-to-five-page proposals to focus candidates on core project goals and feasibility.
  • Targeting Geographic and Demographic Diversity: The participants debated the pilot program’s scope, with Dhireesha Kudithipudi recommending that the pilot year focus on a limited geographic area to manage the evaluation burden. Ed Doran confirmed that while the long-term ambition includes broad global representation and diversity, a smaller, focused pilot year is a prudent starting point.
  • Integration of Non-Monetary Resources: The group discussed leveraging industry relationships to provide non-monetary support, such as compute credits (e.g., from AWS) or hardware (e.g., from Qualcomm or Nvidia). The participants agreed that a model combining monetary funding with access to specialized resources would be highly effective for the seedling program.
  • Next Steps and Consensus: The group agreed to compile a shared Google document for ideation and to review the templates Dhireesha Kudithipudi has used for previous seedling programs. Brian Plancher committed to synthesizing these inputs, with the goal of aligning on a final program structure by the next meeting.