July 12, 2022 -- The AI/Tech + Aging (a2) Collective announces its second annual a2 Pilot Awards competition. The national competition will award $40 million over 5 years to promising pilot projects that leverage artificial intelligence (AI) and other transformative technologies to support healthy aging and persons living with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (AD/ADRD) and their caregivers. The a2 Collective represents the Artificial Intelligence and Technology Collaboratories for Aging Research (AITC) program, which is funded by the National Institute on Aging (NIA), part of the National Institutes of Health. The AITC program is dedicated to leveraging AI and emerging technologies to help Americans live longer, healthier lives.
As the number of people aged 65 and older in the United States races toward a projected 95 million by the year 2060, the need for tools and approaches that enable older adults to age in place with dignity, safety, and independence becomes ever more urgent. The a2 Collective is building a cohort of AI-enhanced technology demonstration projects with the potential to prevent falls, predict and improve health outcomes, facilitate crucial conversations about care, and provide companionship and stimulation. In the competition’s second year, the a2 Collective looks forward to extending the range of AITC-supported projects and technologies that are poised to better the health and quality of life of millions of older Americans and their caregivers.
The a2 Pilot Awards are funded by NIA through three AITCs centered at Johns Hopkins University (JH AITC), the University of Massachusetts Amherst (MassAITC), and the University of Pennsylvania (PennAITech), with a Coordinating Center managed by Rose Li & Associates, Inc. Applicants can request up to $200,000 in non-dilutive direct costs to be expended within a 12-month period, with potential multi-year commitments and time extensions determined by the awarding AITC. Each AITC will offer pilot awardees access to a wealth of resources, including mentorship, state-of-the-art facilities, translational services, software and hardware platforms, datasets, and population study sites.
The second annual a2 Pilot Awards competition features a short Preliminary (Round 1) Application, due by 5 p.m. ET on Monday, Aug. 15. A subset of Round 1 applicants will be invited to submit an Invited Full (Round 2) Application. The a2 Collective will host an informational webinar about the a2 Pilot Awards at 3 p.m. ET on Thursday, July 14. The webinar will include a Q&A forum with representatives from the a2 Coordinating Center and the three AITCs. Please visit a2PilotAwards.ai to register for the webinar and learn more about competition eligibility and application requirements.
