Cooperative Agreement 2026027

The National Science Foundation (NSF) awarded a $200,000 Project Grant under the Engineering program (CFDA 47.041) to San Francisco State University (SFSU), a Hispanic-Serving Institution, to develop an AI-driven sensory augmentation system for visually impaired individuals. The goal of this 2-year research project is to improve the independence, accessibility, and well-being of visually impaired persons by leveraging natural representative sound and AI technology. The project aims to enhance...

This Project Grant award from the National Science Foundation (CFDA 47.070 - Computer and Information Science and Engineering program) to the University of Maine System provides $1,126,197 to develop a multisensory navigation assistance tool to aid individuals with visual impairments. The three-year project aims to: Identify information access requirements and optimize delivery via multisensory smartphone interfaces to support indoor navigation for blind and visually impaired individuals. Create...

Federal Grant Award Summary XR Navigation Inc. received a $1.01M Project Grant from the National Eye Institute (NEI) under the Vision Research program (CFDA 93.867), awarded September 30, 2025, with completion targeted for August 31, 2027. The award funds the commercialization and optimization of AUDIOM, a multimodal, Large Language Model (LLM) chat-based digital map viewer designed to provide blind and low vision individuals comprehensive access to thematic maps for scientific and civic...

This National Science Foundation (NSF) Early-Concept Grant for Exploratory Research (EAGER) Project Grant, awarded under CFDA 47.041 Engineering, will leverage virtual reality (VR) and wearable technologies to study how individuals with visual impairment navigate through crowded urban environments. The $300,000 grant, awarded to New York University, aims to elucidate the sensorimotor interactions and cognitive processes underpinning the navigation of persons with visual impairment through...

This National Science Foundation (NSF) Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CFDA 47.070) Project Grant award of $140,758 to the University of Texas at Arlington (UTA) aims to explore the feasibility of using teleoperated robotics to assist individuals with visual impairments. The key goals of this one-year project are to: 1) conduct surveys and interviews with visually impaired individuals to understand the challenges they face in employment and explore their interest in using...

Federal Grant Award Summary The National Eye Institute (NEI) awarded The Johns Hopkins University a $621,250 Project Grant on September 15, 2025, under the Vision Research program (CFDA 93.867) to develop Gaze-Contingent AI-Enabled Low Vision Assistive Technology (GALVAT). This collaborative initiative, extending through August 31, 2027, brings together the low vision divisions at Johns Hopkins University and the Chicago Lighthouse, Applied Universal Dynamics Corp, and the Pritzker Institute...

This $749,685 National Science Foundation project grant under the Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships program (CFDA 47.084) will fund the development of an Automated, Integrated, Multimodal Software (AIMS) system to improve inclusive access to information for persons with disabilities. Saint Louis University leads a consortium that includes software companies Vital, Unar Labs, and Viewplus Technologies to build a unified framework for authoring, converting, and delivering accessible content...

Federal Grant Award Summary The University of Michigan received a $616,316 Project Grant from the National Eye Institute (NEI) under the Vision Research program (CFDA 93.867) effective July 1, 2025, through June 30, 2027. The award funds development of a multimodal, hands-free interface system embedded in a glasses frame to improve navigation for blind and visually impaired individuals. The system integrates a camera for environmental data capture with a smartphone application that functions...

This SBIR Phase I Project Grant awarded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) under the Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships (CFDA 47.084) program provides $304,200 to develop a novel adaptive learning platform. The platform leverages mixed-reality, competency-based learning to address workforce displacement due to artificial intelligence (AI) and automation. Key innovations include a skills engine using generative AI and robotic process automation (RPA) to identify and map...

Federal Grant Award Summary The University of Massachusetts received a $624,064 Project Grant from the National Eye Institute (NEI) under the Vision Research program (CFDA 93.867) for the period of August 1, 2025, through July 31, 2028. The award supports the human-centered development of a guide-dog robot designed to provide navigation assistance for blind and low-vision (BLV) individuals. The project addresses a critical accessibility gap, as only 2% of over one million Americans living with...