USF Research & Innovation and the Florida High Tech Corridor have announced $100,000 in funding for new projects under the Early Stage Innovation Fund program. This initiative aims to provide initial support for innovative ideas developed by faculty from the University of South Florida’s College of Arts & Sciences, College of Behavioral & Community Sciences, and College of Education. Projects will be implemented across USF’s Tampa, St. Petersburg, and Sarasota-Manatee campuses.
The selected projects are aligned with USF’s Strategic Areas of Focus. They include creating a roadmap for AI literacy education for K-12 students, developing training methods for future bilingual professionals in education, building a virtual reality learning experience to address real-world problems, and expanding a multicultural curriculum to improve social and emotional learning for students.
“Across our campuses every day, USF faculty are developing creative solutions to society’s biggest challenges,” said Dr. Sylvia Wilson Thomas, USF Vice President for Research & Innovation. “This important work supports the breadth and depth of community engaged, high-impact research at USF. This round of Early-Stage Innovation funding was an opportunity for USFRI and the Corridor to highlight USF researchers’ ingenuity around social sciences, design, and education and student engagement.”
Paul Sohl, CEO of the Florida High Tech Corridor, commented on the unique nature of these efforts: “The Florida High Tech Corridor launched this seed funding initiative as a means of supporting promising new ideas from University of South Florida faculty and kickstarting research ideas that go on to become larger initiatives. These projects will involve and serve the wider community in unique and meaningful ways, and we’re excited to see the returns from this effort.”
Founded in 2022 by USF Research & Innovation and the Florida High Tech Corridor, the Early-Stage Innovation Fund backs early-stage innovations with strong potential for commercial or community impact. The program provides seed funding intended to help launch innovations that may later attract industry investment or lead to start-up creation or licensing opportunities.
Past recipients have worked on projects such as artificial intelligence tools and devices; sustainable manufacturing; defense technology; Alzheimer’s research; vaccine development; and strategies against infections.
USF researchers can apply for up to $25,000 per project to support further development expenses related to their innovations. Details about upcoming rounds will be shared soon on www.usf.edu/corridor.
The four newly funded projects include:
– “AI for All: Co-designing a Roadmap to Community-Centered AI Literacy Education,” led by Dr. Fan Yang (College of Arts & Sciences), which focuses on building a plan for AI literacy programs in Tampa Bay K-12 schools.
– “Equipping Bilingual Leaders for Special Education Related Careers,” led by Dr. Matthew Foster (College of Behavioral & Community Sciences), aiming to train multilingual leaders in bilingual instruction practices through experiential activities.
– “eXploRe a Wonderland of Inquiry,” headed by Dr. Lindsay Persohn (College of Education), seeks to develop a prototype virtual reality application where youth can collaborate on problem-solving within interactive spaces.
– “Social Emotional Curriculum Development for Early Childhood,” co-led by Dr. AnnMarie Alberton Gunn and Dr. Susan V Bennett (College of Education), intends to build a curriculum that enhances vocabulary alongside social-emotional learning skills among young students in underserved communities.
More information about these initiatives is available at www.usf.edu/corridor.
