Home » Call for Proposals: Tennessee Human–AI Readiness & Innovation: Ventures in Excellence (THRIVE) 2025

Call for Proposals: Tennessee Human–AI Readiness & Innovation: Ventures in Excellence (THRIVE) 2025

Call for Proposals: Tennessee Human–AI Readiness & Innovation: Ventures in Excellence (THRIVE) 2025

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Introduction

“Shaping Tomorrow’s Tennessee with Human–AI Solutions Today.”

The College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) is launching THRIVE: Tennessee Human–AI Readiness & Innovation: Ventures in Excellence, an initiative that connects the best of our scholarship with real-world impact across the state. At its core, THRIVE advances AI research and its implications across disciplines, from the natural sciences and mathematics to the arts, humanities, and social sciences. Projects are encouraged to push methodological frontiers (e.g., new models, tools, and data practices) while also examining societal dimensions such as education, policy, and human-centered design. The goal is rigorous, high-potential applications that show how human–AI collaboration can enhance everyday life in Tennessee.

THRIVE is deeply connected to AI Tennessee, a statewide initiative driving AI innovation, workforce development, and economic growth through cutting-edge research, education, industry collaboration, and transformative platforms like AI TechX. AI Tennessee provides a powerful foundation for THRIVE projects, ensuring alignment with statewide priorities and offering opportunities for broader scalability through its industry consortium, AI TechX.

Proposals should prioritize real use cases and measurable benefits such as pilots and prototypes, decision-support tools, open datasets, policy briefs, or educational resources that stakeholders can adopt and sustain. A strong emphasis is placed on collaborative problem-solving with Tennessee partners, ensuring that outcomes are meaningful, equitable, and lasting.

Finally, THRIVE elevates experiential learning for undergraduates by embedding students as co-creators in the full research and engagement cycle. Students will gain meaningful, résumé-ready experience—scoping problems with partners, applying AI methods, communicating results, and reflecting on impact—through paid roles, course-embedded projects, practica, and community-engaged studios.

Together, these components cultivate a virtuous cycle: impactful scholarship, trusted partnerships, transformative student experiences, and alignment with Tennessee’s statewide AI leadership.

With initial seed funding invested by CAS and AI Tennessee, THRIVE will launch a cohort of projects that demonstrate how CAS, AI Tennessee, and AI TechX can connect research, teaching, and service to make a direct impact on the lives of Tennesseans.

Proposal Guidelines

Proposals may be submitted by CAS faculty, staff, or graduate research/teaching assistants with continuing appointments. Interdisciplinary collaboration across CAS subdivisions is strongly encouraged.

Projects must include:

  • A substantive human–AI component that applies or develops artificial intelligence methods.
  • A Tennessee-based partner (e.g., state agency, nonprofit, school district, industry partner, or community group) that will use or benefit from the project’s outcomes. Through THRIVE, an industry partner may be offered to join the AI TechX industry consortium.
  • An undergraduate experiential learning element, embedding research and problem-solving directly into student experiences.

Preference will be given to proposals that:

  • Involve collaboration across multiple CAS subdivisions or other colleges.
  • Include outreach and engagement across public and private sectors, including K–12 education, industry, nonprofits, and community organizations.
  • Demonstrate a clear pathway to external funding or long-term impact.
  • Align with AI Tennessee initiatives, reinforcing statewide innovation and workforce development goals.

Proposals should:

  • Be no longer than five pages.
  • Clearly articulate the problem, methods, and anticipated outcomes.
  • Describe the role of AI, the community partner, and student involvement.
  • Address alignment with CAS goals for transformative student experiences and with AI Tennessee’s statewide vision.

Selection and Funding

Proposals will be evaluated on alignment with THRIVE and AI Tennessee goals, potential community impact, feasibility, and scholarly merit.

  • Awards of $10,000–$12,000 per project, depending on scope and need; projects with larger budgets may be considered with strong evidence of potential impact and discussion with the selection committee
  • Funding may be used for PI/researcher and student stipends, research materials, travel for community engagement, or other project costs.
  • We anticipate funding 9–12 projects in this initial round.
  • Awardees will be expected to present outcomes at the THRIVE Symposium (planned for Phase 2 of THRIVE).

Submission and Important Dates

Outcomes and Expectations

Funded projects will form the foundation of THRIVE, positioning for larger-scale support from the University and external donors. Results will also inform the University Vol Edge program, ensuring that curricula and student pathways are directly tied to high-profile, real-world impact.

Together, these efforts will help CAS, AI Tennessee and their partners establish Tennessee as a national leader in responsible, collaborative, and human-centered AI innovation for the public good.

For inquiries, please contact Liem Tran (ltran1@utk.edu).

THRIVE Steering Committee

  • Anne Ho, Director of AI Research Development
  • Beauvais Lyons, Divisional Dean for Arts and Humanities
  • Caleb Knight, AI TechX – Industry Partnerships and Economic Development at UTK
  • Gina Owens, Interim Divisional Dean for Social Sciences
  • Joe Miles, Associate Dean for Institutional Transformation
  • Kate Jones, Divisional Dean for Natural Sciences and Mathematics
  • Liem Tran, Associate Dean for Academic Programs
  • Michael Blum, Associate Dean for Research and Creative Activity