US$40 Million Available for Artificial Intelligence and Transformative Technology Innovators to Improve Care and Health Outcomes for Older Americans

(US and Canada) America is getting older faster. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the number of people aged 65 or older in the United States will grow to 95 million by the year 2060 and will account for nearly one-quarter of the population. Artificial intelligence (AI) and technology solutions have a significant potential to transform quality of life and improve healthcare outcomes for older Americans, including those with Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias (AD/ADRD).

To meet this challenge, the AI/Tech + Aging (a2) Collective is announcing the a2 Pilot Awards, a national competition that will earmark US$40 million over the next five years for promising pilot projects that leverage AI and other transformative technology to support healthy aging and persons living with AD/ADRD. The a2 Collective represents the National Institute on Aging's (NIA) Artificial Intelligence and Technology Collaboratories for Aging Research (AITC) program, which is dedicated to helping Americans live longer, better through the application of AI and emerging technologies.

"AI and transformative technology that supports America's aging population is projected to be a multi-trillion dollar market opportunity," says Stephen Liu, a2 Collective's Managing Director – Head of Marketing & Business Development. "Tech giants and AI startups cannot afford to overlook how this demographic will interact with the emerging #AgeTech economy."

The a2 Pilot Awards are funded by the NIA through three AITCs at Johns Hopkins University, the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, and the University of Pennsylvania, with coordination support provided by Rose Li & Associates, Inc. Pilot applicants can request up to $200,000 in non-dilutive direct costs to be expended within a 12-month period, with multi-year commitments and time extensions determined by the awarding AITC.

Each AITC will offer pilot awardees access to a wealth of resources, translational services, and state-of the art facilities, including software and hardware platforms, data sets, and population study sites.

Awardees will also be eligible to apply for US$10,000 in AWS credits.

Applications for the inaugural a2 Pilot Awards will be accepted from January 10 through February 18, 2022. Please visit our a2 Pilot Awards website for eligibility requirements.