Convergence Accelerator Portfolio: Past Tracks

The Convergence Accelerator is composed of a variety of convergence research track topics designed to accelerate technologies and solutions toward real-world impact. Since 2019, the program has completed six convergence research tracks.

2019 Track: Open Knowledge Networks

Knowledge networks and graphs provide a powerful approach for data discovery, integration and reuse. But they also require an investment in their creation and maintenance. To enable data to be freely accessible, especially to government, academia, small business and nonprofit organizations, the Convergence Accelerator funded the creation of nonproprietary infrastructure to build open knowledge networks, OKNs.

Open knowledge networks connect people, events, places, environments, health and more, removing boundaries between these domains. They link data, its attributes, and relationships to other data — making that information available to decision-makers, analysts, researchers, and Americans so they can answer questions they care about.

The completed Open Knowledge Networks Phase 2 projects include:

AI and machine learning infrastructure tools and applications

  • OKN Infrastructure — Led by the University of Michigan, the team is building infrastructure for constructing novel OKNs and OKN-powered applications. This solution provides tools to make the creation and maintenance of high-quality datasets and apps more cost-effective and more widely accessible.
  • KnowWhereGraph — Led by the University of California, Santa Barbara, KnowWhereGraph provides knowledge graph and geo-enrichment services for environmental intelligence applications. The solution enriches data with pre-integrated, custom-tailored knowledge about any locale of interest, reducing the time to find, combine and reuse data. The initial application areas focus on decision support related to food systems and supply chains but can easily be expanded to other application areas.

 

Domain-based open knowledge networks 

  • Biomedical Open Knowledge Network — Led by the University of California, San Francisco, the network connects millions of pieces of biomedical information, including molecules, pharmacological compounds, organs and diseases, food nutrients and more. Centered around knowledge representation and reasoning, the team develops applications using graph theory, advanced visualizations and real-world clinical evidence to advance drug development and precision medicine.
  • SCALES — Led by Northwestern University, the SCALES open knowledge network is designed to be a public resource to help provide insights based on judicial court records. SCALES created tools to transform the data into actionable information that aids various users, including legal scholars, policymakers, judiciary and citizens.
  • Urban Flooding Open Knowledge Network — Led by the University of Cincinnati, the network addresses urban flooding impacts to assist decision-makers and urban planners in real-time response and long-term planning.

The completed Open Knowledge Networks Phase 1 projects include: 

2019 Track: AI & the Future of Work

The world’s technological advancements in AI, machine learning, and robotics are shifting the future of work in unanticipated ways. The AI & the Future of Work Track focused on solutions to train, reskill, upskill, and prepare the current and future workforce with industry needs and jobs of the future, as well as build a national talent ecosystem to stimulate the U.S. workforce and ensure continuing global competitiveness.

Solutions included developing the U.S. talent pipeline through competency-based training intelligent tools to connect academic institutions with industry needs to prepare students for the workforce, improving workforce training and safety for emergency responders through human augmentation, and creating virtual reality and augmented reality (VR/AR) tools to identify unique skills to prepare people to thrive in the workforce.

The completed AI & the Future of Work funded Phase 2 projects include:

  • LEARNER — Led by Texas A&M, is an agile and adaptive Human Augmentation Technologies (HAT) integrated Emergency Response (ER) training platform that accelerates HAT adoption for safer and more efficient ER work, supports adaptive learning sensitive to ER workers’ socio-technical opportunities and budgetary constraints, builds and retains skilled ER personnel, and accelerates next-gen workforce development.
  • SkillSync — Industry 4.0 is changing the skills that workers need and companies require, leaving businesses vulnerable and colleges behind. SkillSync, led by Eduworks Corporation, uses AI and national skills data to help companies identify required skills, connect them with college continuing education departments, and enable colleges to respond with efficient, effective, and equitable reskilling programs.

The completed AI & the Future of Work Phase 1 projects include: 

2020 Track: Quantum Technology

Improving the U.S. industrial base, maintaining an edge in emerging technology areas, creating jobs, and making significant progress to address economic and societal needs are all vital challenges to the nation. Teams within the Quantum Technology Track developed quantum technologies — sensors, devices, hardware, interconnects, networks and simulations — to deploy in applications such as autonomous vehicles and health care. They also created innovative curricula by leveraging strong industry-university partnerships that are diverse and inclusive.

The completed Quantum Technology Phase 2 projects include:

  • PEAQUE — Led by the University of Washington, the team supported quantum computing scalability by innovating a chip-scale, multi-beam optical control system that empowers cold-atom quantum computing with thousands of qubits.
  • Quantum Sensors — Led by the University of Arizona, the team developed an entanglement-enhanced sensing architecture to benefit many domains, including secure inertial navigation, space and planetary terrestrial control, and health care monitoring.
  • QuaNeCQT — Led by the University of Maryland, the team developed hardware to transform the internet into a quantum internet, which will be essential for connecting the anticipated rapid expansion of quantum computers.
  • QuSTEAM — Led by the Ohio State University, QuSTEAM is a transformational undergraduate curriculum aimed at addressing critical workforce needs in quantum information science and engineering.

The completed Quantum Technology Phase 1 projects include: 

2020 Track: AI-Driven Innovation via Data and Model Sharing

AI research and development require access to high-quality datasets and environments and resources for testing and training. The AI-Driven Innovation via Data and Model Sharing Track funded the development of tools and platforms to address data and model-sharing challenges, including easy and efficient data matching and sharing.

The completed AI-Driven Innovation via Data and Model Sharing Phase 2 projects include:

  • AI-Grid — Led by Stony Brook University, AI-Grid is an AI-enabled solution for resilient networked microgrids.
  • BurnPro3D — Led by the University of California, San Diego, BurnPro3D is a platform for public sector collaboration to reduce the risk of devastating megafires. Leveraging the WIFIRE Commons data sharing and AI framework, BurnPro3D uses next-generation fire science to prescribe burns for vegetation management at an unprecedented scale.
  • Computing the Biome — Led by Vanderbilt University, the team created a data and AI platform for monitoring and predicting biothreats in a major U.S. city, and to drive economic sustainability by empowering businesses and advanced research organizations to deliver valuable consumer apps and breakthroughs.
  • CRIPT — Led by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, CRIPT is an AI-enabled cloud application and database that enables polymer scientists to easily find and interact with complex data.
  • HydroGEN — Led by the University of Arizona, HydroGEN is a web-based machine learning platform that generates custom hydrologic scenarios on demand.
  • Precision Epidemiology — Led by the University of California, Davis, the team developed an online platform that converges data, AI models, and expertise across the livestock production and health space for the management of animal health.

The completed AI-Driven Innovation via Data and Model Sharing Phase 1 projects include: 

2021 Track: Networked Blue Economy

Ocean-related industries and resources, known as the blue economy, play a central role in addressing ocean-related challenges such as sustainability, food, energy, pollution and the economy. The Networked Blue Economy Track focused on accelerating convergence across ocean sectors — to create a smart, integrated, connected and open ecosystem for ocean innovation, exploration and sustainable use.

The completed Networked Blue Economy Phase 2 projects include:

  • Backyard Buoys — Led by the University of Washington, Backyard Buoys empowers coastal communities to collect and use ocean data to support maritime activities and food security.
  • BlueGAP — Led by the University of South Florida, the BlueGAP project connects communities across watersheds to address economic and health challenges caused by nitrogen pollution. 
  • Digital Reefs — Led by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, Digital Reefs delivers interactive 4D visualizations of reef environments into the hands of local communities, helping to ensure a future for all coral reefs.
  • Nereid Biomaterials — Led by the University of California, Santa Barbara, Nereid Biomaterials is enabling a healthier ocean through safe and rapid ocean degradation of plastic components of equipment. The team is developing "ocean degradable" polymers with embedded additives to accelerate and control degradation.
  • FathomNet — Led by Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, FathomNet, formally Ocean Vision AI, accelerates the processing of underwater visual data with a globally integrated network of services, tools, and a wide range of community users. FathomNet streamlines access and analysis of visual data to enable effective marine stewardship.
  • ReCoast — Led by Tulane University, ReCoast is ensuring mitigation of land loss through coastal community recycling programs to keep glass out of landfills by creating glass sand products that support coastal restoration and preservation.

The completed Networked Blue Economy Phase 1 projects include: 

2021 Track: Trust & Authenticity in Communication Systems

Modern life depends on access to communications systems that offer trustworthy and accurate information. Economic growth and opportunity depend on dynamic networks for innovation and transaction that connect American families, communities, and businesses to a range of goods and services. Yet, these systems face a common threat. Communication systems can be manipulated or can have unanticipated negative effects. The Trust & Authenticity in Communication Systems’ goal was to address the urgent need for tools and techniques to aid help our nation effectively prevent, mitigate and adapt to critical threats to communication systems.

The completed Trust & Authenticity in Communication Systems Phase 2 projects include:

  • ARTT — Led by Hacks/Hackers, this team assists online communities with building trust around controversial topics such as vaccine efficacy. Users receive helpful approaches to engage, navigate, and analyze information. The toolkit’s primary resource, ARTT Guide, provides expert-informed suggestions- for analyzing information and communicating with others to build trust.
  • Chime — Led by the University of Wisconsin-Madison, this team creates a dynamic misinformation identification dashboard, empowers journalists to identify misinformation networks, correct misinformation within the affected networks, and test the effectiveness of corrections. Designed by mass communication, computer scientists, engineers, and social media experts, Chime (formerly known as Course Correct) rebuilds trust in civic institutions while helping journalists tame the misinformation tide.
  • Co-Designing for Trust — Led by the University of Washington, this team builds community-oriented infrastructure that supports underserved communities to design, collaborate on, customize, and share digital literacy approaches. Developed by academic researchers, community organizations, libraries, journalists, and teachers, Co-Designing for Trust re-imagines literacy to provide the cognitive, social, and emotional skills necessary to respond to problematic information.
  • Co-Insights — Led by Meedan, this team enables community, fact-checking, and academic organizations to collaborate and respond effectively to emerging misinformation narratives that stoke social conflict and distrust. Our easy-to-use, mobile-friendly tools allow community members to report problematic content and discover resources while cutting-edge machine learning analyzes content across the web to create valuable insights for community leaders and fact-checkers.
  • DART — Led by State University of New York Buffalo, this team helps older adults recognize threats so they can protect themselves. Developed by game designers, social media researchers and security experts, DART is unique in tailoring its curriculum and using gamification to make training accessible and engaging for older adults.
  • Expert Voices Together — Led by George Washington University, this team is building a rapid-response system to assist journalists, scientists, and other experts whose work is being undermined by coordinated online harassment campaigns. Modeled on best practices in trauma-informed crisis intervention, the EVT platform provides a secure environment for experts to receive support from their professional communities.

The completed Trust & Authenticity in Communication Systems Phase 1 projects include: 

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