AI Exploration Grants
The AI Exploration Grants at Penn State Smeal College of Business support short-cycle, high-impact experimentation with artificial intelligence across teaching, research, student support, and business operations. These grants provide targeted funding to help faculty and staff explore emerging AI tools, platforms, and workflows that fall outside existing university-licensed solutions or traditional funding models.
Designed as seed funding, the program encourages practical exploration, responsible innovation, and cross-unit collaboration. Funded projects are expected to generate tangible insights, such as prototypes, workflows, or evaluated pilots—that can inform broader adoption and strengthen Smeal’s long-term AI strategy. The emphasis is not on scale for its own sake, but on learning what works, what doesn’t, and what can responsibly move forward.
Guiding Principles
- Purpose-driven experimentation
Projects address a clearly defined problem or opportunity with meaningful impact. - Responsible AI by design
Privacy, security, accessibility, academic integrity, and human oversight are built in from the start. - Learning over perfection
The goal is informed exploration, not polished end products. - Scalability with intention
Successful pilots help guide future college-wide tools, practices, or investments.
Why This Matters
- AI is rapidly reshaping how organizations teach, research, and operate—Smeal is preparing thoughtfully, not reactively.
- Small, well-scoped pilots reduce risk while accelerating institutional learning.
- Faculty and staff gain hands-on experience with AI tools in supported, policy-aligned environments.
- Insights from funded projects inform smarter decisions about future platforms, resources, and College adoption.