Research NewsletterIssue: ORN-2024-16

xTechScalable AI 2

The U.S. Army invites U.S.-based Artificial Intelligence (AI)-focused small businesses to participate in the xTechScalable AI 2 competition, a competition for eligible small businesses across the U.S. to engage with the Department of Defense (DoD), earn prize money, participate in a business accelerator program, and submit a Phase I or Direct to Phase II Army Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) proposal.

The U.S. Army xTech Program is excited to host an Ask Me Anything (AMA) Session focused on answering your burning questions and providing some key insights on the xTechScalable AI 2 Project Linchpin competition.

Mark your calendar for Thursday, May 2, 2024, from 2:00 – 3:00 PM ET.

Join us to:

• Gain insights into the xTech program and its mission to push the boundaries of technological advancement.
• Dive into the details of the xTechScalable AI 2 Project Linchpin competition as we hear directly from the topic authors and understand how you might fit in.

The xTechScalable AI 2 Project Linchpin competition is focused on three key areas:

• Topic 1: Scalable tools for automated AI risk management and algorithmic analysis.
• Topic 2: Scalable techniques for robust testing and evaluation of AI operations pipelines.
• Topic 3: Scalable techniques for center of mass and course of action analytics for intelligence preparation of the battlefield.

But wait, there's more! The competition is awarding $603,000 in cash prizes throughout, providing opportunities for finalist to participate in an accelerator program, and providing an opportunity for the finalist to attend the 2024 AUSA Annual Meeting and Exposition in October 2024. In addition, the final winners of the competition will have an opportunity to submit a Phase I Small Business Innovative Research proposal worth up to $250,000 or a Direct to Phase II SBIR proposal worth up to $2,000,000.

Reserve your spot today: xTechScalable AI 2 AMA Session

To find out more details on the competition, you can visit the xTech website.

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Recent NJIT Patents Issued by US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO)

Recent NJIT Non-Provisional Patent Applications (Submitted)

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Issued Patent

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Patent Title: Dual Printing Additive Manufacturing of 3D Scaffolds with Channel Diameters Ranging from 100-500 Microns

NJIT Ref No.: 18-038

Inventor(s): Guvendiren, Murat / Ji, Shen

Patent Application Status: Issued Patent

Patent Issue Date: 3/19/2024

Patent No.: US 11,931,951

Technology Licensing Status: Available

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Patent Title: Coupled High and Low-Frequency Ultrasonic Systems and Methods for Remediation of Contaminated Solids

NJIT Ref No.: 20-010

Inventor(s): Meegoda, Jay / Kewalramani, Jitendra

Patent Application Status: Issued Patent

Patent Issue Date:4/2/24

Patent No.:  US 11,945,014

Technology Licensing Status: Available

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Filed NonProvisional Patent Application

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Patent Title: Absolute Quantitation of Nitrosamines 

NJIT Ref No.: 21-013

Inventor(s):  Chen, Hao / Wang, Qi

Patent Application Status: Filed Non-Provisional Patent Application

Patent Application Filing Date: 4/11/2024

Application Filing No.: 18/633,136

Technology Licensing Status: Available

NSF: IUSE/Professional Formation of Engineers: Revolutionizing Engineering Departments (IUSE/PFE: RED); Louis Stokes Alliances for Minority Participation; Centers of Research Excellence in Science and Technology - Research Infrastructure for Science and Engineering; Foundations for Digital Twins as Catalyzers of Biomedical Technological Innovation

NIH: Undergraduate Research Training Initiative for Student Enhancement (U-RISE) (T34); NIH Director’s Transformative Research Awards (R01)

Department of Defense/US Army/DARPA/ONR: Funding Opportunity Announcement ONR STEM Program;Office of Naval Research Science and Technology for Advanced Manufacturing Projects (STAMP); DoD Spinal Cord Injury Research Program Investigator-Initiated Research Award

EPA: Air Quality Information: Making Sense of Air Pollution Data to Inform Decisions In Underserved Communities Overburdened by Air Pollution Exposures

Department of Energy: FY2024 Vehicle Technologies Office Research & Development Funding Opportunity Announcement; FY 2024 Funding for Accelerated, Inclusive Research (FAIR)

USPTO says existing rules apply to AI-crafted submissions: The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office is issuing a notice Thursday that is aimed at helping guide professionals within patent and trademarking fields on how to safely leverage artificial intelligence systems. The guidance, slated to be published in the Federal Register on April 11, notes that existing rules and regulations that apply to the entrepreneurs, legal professionals, and other stakeholders working with the USPTO who incorporate AI into their work. Some of the scenarios where existing law applies include using AI software for document drafting, AI tools usage disclosure duties, and properly filing or submitting documents to the USPTO.

“Given the uncertainties faced by practitioners in the use of AI tools, the USPTO publishes this guidance to remind practitioners about existing rules and policies that may be relevant to the use of these tools, and to help educate practitioners on possible risks presented by the use of these tools so that practitioners can mitigate these risks,” the guidance reads. Provisions included in the guidance were crafted based on stakeholder engagement from USPTO’s AI and Emerging Technologies Partnership, along with a review of existing rules. It also reviews the noted risks involved in utilizing AI systems, like cybersecurity and data privacy. Violations of existing USPTO rules through the improper use of AI systems could result in several outcomes, including revocation of a given user's USPTO.gov account, along with other appropriate criminal, civil, or administrative penalties or liabilities. More information is posted on the NextGov website.

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New bill would greatly expand Defense Department quantum efforts: As drawn up by Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., and Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., the Defense Quantum Acceleration Act would direct the Defense Department to establish a new quantum advisor role and stand up a center of excellence to “explore and identify [quantum information science] technologies that have demonstrated value in advancing the priorities and missions of the Department,” according to the text of the bill, viewed exclusively by Defense One.  Quantum information science, which takes advantage of the unique properties of quantum mechanics, has many potential defense applications. Information that’s encrypted on the quantum level can’t be secretly intercepted because attempting to measure a quantum property changes it. Quantum sensors can relay information about location, making them a more secure means of navigation than GPS, which can be spoofed. Quantum computers, today in their infancy, could eventually process information exponentially more effectively than conventional computers. The National Academies of Sciences has said “quantum computers are the only known model for computing that could offer exponential speedup over today’s computers.” More information is posted on the NextGov website.

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US, EU update shared AI taxonomy, unveil new research alliance: The U.S. and European Union Trade and Technology Council have updated their repository of shared definitions of artificial intelligence terminology, as allied nations work to establish a shared understanding of how to securely leverage AI systems with a rights-centered approach.  After the sixth U.S.-EU TTC meeting held in Leuven, Belgium this past week, representatives from both governments found common ground on AI-related topics, announcing both an updated EU-U.S. Terminology and Taxonomy for Artificial Intelligence and continued AI-centric collaboration on Friday. The updated taxonomy includes 13 new terms and updates 24 terms from the first iteration of the document. New terms include data augmentation, knowledge representation, prompt, training data, AI system, data leakage, and deep fakes, among others. These updates follow external expert commentary based on the first edition, collected between Oct. 27, 2023 and Nov. 24, 2023.  Amended terms include trustworthy AI, model, neural network, human values for AI, human-centric AI, AI accuracy, machine learning, data poisoning and synthetic data. 

More information is posted on the NextGov website.