AI + Aging (a2) Coordinating Center for the NIA Artificial Intelligence and Technology Collaboratories for Aging Research (AITCs) - Project Summary/Abstract
Rose Li & Associates, Inc. (RLA) proposes to establish the “NIA Collaboratories for Artificial Intelligence and
Healthy Aging” or AHA Collab—a coordinating center to undertake a complementary set of activities to
multiply the collective impact of the Artificial Intelligence and Technology Collaboratories for Aging Research
(AITCs) to improve care and health outcomes for older Americans, including persons with dementia (PWD)
and their caregivers. Building on RLA’s reputation for exceptional research/event management, program
coordination, and communications support services, AHA Collab promises to establish the United States as a
national connector in aging innovation, promote greater diversity and inclusion in AI research, and counter bias
in personal data and machine learning algorithms wherever possible, and in the process, improve the lives of
millions of older Americans. The research managers and business development professionals on the AHA
Collab team will work to magnify the productivity and impact of the NIA AITCs. AHA Collab will leverage
additional resources to facilitate discourse among researchers, policymakers, developers, and practitioners
and will provide overarching support and advice related to all aspects of technology and business
development, including ethics, navigating the regulatory and payor landscape, scaling, dissemination, and
commercialization. Specific Aims are to (1) Become a national hub and catalyst for AI and aging research and
development by bringing together the worlds of academia, health, venture, industry, and government to ensure
the successful translation of research to application; (2) Create a culture of coordination, communication, and
collaboration with the AITCs, NIA, and relevant NIA research centers and the broader scientific community;
and (3) Implement a robust national infrastructure to accomplish and evaluate the diverse and multifaceted
responsibilities of AHA Collab. This national infrastructure will include capabilities for attracting pilot project
applications and managing the competition process for pilot projects; incubating ideas and projects through the
AHA-Combinator that provide resources and mentorship to help pilot projects realize their commercial and/or
adoption potential; launching a user-friendly and engaging website to serve as a national resource for AI and
Healthy Aging; hosting a networking, sharing, and learning platform for AI and healthy aging innovators to
collaborate freely; creating a marketing engine to promote pilot project competitions, workshops, and industry
achievements; producing both physical and virtual meetings and events; and establishing an evaluation plan
for AHA Collab with baseline and progress metrics. Establishing AHA Collab as a dynamic hub with an
entrepreneurial startup mentality outside of academic silos will generate excitement and impetus for fruitful
collaborations and demonstrations of heightened impact, and will fully potentiate the success of the AITCs.
