**AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** THE USDA-NIFA SPONSORED AGAID INSTITUTE WILL LAUNCH A THREE-WAY INTERNATIONAL PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM TO COLLABORATE WITH LEADING TEAMS ACROSS THE GLOBE TO ACCELERATE OUR RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT, PROVIDE GLOBAL TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES, AND EXTEND AND GENERALIZE OUR MODELS AND ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI) TOOLS. THE COLLABORATORS FOR THIS INTERNATIONAL PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM INCLUDE RESEARCHERS AT THE WAGENINGEN UNIVERSITY & RESEARCH (WUR) IN THE NETHERLANDS, AT THE UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY SYDNEY (UTS) IN AUSTRALIA, AND AT THE PONTIFICIA UNIVERSIDAD CATÓLICA DE CHILE (PUCC) IN CHILE. AS PART OF THIS COLLABORATION, THE AGAID TEAM WILL GAIN ACCESS TO NEW AND COMPLEMENTARY PROJECT RESOURCES IN DIGITAL AGRICULTURE FOR COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH. MORE SPECIFICALLY, THE INTERNATIONAL PARTNERS WILL PROVIDE AGAID WITH NEW RESOURCES (INCLUDING DATA AND MODELS) AND EXPERTISE TO COLLABORATIVELY ADVANCE THE STATE OF AI TOOLS ALONG OUR THREE MAJOR RESEARCH THRUSTS, NAMELY: WATER INTELLIGENCE (OPTIMIZING WATER ALLOCATION AT REGIONAL AND SEASONAL SCALES), FARM INTELLIGENCE (ENABLING REAL-TIME SITE-SPECIFIC DECISION SUPPORT), AND LABOR INTELLIGENCE (AMPLIFYING HUMAN-MACHINE PRODUCTIVITY IN LABOR-INTENSIVE TASKS). IN ADDITION, THE GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION OF THE PARTNERS WILL BE LEVERAGED TO ACCELERATE SOME OF THE AGAID DEVELOPMENT AND TEST CYCLES.THE PRIMARY VEHICLE THROUGH WHICH THESE COLLABORATIONS WILL BE LAUNCHED AND DEVELOPED IS THROUGH STUDENT INTERNSHIPS AT THE INTERNATIONAL PARTNER SITES. IN PARTICULAR, THE PROJECT WILL SUPPORT THREE GRADUATE STUDENTS WHO WILL SPEND SEVERAL MONTHS AT THESE THREE INTERNATIONAL PARTNER SITES. IN ADDITION TO THIS STUDENT VISITOR PROGRAM, THE PROJECT WILL ESTABLISH FORMAL AND STRUCTURED CHANNELS OF COLLABORATIONS BETWEEN THE RESPECTIVE AGAID INSTITUTE TEAMS AND THE INTERNATIONAL PARTNER TEAM. THESE CHANNELS WILL INCLUDE (BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO) VIRTUAL SEMINARS AND TRAINING SESSIONS, SHARED ACCESS TO PROJECT RESOURCES INCLUDING DATA AND MODEL REPOSITORIES, COLLABORATION ON SCHOLARLY MANUSCRIPTS, AND ADOPTION OF TRAINING MATERIALS TOWARD WORKFORCE AND DECISION SUPPORT TRAINING.IN SUMMARY, THE PRIMARY OBJECTIVES OF THE AGAID INTERNATIONAL PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM ARE AS FOLLOWS:OBJECTIVE 1: TO COMPLEMENT AGAID RESEARCH STRENGTHS AND PROVIDE ACCESS TO NEW TYPES OF RESOURCES FOR RESEARCH THRUST EXPANSION.OBJECTIVE 2: TO ACCELERATE THE AGAID RESEARCH, DEVELOPMENT AND TEST CYCLE.OBJECTIVE 3. TO PROVIDE GLOBAL TRAINING AND HANDS-ON EXPERIENCE FOR THE NEXT-GENERATION SCIENTIFIC WORKFORCE.THROUGH THESE INTERNATIONAL PARTNERSHIPS, THE FOLLOWING OUTCOMES ARE EXPECTED: (I) NEW APPROACHES AND TECHNOLOGICAL CAPABILITIES FOR PLANT AND FARM MODELING USING THE CONCEPT OF DIGITAL TWINS LEADING TO BOTH IMPROVED PLANT/FARM MODELS FOR ROBUST DECISION MAKING, AS WELL AS NEW WAYS TO DESIGN MULTI-SCALE SITE-SPECIFIC DECISION SUPPORT; (II) NEW APPROACHES FOR EFFICIENT PATH PLANNING, OPTIMIZATION, AND COOPERATIVE ROBOTICS, LEADING TO EXPLAINABLE, IN,CLUSIVE HUMAN-AI WORKFLOWS AND SOLUTIONS; AND (III) NEW APPROACHES FOR MODELING WATER AVAILABILITY AND CONSUMPTIVE USE WHILE ACCOUNTING FOR CLIMATIC FACTORS, LEADING TO AN IDENTIFICATION OF OPPORTUNITIES FOR CHANGE IN WATER MANAGEMENT AS WELL AS NEW WAYS TO MODEL KNOWNS AND UNKNOWNS WITH DATA AND SCIENTIFIC KNOWLEDGE, WHILE ACCOUNTING FOR UNCERTAINTY.THE ANTICIPATED IMPACT OF THE INTERNATIONAL PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM IS THAT IT WILL ENHANCE U.S.-LED RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT OF AI TECHNOLOGIES FOR AGRICULTURAL APPLICATIONS, AND WILL CREATE LONG-STANDING COLLABORATIVE RELATIONSHIPS WITH STRATEGIC INTERNATIONAL PARTNERS. THE PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM IS WELL ALIGNED WITH THE AGAID INSTITUTE'S GOALS OF BECOMING A GLOBAL NEXUS FOR AI-AG TECHNOLOGY. THE PROGRAM WILL BRING ABOUT A CONVERGENCE OF MULTIPLE DISCIPLINES AND STAKEHOLDER GROUPS, WHICH IS ESSENTIAL FOR ADVANCING THE STATE OF USE-INSPIRED AI TOOL DEVELOPMENT AND INNOVATION FOR GLOBALLY RELEVANT AGRICULTURAL PROBLEMS. THE PROJECTS ENABLEDTHROUGH THE PROGRAM WILL HELP IDENTIFY HOW AI TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPED FOR U.S. AGRICULTURE CAN EXTEND TO AGRICULTURAL PROBLEMS IN OTHER PARTS OF THE GLOBE. IT WILL ALSO PROVIDE A CLEAR VISION FOR STRATEGICALLY SHAPING FUTURE INTERNATIONAL COLLABORATIONS IN THIS COMPETITIVE SPACE OF AI AND DIGITAL AGRICULTURE. THE PARTNERSHIPS WILL PROVIDE A UNIQUE TRAINING OPPORTUNITY FOR OUR U.S.-BASED GRADUATE STUDENTS AND WILL PREPARE THEM TO TAKE ON CHALLENGING PROBLEMS WITH GLOBAL AND SOCIETAL SIGNIFICANCE. THE TRAINING OF THE GRADUATE STUDENTS WILL ALSO HELP THE AGAID INSTITUTE TEAM IDENTIFY CRITICAL GAPS THAT CURRENTLY EXIST IN OUR U.S.-BASED CURRICULA FOR AI AND DIGITAL AGRICULTURE.

Washington State University, Pullman WA

Investigators