Initiative led by Khargonekar receives $8M in NSF funding
Sept. 14, 2026 — Pramod Khargonekar, UC Irvine Distinguished Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, will serve as principal investigator on a landmark new five-year cooperative agreement awarded by the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) Engineering Directorate to support the Engineering Research Visioning Alliance (ERVA). The award provides nearly $8 million in projected funding through August 2031, positioning UCI at the forefront of efforts to shape the nation's future engineering research agenda.
UIDP (University-Industry Demonstration Partnership) announced the new five-year cooperative agreement on September 14. ERVA brings together leaders from academia, industry, government, national laboratories, and the broader engineering community to identify emerging opportunities and develop strategic research directions with the potential to generate significant national and societal benefits. UIDP administers the initiative with funding from the NSF Directorate for Engineering.
ERVA’s visioning activities convene experts across disciplines and sectors to examine complex challenges, identify critical knowledge and technology gaps, and articulate high-impact, high-reward engineering research opportunities. The resulting reports provide research frameworks for federal agencies, universities, companies, national laboratories, foundations, and other organizations that shape or support the nation’s research enterprise.
“ERVA has demonstrated that the engineering community can be convened with purpose, challenged to think beyond incremental progress, and mobilized to identify research directions with the power to shape the nation’s future as a technology leader,” said Khargonekar, who is ERVA’s principal investigator (PI). “As the United States confronts intensifying global competition, rapid technological change, urgent national priorities, and expanding opportunities for engineering-led discovery, ERVA is ready to serve as the neutral, agile, and trusted convener that helps the community see farther and act sooner.”
The new cooperative agreement began Sept. 1, 2026, and continues through Aug. 31, 2031. Khargonekar will lead the project along with Anthony Boccanfuso, ERVA co-PI and president and CEO of UIDP and co-PIs Dorota Grejner-Brzezinska, vice chancellor for research, University of Wisconsin-Madison; Charles Johnson-Bey, professor and chair, electrical and computer engineering, Morgan State University; and Lance Pérez, Fred Hunzeker Dean of Engineering, University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
Click here to read the full press release from UIDP.
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