AI Bridge Summit sparks collaboration between researchers at Texas A&M
The weeklong event united AI experts and domain researchers to define future challenges and solutions, with a call for community-driven ideas to shape the next phase of AI research.
Shortly after the calendar turned to 2026, more than 170 researchers gathered at Texas A&M University for the AI Bridge Summit, a weeklong training and team-forming event designed to connect artificial intelligence (AI) experts with domain researchers.
Held Jan. 5-9 at the Texas A&M RELLIS campus in Bryan, Texas, the summit aimed to demystify AI technologies, sparking collaboration and innovation as participants worked together to define future research challenges and solutions. In conjunction with the summit, researchers across Texas A&M were encouraged to submit proposals for the AI Bridge Seed Grant, an initiative supporting one-year interdisciplinary, foundational and use-inspired projects with strong potential for external funding, by Feb. 23.
“The RAISE AI Bridge Summit was about moving AI from promise to practice at scale,” said Dr. Costas Georghiades, interim vice president for research at Texas A&M. “By deliberately bringing together foundational AI experts and domain researchers, we’re creating breakthroughs that are use-inspired, fundable and impactful.”
The summit received support from several key sponsors, including the Texas A&M Division of Research, which contributed $50,000 in seed funding. Other partners included the Texas A&M Institute of Data Science (TAMIDS), which gave $45,000, and the Texas A&M University System Office of Research, the Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station (TEES), the Texas A&M University College of Arts and Sciences, and Texas A&M AgriLife Research, which each contributed $10,000. Such funding highlights the power of multidisciplinary collaboration in advancing AI research.
Organizers, who also hailed from a variety of backgrounds, worked together to create an event that fostered innovation across disciplines and attracted a broad range of participants. They included Drew Casey, associate director of TAMIDS; Dr. Shuiwang Ji, professor and Truchard Family Endowed Chair in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering; Dr. Nick Duffield, holder of the Royce E. Wisenbaker Professorship I and director of TAMIDS; Dr. Bani Mallick, distinguished professor and regents professor in the Department of Statistics; Dr. Henry Fadamiro, professor and associate vice president for research and strategic initiatives; and Dr. Sharmila Pathikonda, associate vice chancellor for research and director for research development.
“The hardest part of interdisciplinary research is getting everyone on the same page,” Casey said. “Summits like this are just one of the tools we use to promote collaboration. It takes sustained effort and patience. I do feel we succeeded in increasing awareness among researchers about AI and domain challenges. More work needs to be done in team building and breaking down barriers between domains.”
As the AI Bridge initiative continues to grow, organizers invite the community to play an active role in shaping its future by sharing their needs and ideas for future topics. With Texas A&M’s goal of leadership in the AI field, Ji hopes future summits can engage different audiences at different levels, whether they want to build models, apply AI to their research or simply learn how to use AI tools effectively.
“This summit showed how powerful collaboration can be when foundational AI researchers and use-inspired scientists come together,” Ji said. “Thanks to major investments like the new GPU SuperPOD, Texas A&M is uniquely positioned to connect cutting-edge AI capabilities with researchers who want to use them to advance science and engineering.”
