Fayetteville State University receives $10M from Department of War for AI military research

FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. (WNCN) — Fayetteville State University has received a $10 million research award from the U.S. Department of War to study artificial intelligence for military defense systems, officials said Wednesday.

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According to university officials, Fayetteville State was one of five schools in the nation to receive the award as part of the department’s 2026 Research and Education Program for Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Minority-Serving Institutions Pilot Program to Increase Research Capacity.

Fayetteville State will be awarded the $10 million over the course of five years, receiving about $2 million annually, according to university officials.

“Fayetteville is home to one of the nation’s premier military communities, a growing entrepreneurial ecosystem and people deeply committed to building a stronger future,” Fayetteville State Chancellor Darrell T. Allison said in a statement.

“This investment gives Fayetteville State University an opportunity to bring those strengths together through research that can contribute to our nation’s defense while creating new opportunities for our students, faculty and the region we call home,” Allison continued in his statement.

According to university officials, the award will help both undergraduate and graduate students have direct participation in advanced research and strengthen student pathways into careers in AI, data science, advanced manufacturing, biotechnology, logistics, and national security.

“This award is an important investment in the research capacity we are building at Fayetteville State University,” Provost and Senior Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Scott Krawczyk said in a statement.

“It will allow us to expand opportunities for faculty and students to engage in advanced research while building the academic infrastructure necessary to sustain that work well beyond the life of this award,” he continued in his statement. “That is how we strengthen FSU’s research enterprise and prepare students to contribute in fields increasingly important to our region and our nation.”

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Fayetteville State plans to work with Fort Bragg while developing the research initiative, according to university officials.

“For too long, our region’s growth has leaned almost entirely on government employment,” Fayetteville Mayor Mitch Colvin said in a statement. “This award is exactly the kind of investment that helps Fayetteville build a real footprint in defense, cyber, and technology-driven industries, turning our proximity to Fort Bragg into a research and innovation asset, not just a contracting relationship.”

Cumberland County Board of Commissioners Chairman Kirk deViere said in a statement, “This award strengthens the case for the defense innovation corridor we’ve been building, one that links FCEDC’s Innovation Center, Fayetteville State University, Fayetteville Technical Community College, Fort Bragg’s Joint Innovation Outpost, and the Military Business Park.

“Federal investment like this doesn’t just fund research,” deViere said in his statement. “It builds the talent and technology pipeline our region needs to compete.”

According to university officials, Associate Vice Chancellor for Research and Innovation and Chief Research Officer Ganesh C. Bora will be the principal investigator, with computer science professor Sambit Bhattacharya and professor and Broadwell College of Business and Economics Burcu Adivar serving as co-principal investigators.

“This is about building capacity that lasts,” Bora said in a statement. “We are creating opportunities for students to conduct meaningful research, expanding our faculty expertise and establishing an academic program that can continue producing research and researchers for years to come.”

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