UTC’s AI-powered mobility platform selected from 448 submissions nationwide to compete for federal prize funding
The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga has been selected as one of only four finalists nationwide in the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Advanced Research Projects Agency-Infrastructure (ARPA-I) Ideas and Innovation Challenge, advancing from a field of 448 submissions from innovators across the country.
UTC is the only university-led team among the competition’s Final Four and will represent higher education on the national stage as finalists compete for a share of $700,000 in prize funding.
UTC’s proposal, PRISM: AI-Powered Platform for Real-Time Intelligence in Shared Mobility, was developed by researchers at the Center for Urban Informatics and Progress (CUIP), a center of the UTC Research Institute. PRISM leverages existing cellular and connected infrastructure to create a real-time digital twin of transportation systems. The platform fuses data from roadway sensors, connected vehicles and communication networks into a shared intelligence environment capable of delivering predictive alerts, operational insights, and system-wide situational awareness at the edge, which significantly reduces latency, bandwidth demands, and onboard processing requirements compared to traditional cloud-based systems.
The technology will be validated on Chattanooga’s MLK Smart Corridor, one of the nation’s most advanced connected infrastructure and smart mobility testbeds. The project builds on Chattanooga’s nationally recognized innovation ecosystem and was shaped by key collaborations with the City of Chattanooga, UT Oak Ridge Innovation Institute, ITS America, Audi and the Volkswagen Group of America, and WSP.
“Being selected as a finalist in this highly competitive national challenge reflects the strength of UTC’s research enterprise and the collaborative spirit that defines both our university and our community,” said UTC Chancellor Lori Mann Bruce. “Through partnerships with government and industry, our researchers are developing solutions to real-world challenges while preparing the next generation of innovators. We are proud to represent higher education as the only academia-led finalist in this national competition.”
The ARPA-I Ideas Challenge, launched by the U.S. Department of Transportation, seeks breakthrough ideas that can modernize America’s infrastructure, enhance transportation safety and improve efficiency for communities and families across the country. Following multiple rounds of review, UTC’s proposal advanced from the initial pool of 448 submissions to the Final Four.
“Transportation systems today lack a shared, real-time understanding of what is happening across the network,” said Dr. Mina Sartipi, Guerry Professor, founding director of CUIP and director of the UTC Research Institute. “PRISM creates a digital infrastructure layer for mobility—combining connectivity, edge computing and AI-powered predictive intelligence to help vehicles, infrastructure and operators work from the same real-time context. Just as broadband transformed communications, shared transportation intelligence will become foundational infrastructure for safer, more efficient and more resilient mobility systems.”
Chattanooga has long served as a living laboratory for emerging transportation technologies, with UTC researchers and community partners working together to test and deploy solutions that improve safety, mobility, and quality of life.
“These practical, proven innovations that improve and protect residents’ lives wouldn’t happen without the flourishing partnership between Chattanooga and UTC,” said Chattanooga Mayor Tim Kelly. “This is further validation that the great work underway in Chattanooga’s Smart Corridor has the potential to enhance the lives of Chattanoogans and people across the nation.”
The UTC team will present PRISM at the ARPA-I Ideas and Innovation Challenge Finals on June 24, 2026, at the U.S. Department of Transportation headquarters in Washington, D.C., where finalists will pitch their concepts before a panel of transportation, industry and government leaders.
The ARPA-I Ideas Challenge is a two-stage national competition that brings together innovators from academia, industry and the public sector to help shape the future research and development agenda for ARPA-I, the U.S. Department of Transportation and the broader transportation industry. Following the selection of 15 semifinalists during Stage 1, finalists were chosen after submitting detailed proposals for evaluation by federal reviewers.
The selection highlights UTC’s continued investment in cutting-edge research and its role as a national leader in developing technologies that strengthen transportation systems, improve mobility and support economic growth..
The four finalists selected by USDOT are:
- NavSentinel: A Resilient and Unspoofable GNSS Receiver (TruNav, LLC, Illinois)
- Agentic AI for Adaptive and Resilient Middle-Mile Freight Operations (Lacy Greening, Arizona)
- PRISM: AI-Powered Platform for Real-Time Intelligence in Shared Mobility (University of Tennessee at Chattanooga)
- BIO-BUILDS: Biologically Innovative Operations for Building Universal Infrastructure with Lean Durable Systems (ARCTOS Technology Solutions, LLC, Ohio)
Chancellor Lori Bruce, Dr. Mina Sartipi and members of the Center for Urban Informatics and Progress (CUIP).
