IEEE Computer Society Announces 2027 Emerging Technology Grant Recipients and Addresses Pivotal Topics in Computer Science and Engineering

LOS ALAMITOS, Calif., 30 October 2026 – Today, the IEEE Computer Society (CS) announced the recipients of its 2026-2027 Emerging Technology (Tech) Grants Program, each of which addresses a pivotal topic facing the computer science and engineering community. This year’s awardees will deliver targeted programs to advance critical areas of the field, including artificial intelligence (AI) and next-gen computing as they intersect with sustainable and quantum technologies, healthcare, environmental monitoring, emergency communications, and more.

“The IEEE Computer Society is a leader in emerging technology, and through our Emerging Tech Grants Program, we empower our community to advance initiatives that will make a difference in serving the world at large,” said Grace A. Lewis, IEEE Computer Society 2026 President. “This year's recipients reflect the significant scope of computing in today’s landscape, tackling ways to leverage AI and next-generation computing architectures for sustainable and quantum technologies, healthcare evolution, environmental monitoring, emergency communications, and more. These initiatives will expand technology knowledge, inspire collaboration, and further the Computer Society mission of advancing computing for the benefit of humanity.”

Specifically, 2026-2027 IEEE CS Emerging Tech Grant awardees are introducing novel ways to support deeper knowledge sharing, innovative applications, and field growth in the burgeoning areas of AI and next-generation computing. Funded programs are designed to address these fields in the following ways.

AI & Machine Learning (ML)

The rise in AI has introduced significant opportunities for the computing community and was highlighted as a predominant area of development this year in the IEEE CS 2026 Technology Predictions Report, which included detailed references to agentic AI and adaptive bio-AI interfaces. To that point, 2026-2027 Emerging Tech Grant AI- and ML-focused funded programs areas include:

• CalmPaw, a low-cost plush companion with on-device affective AI designed for special needs students. It features a wearable clip to sense physiological signs of rising distress and responds with breathing-entrainment haptics, light and sound for self-regulation, and alerts to caregivers.
• BEACON, a program that introduces a shared WearOS and Android edge-AI platform that students leverage to build and deploy responsible AI health solutions.
• CORA, an open-source wearable platform combining low-cost biosensors (ECG/PPG, motion) with on-device Machine Learning (ML) to detect early physiological indicators of cardiac risk events in real time.
• Wearable AI Smart Glasses for Real-Time Crime Scene Documentation, an educational session designed to capture the imagination of students and empower them to develop wearable AI-smart glasses, combining prototype development, hands-on workshops, interdisciplinary collaboration, and outreach on emerging technologies.
• AGORA, an effort to establish a hands-on community lab where students and IEEE members build, attack, and harden autonomous AI agents, producing reusable challenges, defenses, and an open curriculum that seeds a lasting agentic-AI security community.
• AsconEdge, an initiative that will establish Sri Lanka's first open educational platform to protect AI-enabled devices used in healthcare and agriculture, featuring training, public events, and the global release of a replicable curriculum.

Next-Generation Computing

The IEEE CS 2026 Technology Predictions Report also pointed to hardware evolution and satellite direct-to-cell/device communications as on the forefront of experimentation. Addressing these trends, 2026-2027 Emerging Tech Grant programs in next-generation computing areas include:

• Quantum Control Hackathon, a US North Carolina-based effort, delivering a hands-on quantum hardware hackathon where student teams program qubit-control electronics to synthesize pulses, calibrate, and read out a resonator testbed.
• PhotonICS, a program introducing researchers, students, and practitioners to photonic integrated circuit (PIC)-based optical AI computing, an emerging field in computing.
• SkyRelay, an initiative to demonstrate a low-cost communications relay using a stratospheric balloon to collect emergency messages from isolated ground nodes and deliver them beyond-horizon to a distant gateway, demonstrating cellular- and satellite-free resilient communication.

Sustainable Technology

With the recognition that rising AI demands deliver environmental pressures, the IEEE CS 2026 Technology Predictions Report examined sustainable computing solutions, pointing to hyperlocal environmental monitoring and green technology enablement as potential options. Through funded initiatives, 2026-2027 Emerging Tech Grants addressed sustainable technology in the following ways:

• AquaSpectra, a program delivering a portable Edge-AI platform for detecting and filtering microplastics in groundwater, enabling affordable water quality assessment and contaminant reduction in rural Tamil Nadu, India.
• Battery-Free and Sensorless Wireless Sensing, a project developing the next generation of battery-free and sensorless wireless sensing technology to support applications in smart healthcare, health monitoring, environmental monitoring, and smart agriculture.

“These programs, while many begin on a local level, will have a global impact on computing,” said Lewis. “We look forward to seeing how they will help inspire and shape the computing landscape of tomorrow.”

The Emerging Technology Grants Program was established to further understanding and development of newer technologies to support continued advancements within the computing industry. Recipients were awarded up to $25,000 in funding. Projects will launch in January 2027 and will be completed by December 2027. Project leads will report their progress and results to IEEE CS over the coming year. Subsequent information about each program’s impact may be shared in future IEEE CS Tech News blogs.

For more information about the Emerging Tech Grants Program, visit computer.org/communities/emerging-technology-fund.

About the IEEE Computer Society

Engaging computer engineers, scientists, academia, and industry professionals from all areas of computing, the IEEE Computer Society sets the standard of excellence and champions global advancements to benefit humanity.

As the IEEE Computer Society celebrates its 80th anniversary in 2026, it continues to build on its rich legacy. Through conferences, publications, and programs that bring together computer science and engineering leaders at every stage of their careers, the IEEE Computer Society empowers, shapes, and guides the future of its 375,000+ community members, as well as the greater computing community, enabling new opportunities to better serve our world. Visit computer.org for more information.