UNCW Research Projects Among First Recipients of NCInnovation Pipeline Grants

Two UNC Wilmington research teams were among those selected for the inaugural NCInnovation Pipeline Grants – a new initiative and commercialization pathway launched by the regional funder in 2026. Both UNCW programs stem from the Department of Computer Science and utilize AI technology with potential applications across multiple industries. 

NCInnovation’s Pipeline Development Initiative funds and supports very early-stage projects, offering short milestone-driven microgrants designed to advance promising ideas toward proof of concept. The program also prepares projects to pursue future NCInnovation funding opportunities or other external grants. 

Funded UNCW Pipeline Projects

Cybersecurity Resilience AI-driven Test-bed (CRAIT)
Principal Investigator: Associate Professor Yi Liu, Department of Computer Science 
Collaborator: Assistant Professor Kasey Miller, Congdon School of Supply Chain, Business Analytics and Information Systems

CRAIT is an AI-based surveillance tool for data governance that leverages transformer-based large language models (LLMs) to automatically detect vulnerabilities, policy violations and anomalous behaviors across enterprise data environments. Unlike traditional cloud audit analyzers that primarily parse structured logs using rule-based, or signature-driven approaches, this system applies contextual language understanding and reasoning to identify security risks across heterogeneous data sources, including audit logs, configuration files, access records and governance documentation. 

TerraSense: An Integrated AI Framework for Non-Invasive Plant Nutrient and Soil Assessment
Principal Investigator: Assistant Professor Laavanya Rachakonda, Department of Computer Science

TerraSense is a transformative, multi-platform, AU-based analytical framework designed to non-invasively diagnose plant nutrient status, assess overall plant and soil health and predict yield potential using exclusively image data. Unlike conventional agricultural technologies that rely on costly hardware sensors, destructive laboratory testing or direct soil-testing devices, TerraSense converts ordinary visual plant cues into multidimensional quantitative agronomic and environmental intelligence.

NCInnovation is a North Carolina-based 501(c)(3) public-private partnership designed to accelerate commercialized innovation from North Carolina’s research universities. Learn more at NCInnovation.org.