The Naval Postgraduate School Foundation plays a central role in advancing AI at NPS by providing the resources and mechanisms that make partnerships like the NPS–NVIDIA collaboration successful. The Foundation has committed up to $2 million to support AI initiatives at NPS including the hiring of mentors, research technicians, and a dedicated program portfolio manager, as well as direct funding for infrastructure, hardware, software and lab resources that sustain education, research and prototype development. As a Partner Intermediary, the Foundation hosts events, activities, and challenges that foster collaboration and increase the creative collisions between students, faculty, and industry innovators that drive discovery and accelerate progress.
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All gifts of technology and equipment to the Naval Postgraduate School are facilitated through the Foundation. This structure ensures transparency with the Department of the Navy while enabling continued private investment in innovation projects that deliver measurable impact for the Naval and Joint Force. It also provides the framwork and a clear pathway for funding, equipping and sustaining the Naval Innovation Center at NPS with new technologies and state-of-the-art equipment.
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Operating as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that exists to support the Naval Postgraduate School, as well as under a Partnership Intermediary Agreement (PIA) with NPS and a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Department of the Navy, the Foundation serves as a trusted partner in integrating private-sector innovation into defense education and research.