This technology uses AI and natural language processing to analyze research data, helping researchers find funding, identify collaborators, and group by research topics through a searchable portal and automated email recommendations.
Background :
In academic and research institutions, the ability to efficiently connect researchers with relevant funding opportunities and potential collaborators is crucial for fostering innovation and advancing scientific discovery. The field of research administration has seen a growing emphasis on leveraging digital tools and data-driven approaches to streamline these processes. As the volume of research output and the diversity of funding sources continue to expand, researchers and administrators face increasing challenges in navigating complex databases, identifying suitable grants, and building interdisciplinary teams. The need for intelligent systems that can analyze vast amounts of research data and provide personalized recommendations has become more pronounced, especially as competition for funding intensifies and collaborative, cross-disciplinary research becomes more essential. Current approaches to matching researchers with funding and collaboration opportunities are often fragmented and inefficient. Traditional methods typically rely on manual searches through funding databases, institutional newsletters, or word-of-mouth, which can be time-consuming and may overlook relevant opportunities. Many existing systems lack the ability to process unstructured data, such as research abstracts or proposals, and do not integrate seamlessly with publication records or external funding databases. As a result, researchers may miss out on critical funding or collaboration prospects, and institutions may struggle to form effective research clusters. Furthermore, these limitations disproportionately affect early-career researchers and graduate students, who may not yet be fully integrated into institutional databases or networks, thereby hindering their access to vital resources and connections.
Technology Overview :
The Research Highlighter-MatchMaker Project is a software platform developed at the University at Albany (SUNY) that leverages advanced Natural Language Processing (NLP) to streamline research collaboration and funding discovery. Through a user-friendly front-end portal, the system offers three main search functionalities: "Search By Name" provides tailored funding recommendations based on a researcher’s profile; "Search By Topic" groups researchers by specific research areas to facilitate collaboration; and "Search By Text" allows users to receive funding suggestions based on arbitrary input, such as research proposals or abstracts. The platform integrates publication data from the Scopus API and funding opportunity data from the SPIN API, ensuring up-to-date and comprehensive information. Additionally, an automated email listserv regularly delivers personalized funding recommendations to researchers, further enhancing engagement and opportunity awareness. What differentiates this technology is its holistic and flexible approach to research support, combining robust data integration with intelligent, NLP-driven analysis. Unlike traditional systems that may rely solely on keyword matching or manual curation, this solution dynamically analyzes the full context of research activities, enabling more accurate and relevant recommendations. Its multi-modal search capabilities cater to a wide range of users, from established faculty to graduate students and external collaborators, making it highly inclusive. The system’s extensible architecture also allows for future integration of additional research-related data, such as technology transfer agreements and compliance documents, positioning it as a comprehensive tool for fostering interdisciplinary collaboration and maximizing funding opportunities within academic environments.
Advantages :
• Efficiently matches researchers with relevant funding opportunities based on their research history and interests.
• Identifies research clusters and suggests potential collaborations to foster interdisciplinary partnerships.
• Offers flexible search options including by researcher name, research topic, and arbitrary text input for broad usability.
• Integrates comprehensive data from Scopus (publications) and SPIN (funding opportunities) APIs for up-to-date recommendations.
• Automates personalized funding recommendations via an email listserv, saving researchers time and effort.
• Supports a wide range of users including faculty, researchers, graduate students, and external collaborators.
• Designed for extensibility to incorporate additional research-related data sources in the future.
Applications :
• Automated funding opportunity matching
• Researcher collaboration identification
• Topic-based researcher discovery
• Personalized research funding alerts
Intellectual Property Summary : Patent Pending
Stage of Development : TRL = 3
Licensing Status : This technology is available for licensing.
About the Research Foundation for the State University of New York:
As the nation's largest research foundation supporting the nation's largest public university system, The Research Foundation for SUNY powers research and innovation to address today's most pressing problems and shape a better future for generations to come. The Research Foundations supports SUNY researchers leading the way globally in AI for the public good, quantum technologies, next-generation semiconductors, biotech and medicine, energy and climate solutions, and more. The Research Foundation for SUNY is a private, nonprofit educational corporation that is tax-exempt under Internal Revenue Code (IRC) Section 501(c)(3). To learn more, please visit us online at rfsuny.org .
About the State University of New York
The State University of New York is the largest comprehensive system of higher education in the United States, and more than 95 percent of all New Yorkers live within 30 miles of any one of SUNY’s 64 colleges and universities. Across the system, SUNY has four academic health centers, five hospitals, four medical schools, two dental schools, a law school, the country’s oldest school of maritime, the state's only college of optometry, 12 Educational Opportunity Centers, over 30 ATTAIN digital literacy labs, and manages one US Department of Energy National Laboratory. In total, SUNY serves about 1.7 million students across its portfolio of credit- and non-credit-bearing courses and programs, continuing education, and community outreach programs. SUNY oversees nearly a quarter of academic research in New York. Research expenditures system-wide are nearly $1.5 billion in fiscal year 2025, including significant contributions from students and faculty. There are more than three million SUNY alumni worldwide, and annually one in three New Yorkers who earn a college degree is a SUNY alum. To learn more about how SUNY creates opportunities, visit suny.edu .