PVAMU awarded nearly $10 million to advance artificial intelligence for national defense

PVAMU Engineering Complex

PRAIRIE VIEW, Texas (Sept. 9, 2026) — Artificial intelligence is reshaping how the nation approaches everything from cybersecurity to advanced manufacturing, and Prairie View A&M University is now receiving $9.9 million to help shape that future.

The U.S. Department of War, through the U.S. Army Materiel Command, awarded PVAMU a five-year grant to establish the Center of Operational and Mission-driven Machine Learning for Advanced National Defense, Capacity Building, R1 Advancement, and Workforce Development for AI (COMMAND-AI). The project will run through July 2031.

According to PVAMU’s Division of Research and Innovation, the award is one of the largest federal research grants in PVAMU’s 150-year history. It will bring together faculty expertise in engineering, computer science and physics to advance artificial intelligence applications for national defense. COMMAND-AI will focus on three primary areas: using AI to improve advanced manufacturing and 3D printing, strengthening communications and advancing cybersecurity.

“COMMAND-AI represents the kind of strategic investment that allows research capacity to move from momentum to scale,” said Dr. Magesh Rajan, vice president of Research & Innovation and principal investigator for the initiative. “By bringing together faculty expertise, student talent and advanced research infrastructure around mission-driven artificial intelligence, we can contribute solutions to national challenges while creating new pathways for discovery, doctoral education and workforce development.”