Florida Atlantic: Building Smart-Infrastructure Research

Florida Atlantic’s College of Engineering and Computer Science is establishing the Ubicquia Innovation Center for Intelligent Infrastructure (UICII), with a $1.5 million gift from the Aaron Family Foundation and Ubicquia, Inc.

Based in Fort Lauderdale, Ubicquia is a global leader in artificial intelligencedriven sensors and software platforms.

Opening this spring, UICII will serve as an accelerator for innovation, design and the application of leading industrial sensors, large language models, AI and real-time analytics to monitor infrastructure used by the utility, municipal, commercial and industrial sectors. The center will collaborate with companies in these sectors to fast-track advancements in power quality and grid monitoring, helping to make communities more resilient, efficient and connected.

“UICII will empower our students and faculty to develop transformative solutions that serve society while building the skilled workforce that will drive Florida’s innovation economy,” said Stella Batalama, Ph.D., dean of the College of Engineering and Computer Science.

The center will build on Florida Atlantic’s existing smart-infrastructure research and partnerships. The university is part of the multi-institutional National Science Foundation Engineering Research Center for Smart Streetscapes and has partnered with the Florida Power & Light Company to establish the FPL Center for Intelligent Energy Technologies, where students learn and train with power system technology, earning career-building experience.