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University Research Awards

The Fidelity Center for Applied Technology (FCAT®) University Research Awards program supports pioneering and applied academic research that explores the future of financial services and enabling technologies at selected institutions.

The 2026 FCAT University Awards application window is now closed. Check back soon for more information on the 2027 research themes.

Through strategic collaboration with university faculty and research institutions, FCAT funds high-impact investigations advancing ideas that anticipate the future of finance and its intersection with emerging technologies.

Participating universities must be pre-cleared for this limited submission program. Please contact FCAT for preclearance participations.

Program
Overview


2026 RESEARCH THEMES

As an organization exploring the future of technology, trends, and research, unique yet achievable proposals are welcome when related to the theme.


Theme 1

THE ADAPTIVE HORIZON –
NAVIGATING THE AGE OF
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

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Theme 2

EXPLAINABILITY, OBSERVABILITY,
AND MONITORING OF GENERATIVE
AI IN FINANCIAL SERVICES

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Theme 3

FUTURE OF SAVINGS AND
INVESTMENTS IN THE AGE OF
AI AGENTS

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Theme 4

SECURITY, FORENSICS, AND
OVERSIGHT IN THE AGE OF
AUTONOMOUS AI AGENTS

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PROGRAM IMPACT

FCAT-sponsored research contributes to Fidelity Investment’s long-term innovation strategy, supporting academic inquiry that informs product design, usability, and future-state financial systems. Award recipients gain visibility across industry and academia, with opportunities to present findings and collaborate on applied technology prototypes.

INNOVATION

Developing advanced technology for the future through long-term research.
RESEARCH

Funding academic studies that improve our products and create new financial tools.
COLLABORATION

Recipients gain industry exposure and feedback, creating real-world research application.

award recipients

Each year, FCAT recognizes outstanding proposals that demonstrate originality, rigor, and relevance to the future of finance.

Seyoum

Biruk Seyoum 
Columbia University
2025 Award Recipient

Biruk Seyoum is an Associate Research Scientist in Columbia University’s System-Level Design Group, specializing in heterogeneous reconfigurable hardware architectures for machine learning.

Chunyi

Chunyi Peng 
Purdue University
2025 Award Recipient

Chunyi Peng is an Associate Professor in Department of Computer Science at Purdue University. Her research interests are in the broad areas of mobile networking, system and security.

Wemhoff

Aaron Wemhoff 
Villanova University
2025 Award Recipient

Aaron Wemhoff is a Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Villanova University and a Fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. His research focuses on predicting and mitigating the environmental burden of data centers.

Eichler

Guy Eichler
Columbia University
2025 Award Recipient

Guy Eichler is a postdoc researcher at Columbia University developing computing systems that integrate large-scale brain data, on-device AI, and low-power communication for next-generation brain-computer interfaces.

Luca

Luca Carloni
Columbia University
2025 Award Recipient

Luca Carloni is professor and chair of the Department of Computer Science at Columbia University. His research interests include heterogeneous computing, system-on-chip platforms, and embedded systems. He is an IEEE Fellow.

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