Chicago LEAD
Chicago LEAD's current model grew out of a 2025 National Science Foundation award: CAP: Enhancing Pathways for Student Success in AI. The standard grant was awarded to Northeastern Illinois University through NSF's ExpandAI program, with Northwestern University as a regional collaborator. The public award record identifies it as NSF Award No. 2435186.
Building more than technical skill
The award's goal is not simply to put another AI course on a syllabus. The NSF project is designed to blend existing teaching with embedded work experiences, giving students practice in project scoping, teamwork, time management, negotiation, communication, and the technical work of building useful systems.
That is the work LEAD is built around: student teams taking on real problems from Chicago businesses, with faculty guidance and a clear path from discovery to delivery. The project also sets out to broaden participation in AI education and strengthen connections among universities, community colleges, and business partners across the region.
Connecting universities and businesses
LEAD's development has also included Illinois Innovation Voucher-supported work. The State of Illinois describes the program as a source of competitive support for research and development partnerships between Illinois businesses and qualified institutions of higher education. That university-business model is closely aligned with LEAD's approach: bringing technical expertise, student learning, and real organizational problems into the same project.
Read the State of Illinois announcement about the 2025 Innovation Voucher cohort →
A foundation for the next phase
Marcelo O. Sztainberg serves as the grant's principal investigator, with Kristian J. Hammond as co-principal investigator. The award began on January 1, 2025, and is estimated to run through December 31, 2026.