Funder: Toyota Research Institute
Due Dates: No open application published
Funding Amounts: URP 3.0 is a five-year program phase beginning in 2026
Summary: Supports university teams collaborating with TRI researchers on high-risk research in AI, driving, robotics, energy, and materials.
Key Information: Projects pair university laboratories with TRI researchers working side by side as co-investigators.
Description
Toyota Research Institute’s University Research Program (URP) supports collaborative research with leading academic institutions to advance breakthrough technologies. Launched in 2016, it brings university teams and TRI researchers together to address major societal challenges, including an aging society, climate change, and human understanding. The program emphasizes high-impact, high-risk research with potential for translation into real-world applications.
URP aims to advance Toyota’s core technologies in human-centered AI, advanced driving technologies, robotics, and energy and materials. Its joint projects bridge academia and industry through close collaboration between university laboratories and TRI co-investigators. Alongside its technology goals, the program seeks to contribute to the global research community, develop next-generation researchers, and build a talent pipeline.
