Collaboration and vision drive Big Idea Challenge Pitch Day

Smiling individuals standing shoulder-to-shoulder in front of a large screen that reads Big Idea Challenge
A room full of people sitting in chairs listening to a man standing at a podium in front of two large screens.
A man in glasses holding a microphone grins while several other individuals behind him smile as well.
Two individuals, one holding a microphone and the other holding a script, speak in front of a large screen.
A diverse group of individuals stand in front of two large screens showing photos of additional team members.
Two people smile sitting at a table.
A man holding a microphone speaks in front of several individuals standing with their backs to a wall.
A man in glasses holding a microphone speaks in front of a large screen.

Fourteen transdisciplinary teams presented visionary proposals during the University of Arizona Big Idea Challenge Pitch Day on Monday, May 12. The venture capital-style pitch event marked the culmination of the newest university initiative to launch high-impact, large-scale research efforts with the power to attract major external funding and deliver meaningful outcomes for Arizona and the world.

"I hope this is a whole new start to research at the University of Arizona," said President Suresh Garimella. "Congratulations on reaching this stage. I look forward to hearing about all the successes that come from this challenge."

President Garimella’s opening remarks were followed by comments from Senior Vice President for Research and Innovation Tomás Díaz de la Rubia, who expressed gratitude and encouragement to the finalists as well as those in the audience whose proposals were not selected this year.

“This event is a powerful reflection of what makes the University of Arizona extraordinary—our deep sense of community and shared purpose,” he said. “While only a few proposals will ultimately receive funding, every team here is part of a collective effort to tackle the grand challenges of our time. What we see today is the kind of convergence, vision, and collaboration that will shape the future of research and positively impact the world.”

The event drew a full house to Room 130 of the Grand Challenges Research Building, with dozens of online attendees as well. Each convergent team had seven minutes to present and eight minutes of Q&A to persuade a distinguished panel of judges of the value and impact of their proposed research.

Bringing together perspectives from health care, defense, venture capital, research, and innovation sectors, the panel included Tomás Díaz de la Rubia, Ph.D., senior vice president for research and innovation at the University of Arizona; Corey Casper, M.D., M.P.H., chief research officer at Banner Research; Karla Morales, M.B.A., vice president of Southern Arizona at the Arizona Technology Council; Dan Geraci, CEO and president of FreeFall Aerospace; Alex Rodriguez, M.P.P., CEO of FreeFall 5G, Inc.; Fletcher McCusker, CEO of UAVenture Capital; Mary O’Reilly, Ph.D., vice president of bioscience research programs at the Flinn Foundation; and Katharine Zeiders, Ph.D., professor of human development and family science at the Norton School of Human Ecology.

Administered by the Office of Research, Innovation and Impact, the challenge drew 72 proposals from teams representing 19 U of A units. Submissions came from teams spanning a broad range of career stages, from undergraduate students to senior faculty. The proposals address six strategic focus areas: data, information systems and artificial intelligence; defense and national security; energy and environmental sustainability; the future of health and biomedical sciences; the human experience; and space sciences.

Winners will be announced on May 28, with each team eligible to receive up to $250,000 over two years. Selected projects will launch July 1, 2025.