BLUEiQ, a blue technology startup supported through URIRF’s RISE-UP program and the Ocean Technology Center (OTC), is spotlighted in a recent NOAA article for its work using AI-driven acoustic sensing to monitor endangered North Atlantic Right Whales.
In Fall 2025, BLUEiQ leveraged a $10K RISE-UP mini-innovoucher to access URI vessels, facilities, and student fellowship support to test and validate its OpenEar™ system. The collaboration exemplifies how URI’s innovation ecosystem helps emerging companies transition technologies from concept to operational deployment. Read the full NOAA feature and explore BLUEiQ’s technology: Listening Without Ears: How A Technology Startup Is Helping NOAA Unlock the Sounds of the Sea