Capstone Projects: Sponsor Guide | NYU Tandon School of Engineering

Capstone Projects: Sponsor Guide

Empower the next generation of urban innovators

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This guide is intended for professionals interested in sponsoring a capstone project at CUSP. If you are a prospective or currently enrolled CUSP student, please visit the Capstone Projects: Student Guide for more information.

Project submissions for the 2025–2026 CUSP Capstone cycle are no longer being accepted, and all applicants have been notified of their status. The application to propose a project for the 2026–2027 capstone cycle will open in Spring 2027.

View the Capstone Directory

Sponsor Info Session

Capstone Co-Directors and Industry Assistant Professors Hanxue Wei and Manny Patole held an information session on Monday, April 28, 2025, to introduce CUSP, walk prospective sponsors through the process of proposing a Capstone Project, and address questions. If you were unable to attend, the slides are available here. Prospective sponsors are also welcome to contact cusp.capstone@nyu.edu to arrange a one-on-one meeting.

View the Presentation

Why Sponsor

By sponsoring a Capstone Project, you’ll gain access to a talented team of second-year graduate students in the M.S. in Applied Urban Science and Informatics program at CUSP who will apply the latest innovative methodologies in AI, machine learning, data science, and more to tackle your challenge. Since 2014, CUSP has guided nearly 200 capstone projects, collaborating with 29 government agencies, 23 nonprofits and think tanks, and 21 private companies worldwide.

Who Can Submit a Proposal

We accept proposals from:

  • Government agencies
  • Private sector companies including startups
  • Academic institutions and research centers (including NYU faculty and researchers)
  • Think tanks and nonprofits


If your organization is committed to making cities more equitable, efficient, and sustainable, we encourage you to apply! Your organization does not need to be located in New York City or the U.S., as long as you can maintain regular communication with your student team.

How It Works

Accepted project sponsors are matched with a team of 3–5 graduate students and a faculty advisor for a two-semester project tied to two required courses for second-year students: Urban Science Intensive I and II. Capstone projects must align with one of our core focus areas: urban health, urban environment, or urban infrastructure.

Deliverables

Deliverables are tailored to each project, ranging from analytic reports and web-based interactive visualizations to digital tools (hardware and software), technical reports, and policy solutions.

Example projects include:

  • Smart Pedestrian Counter: Class of 2022 graduates Abdulaziz Alaql, Alec Bardey, Turbold Baatarchuluu, and Branden DuPont developed a machine learning model that counts pedestrians on low-powered devices for the Smart Cities + IoT Lab in the NYC Mayor’s Office of the Chief Technology Officer.
  • Augmented Reality Bus Locator App: Class of 2023 graduates Shantanu Anikhindi, Wanlingyi Lan, and Tianyi Li built an augmented reality app to streamline bus identification during morning departures for NYCSBUS.
     

Past Sponsors

We've collaborated with leading organizations across industries to develop innovative solutions to real-world challenges facing cities.

Schedule

The current CUSP Capstone cycle runs from September 2025 to May 2026.

The dates below are tentative and subject to change.

July 18, 2025

Final Deadline for Submitting a Capstone Proposal

Aug 1, 2025

Announcement of Selected Capstone Sponsors

Aug 14, 2025

Q&A Session for Selected Capstone Sponsors and Mentors (Recording to be Shared)

Sept 2, 2025

Deadline for Capstone Sponsors to Submit 2-3 minute Project Introduction Videos to cusp.capstone@nyu.edu

Sept 3, 2025

Capstone (Urban Science Intensive I) Course Begins

Sept 19, 2025

Announcement of Student Teams and Sponsor Matches

Sept 23, 2025

Student Teams meet with Project Sponsors

Oct. 7 2025

Submission Deadline for Sponsor-Provided Datasets

Jan 20, 2026

Capstone (Urban Science Intensive II) Course Begins

April 2026

Applied Urban Science Showcase

May 5, 2026

Student Teams Submit Final Deliverables

FAQ

There is no cost to sponsor a Capstone Project at this time. However, sponsors are expected to contribute their time either as a sponsor or mentor, if possible.

Yes, each student team will create a 3–5 page Client-Team Agreement, which is signed by the client and students. This ensures alignment and clarity for all parties.



What’s Included in the Agreement?

  • Problem statement and objective
  • Project scope and boundaries
  • Interim deliverables and final product
  • Roles and responsibilities of all team members and client sponsors
  • Information and research methods specifying additional required data (if applicable) and approach for acquiring it
  • Client support and involvement
  • Confidentiality agreements (if applicable), data sharing protocols, restrictions on shared data, and any required permissions for accessing or using data
  • Timeline and work plan

We’re looking for engaged and enthusiastic sponsors who are passionate about leveraging data science to improve cities. 




Sponsor Responsibilities:

  • Appoint a primary Point of Contact to ensure the data-sharing agreement is executed and facilitate communications
  • Provide Feedback by participating in regular meetings, reviewing progress reports and presentations, and offering input
  • Attend two presentations at the end of the Fall semester (December) and the Spring semester (May)



Time Commitment:

The level of involvement varies by project, but sponsors should commit 1-2 hours every two weeks for meetings and feedback. This engagement helps ensure that student teams deliver valuable, actionable insights relevant to your needs.

The CUSP Research Computing Facility (RCF) is a secure environment that provides student teams and sponsors with expert research support services. We recognize the sensitivity of the data we manage—from streaming sensor data to agency administrative data—and have a Safe Data Environment in place. This framework ensures adherence to data governance standards with:

  • Safe people: CUSP students receive training on responsible data use, privacy, and confidentiality.
  • Safe projects: RCF adheres to strict standards and protocols for managing datasets and databases at the project level
  • Safe settings: RCF is a secure data environment with restricted data ingress and egress
  • Safe outputs: Statistical disclosure limitation measures are undertaken before any export of products derived from restricted data

Students, faculty, sponsors, and mentors are encouraged to conduct research related to Capstone Projects within the RCF to ensure secure handling. Dedicated project workspaces are created where designated team members can securely collaborate on data analysis and visualization. These workspaces are isolated, ensuring that no other RCF users have access.

Student teams are assigned based on a combination of factors, including:

  • Ranked student preferences
  • Diversity of backgrounds, skills, and expertise


Project Sponsor Input
:

While project sponsors can suggest desired skills for their assigned team, they do not directly select the student teams as the final selection is determined by the course instructor. Sponsors must disclose any potential conflicts of interest in advance. If a project does not receive interest in the student selection process, it may not move forward.

A high-impact Capstone Project:

  • Aligns with both the sponsor's needs and CUSP’s mission to make cities more inclusive, equitable, and sustainable
  • Has a clear, tangible deliverable that provides actionable insights
  • Has accessible data at the start of a project
  • Uses quantitative data that can be leveraged with a range of data science and informatics methodologies like network analysis, predictive modeling, machine learning, and spatial analytics
  • Is supported by an engaged sponsor who connects the team to the necessary information, experts, and stakeholders

Contact

Still have questions? Contact us at cusp.capstone@nyu.edu.