Note: This page will be updated as new information is available. Please check back frequently. (most recent content update: Feb 25, 2022)
National AI Research Institute Program
The NSF's National Artificial Intelligence (AI) Research Institutes: Accelerating Research, Transforming Society, and Growing the American Workforce program seeks to build a broader nationwide network to pursue transformational advances in a range of economic sectors and science and engineering fields. AI Research Institutes will have as their primary focus the advancement of multidisciplinary, multi-stakeholder research on larger-scale, longer-time-horizon challenges in AI research than are supported in typical research grants. They will accelerate the development of transformational technologies by grounding that research in critical application sectors that can serve as motivation for foundational research advances and provide opportunities for the effective fielding of AI-powered innovation.
Funding levels are typically in the range of $16-$20 million over 4-5 years ($4 million per year on average).
Submissions must have as a principal focus one of the following themes (detailed further in the Program Description)
- Theme 1: Intelligent Agents for Next-Generation Cybersecurity
- Theme 2: Neural and Cognitive Foundations of Artificial Intelligence
- Theme 3: AI for Climate-Smart Agriculture and Forestry
- Theme 4: AI for Decision Making
- Theme 5: Trustworthy AI
- Theme 6: AI-Augmented Learning to Expand Education Opportunities and Improve Outcomes
Timeline
- October 26, 2021: Required NOI due to VPDoR
- November 22, 2021: Internal proposal due to VPDoR Limited Submissions
- January 14, 2022: Required preliminary proposal due to NSF
- May 13, 2022: Full proposal due to NSF
Limited Submissions process
This is a Limited Submission funding opportunity. A university-wide internal selection process is required prior to proposal submission to NSF. No more than two preliminary proposals from Stanford as the lead institution are permitted.
Find more information on the selection process and submit internal applications through the Limited Submissions portal here.
For questions about the limited submissions process, please email limitedsubmissions@stanford.edu.
Resources
Program information
- NSF Program Page
- NSF Program Solicitation
- NSF webinar recording, slides, and audio transcript (scroll to the bottom of the linked page) from NSF event held on November 16, 2021. RDO's Table of NSF 22-502 Themes and Sponsors with their corresponding timestamps can assist you in quickly locating webinar content related to specific themes.
- RDO's synopsis of key NSF AI Institutes program features and proposal requirements
- Proposal Outlines: The following outlines are provided for the convenience of Stanford affiliates, and were created to be in compliance with the NSF Proposal Award Policies & Procedures Guides (PAPPG) and NSF Solicitation 22-502. The links below will open as Google Documents for users authenticated through SUNet. To work within an outline, you must first download it as a Word document or save a copy within your own Google Drive folder.
Stanford support for proposals
Proposal support is available through the Stanford Research Development Office, Office of STEM Outreach, and School of Engineering.
- The Stanford Research Development Office (RDO) supports faculty across Stanford on proposal development, including advising on proposal sections, writing, editing, project management, and bringing in internal and external expertise. Please contact RDO Director Kim Baeten (kimbaeten@stanford.edu) for more information.
- The Office of STEM Outreach can provide guidance on education, broadening participation, outreach activities, and partnerships. Contact Kyle Cole (kylecole@stanford.edu; Director, Office of STEM Outreach). School of Engineering faculty may also contact Blythe Nobleman for developing broadening participation and educational outreach plans. See details below.
Blythe Nobleman is the Research Development Strategist & Editor in the School of Engineering. Working closely with engineering research administrators, Blythe works with SoE faculty to identify funding opportunities, develop concepts, encourage best practices in proposal writing, and to review/edit proposals. Blythe also assists with developing broadening participation and educational outreach plans. To learn more, contact: nobleman@stanford.edu.