Please see the full solicitation for complete information about the funding opportunity. Below is a summary assembled by the Research & Innovation Office (RIO). Note this call is only for Group 2 themes since an internal competition was already held for Group 1 in September.

Program Summary

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has advanced tremendously and today promises personalized healthcare; enhanced national security; improved transportation; and more effective education, to name just a few benefits. Increased computing power, the availability of large datasets and streaming data, and algorithmic advances in machine learning (ML) have made it possible for AI research and development to create new sectors of the economy and revitalize industries. Continued advancement, enabled by sustained federal investment and channeled toward issues of national importance, holds the potential for further economic impact and quality-of-life improvements.

The 2023 update to the , informed by visioning activities in the scientific community as well as interaction with the public, identifies as its first strategic objective the need to make long-term investments in AI research in areas with the potential for long-term payoffs in AI. AI Institutes represent a cornerstone Federal Government commitment to fostering long-term, fundamental research in AI while also delivering significantly on each of the other eight objectives in that strategy. The identifies AI Institutes as a key component of a bold, sustained federal push to scale and coordinate federal AI R&D funding and to reinforce the foundation of technical leadership in AI.

This program is a multisector effort led by the National Science Foundation (NSF), in partnership with the Simons Foundation (SF), the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Department of Defense (DOD) Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering (OUSD (R&E)), Capital One Financial Corporation (Capital One), and Intel Corporation (Intel).

This program solicitation expands the nationwide network of AI Research Institutes with new funding opportunities over the next two years. In this round, the program invites proposals for institutes that have a principal focus in one of the following themes aimed at transformational advances in a range of economic sectors, and science and engineering fields:

  • Group 1 - Awards anticipated in FY 2024:
    • Theme 1: AI for Astronomical Sciences
  • Group 2 - Awards anticipated in FY 2025:
    • Theme 2: AI for Discovery in Materials Research
    • Theme 3: Strengthening AI

For the institute themes listed in Group 1, NSF anticipates awards to start in FY 2024; and for themes listed in Group 2, NSF anticipates awards to start in FY 2025. Each group has a specific set of due dates and review timeline pertaining only to that group. More detail is found under Due Dates and in the timeline provided in the Program Description.

Deadlines

Â鶹Ãâ·Ñ°æÏÂÔØInternal Deadlines:

  • Group1: 11:59pm MT September 18, 2023
  • Group 2: 11:59pm MT November 13, 2023

NSF Preliminary Proposal Deadlines:

  • Group1: 5:00pm MT October 31, 2023
  • Group 2: 5:00pm MT January 12, 2024

NSF Full Proposal Deadlines:

  • Group 1: 5:00pm MT January 12, 2024
  • Group 2: 5:00pm MT May 17, 2024

Internal Application Requirements (all in PDF format)

  • Group 1 (apply by September 18, 2023: )
    • Project Description (3 pages maximum):
      • Include the vision and integrated research goals of the Institute; Foundational AI research; Use-Inspired Research; Broader Impacts; Key Personnel and prospective organization
    • Biographical Sketches (3 pages maximum): Include sketches for the PI, any co-PIs, and each of the participating Senior Personnel and follow NSF formatting requirements: Ìý
    • Budget Overview (1 page maximum): A basic budget outlining project costs is sufficient; detailed OCG budgets are not required.
  • Group 2 (apply by November 13, 2023: )
    • Project Description (3 pages maximum):
      • Include an overview and Rationale for Institute Approach; Description of the Research Plan of the Institute; Broader Impacts including Key Personnel, Management and Integration Plan
    • Biographical Sketches (3 pages maximum): Include sketches for the PI, any co-PIs, and each of the participating Senior Personnel and follow NSF formatting requirements: Ìý
    • Budget Overview (1 page maximum): A basic budget outlining project costs is sufficient; detailed OCG budgets are not required.

Eligibility

An individual may be designated as senior personnel (which includes but is not limited to PI or co-PI) on at most one preliminary proposal, and at most one full proposal to this solicitation. This limit is solicitation-wide and applies across the groups and themes. In the event that an individual exceeds this limit, proposals will be accepted based on earliest date and time of submission, i.e., the first compliant preliminary or full proposal will be accepted, and the remainder will be returned without review.

Limited Submission Guidelines

An organization may submit no more than two preliminary proposals to this solicitation as lead institution. This limit is solicitation-wide and applies across the groups and themes. An organization may submit up to two full proposals that correspond to preliminary proposals reviewed under this solicitation. In the event that an organization exceeds these limits, preliminary proposals will be accepted based on earliest date and time of preliminary proposal submission, i.e., the first two preliminary proposals will be accepted, and the remainder will be returned without review. A full proposal that does not correspond to a preliminary proposal reviewed in this program will be returned without review.

Award Information

Amount: $16M and $20M (average $4M / year)

Duration: 4 – 5 years

Review Criteria

In addition to the National Science Board merit review criteria, reviewers will be asked to apply the following criteria when reviewing proposals submitted to this solicitation:

  1. Advance foundational AI: How well does the proposed Institute contribute new knowledge or methods toward understanding of the mechanisms underlying thought and intelligent behavior and their implementation in machines?
  2. Conduct use-inspired research: How well does the proposed Institute leverage the use-inspired research context to both advance AI and drive innovations in related sectors of science and engineering, segments of the economy, or societal needs?
  3. Strategic impact: What is the potential for the Institute to make a lasting strategic impact beyond its research outcomes? Specifically,
    • How will the proposed Institute actively nurture and grow the next generation of talent?
    • To what extent is the proposed Institute activity comprised of a multidisciplinary group of scientists, engineers, and educators appropriate to the project?
    • How well does the proposed Institute leverage multiple organizations to create significant new research capabilities in new centers of AI leadership and create a network for broadening participation from underrepresented groups and diverse institutions?
    • How well does the proposal exhibit plans to operate as a nexus point for collaborative efforts to engage externally and add to a diverse Institute that is more than just the sum of the parts?