National Artificial Intelligence (AI) Research Institutes - Accelerating Research, Transforming Society, and Growing the American Workforce

  • Sponsor: National Science Foundation (NSF)
  • Internal Deadline: November 19, 2021
  • Sponsor Deadline: January 14, 2022 (Preliminary proposal due), May 13, 2022 (Full proposal due)
  • Grand Challenge:  3- Engineering Our Future Economy
  • Link:   https://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2022/nsf22502/nsf22502.pdf

Brief Synopsis from Sponsor: 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 2019 update to the National Artificial Intelligence Research and Development Strategic Plan, 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. The National AI Research Institutes program enables longer-term research and U.S. leadership in AI through the creation of AI Research Institutes.

This program is a joint government effort between the National Science Foundation (NSF), U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), U.S. Department of Education (ED) Institute of Education Sciences (IES), U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science & Technology Directorate (S&T), 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)), and IBM Corporation (IBM).

This program solicitation expands upon the nationwide network established by the first 18 AI Research Institutes to pursue transformational advances in a range of economic sectors, and science and engineering fields. In this round, the program invites proposals for institutes that have a principal focus in one of the following themes, detailed 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

Please read full opportunity linked above before submitting your application.

Sponsor Funding: Institute awards will be made for between $16,000,000 and $20,000,000 for four to five years ($4,000,000 per year on average). Proposals outside this range may be returned without review. 

Be aware: An organization may submit no more than two preliminary proposals to this solicitation as lead institution. UofL will decide which to submit via internal review.

Anyone interested in submitting for this program must first submit an internal application to , with copy to the applicable research dean, by 5 p.m. on the date listed above, including the following materials:

  • A summary of the proposal (maximum two pages);
  • A paragraph describing why you would be the most competitive candidate for this program;
  • Your current curriculum vitae;
  • A cover page that contains:
    • The name of this funding opportunity and title of your proposal;
    • Your name, position, and UofL office contact information;
    • Collaborator names, positions, and institutions (if applicable).

Reviewers will judge proposals as they would in any peer review process, so PIs are urged to put forward competitive internal proposals. Along with typical criteria, reviewers will evaluate internal proposals based on their fit with the sponsor’s articulated goals and criteria as well as the UofL strategic goals.

The above internal application materials should be submitted via email as a single .PDF file to by the internal deadline listed above.

If you have any questions, please
Email:
Director of Research Development and Support
Research Development & Strategic Initiatives
Office of the EVP – Research & Innovation
300 E. Market Street, Suite 300
Louisville, KY 40202-1959