Office of Research

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

Limited Submissions

Estimated Number of Awards: NSF plans to make approximately 8 Institute awards.
Anticipated Funding Amount: $128,000,000 to $160,000,000

 

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.

 

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 Homeland Security (DHS) Science & Technology Directorate (S&T), and the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). New to the program this year are contributions from partners in U.S. industry who share in the government’s goal to advance national competitiveness through National AI Research Institutes. This year’s industry partners are Accenture, Amazon, Google, and Intel Corporation. This program solicitation invites proposals for full institutes that have a principal focus in one or more of the following themes, detailed in the Program Description:

 

Theme 1: Human-AI Interaction and Collaboration
Theme 2: AI Institute for Advances in Optimization
Theme 3: AI and Advanced Cyberinfrastructure
Theme 4: Advances in AI and Computer and Network Systems

Theme 5: AI Institute in Dynamic Systems

Theme 6: AI-Augmented Learning
Theme 7: AI to Advance Biology
Theme 8: AI-Driven Innovation in Agriculture and the Food System

 

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.

Application Instructions

Please submit:

  • The names of the PI and Co-PIs
  • The theme that is the principle focus and a proposed title
  • A two page document that articulates the vision that the proposed team to “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.”
  • CV of the PI

 

to research@uw.edu by 5:00 PM Thursday October 8, 2020. Proposals are due to the 12/4/20, so you will need to have your materials in to the Office of Sponsored Programs by 11/23/20 for processing, if given the go ahead by the Proposal Review Committee.

Opportunity Details

Program web page

Program Announcement No.

NSF 20-604

Deadlines
10/08/2020 UW Internal Deadline Closed
11/23/2020 OSP Deadline
12/04/2020 Sponsor Deadline
Sponsor

National Science Foundation (NSF)

Maximum Number of Applications

2 (An individual may be designated as senior personnel (which includes but is not limited to PI or co-PI) on at most one project team submitting to this solicitation.)

Eligible groups
  • All campus

Inquiries and Contact Information

Investigators who identify a grant, award or fellowship program that restricts the number of applications that can be submitted from an Institution should immediately contact their Chairperson, Associate Dean for Research (or Dean, if no ADR) and the Office of Research (see below) if they intend to prepare a response. Failure to do so, or to meet the deadlines for submission of pre-proposal, will preclude submission of the application through the Office of Sponsored Programs.

For general inquiries, or to request a listing of a limited submission opportunity that should be but is not already listed, please email us at limitedsubs@uw.edu.