National Artificial Intelligence (AI) Research Institutes | 20 503

Opportunity Information: Apply for 20 503

The National Artificial Intelligence (AI) Research Institutes grant opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number 20-503) is a federal research and development program led by the National Science Foundation (NSF) in partnership with several other agencies: the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate, the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). It is a discretionary grant program in the science and technology R&D category designed to support sustained, long-term investments in artificial intelligence research and to channel those investments toward areas of national importance.

The opportunity is grounded in the federal government’s AI priorities as reflected in the 2019 update to the National Artificial Intelligence Research and Development Strategic Plan. A central message of that plan is that AI’s most significant future impacts depend on long-horizon research investments, not just short-term demonstrations. The solicitation points to the major forces accelerating AI progress, including increased computing power, the availability of large and streaming datasets, and advances in machine learning algorithms. It also frames AI as a general-purpose technology with broad societal benefits, citing examples such as personalized healthcare, improved national security, better transportation systems, and more effective education, alongside the potential to create new economic sectors and modernize existing industries.

The program is organized into two submission tracks: a Planning track and an Institute track. The Planning track is intended to help teams develop and refine plans for future institute-scale efforts, and it is open to a wide range of foundational and use-inspired AI research topics as long as they fit within the missions of NSF and the partner agencies. In practice, this track supports early-stage coordination, partnership-building, and concept development that can lead to a competitive institute proposal later.

The Institute track is the centerpiece of the solicitation and supports full AI Research Institutes. Proposals in this track must be centered on one or more specific themes identified in the solicitation. These themes are: Trustworthy AI, Foundations of Machine Learning, AI-Driven Innovation in Agriculture and the Food System, AI-Augmented Learning, AI for Accelerating Molecular Synthesis and Manufacturing, and AI for Discovery in Physics. The emphasis on themed institutes reflects an intent to combine advances in core AI methods with high-impact application domains where federal agencies have strong mission needs and where breakthroughs could produce substantial long-term payoffs.

From a funding and scale standpoint, the solicitation anticipates a relatively small number of large awards. The listed award ceiling is $20,000,000, with an expected 14 awards. The original closing date for submissions was January 30, 2020, and the solicitation was created on October 8, 2019. Eligibility is listed broadly as “Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification),” indicating that the detailed eligibility rules are contained in the full solicitation rather than in the summary fields. The opportunity is also associated with multiple CFDA numbers, reflecting the multi-agency nature of the program and the way funds may be administered across different federal portfolios.

Overall, this grant opportunity is designed to build durable, multi-disciplinary AI research hubs that can push forward fundamental AI capabilities while also delivering advances in critical national priority areas. The structure signals a commitment to coordinated, institute-scale efforts rather than isolated projects, with federal partners aligning around shared goals such as trustworthy and robust AI, next-generation machine learning foundations, and AI systems that can transform sectors like agriculture, education, manufacturing, and scientific discovery.

• The National Science Foundation in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "National Artificial Intelligence (AI) Research Institutes" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 10.310, 20.200, 47.041, 47.049, 47.050, 47.070, 47.074, 47.075, 47.076, 47.079, 47.083, 97.108.
• This funding opportunity was created on Oct 08, 2019.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jan 30, 2020. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $20,000,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 14 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

Apply for 20 503

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