Limited Submission Funding Opportunity: NSF National Artificial Intelligence (AI) Research Institutes
URL: https://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2022/nsf22502/nsf22502.pdf
OBJECTIVES:
The National Science Foundation (NSF), in partnership with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), U.S. Department of Education (ED), U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD), and IBM Corporation, released a solicitation for the third competition of the National Artificial Intelligence (AI) Research Institutes. Like the first two competitions, the current solicitation focuses on specific research themes. For the 2022 competition, these themes are:
- Theme One – Intelligent Agents for Next-Generation Cybersecurity: This theme will support foundational AI research to develop new tools, methods, analytics, or models that can operate in complex environments to aid in cybersecurity research and operations. Theme One is partially supported by the DHS Science and Technology Directorate and IBM Corporation.
- Theme Two – Neural and Cognitive Foundations of Artificial Intelligence: This theme will support research that expands our understanding of artificial and biological intelligence and leverage integrated advances in AI and neural and cognitive science to enable next-generation AI capabilities. Theme Two is partially supported by the DOD Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Research and Engineering.
- Theme Three – AI for Climate- Smart Agriculture and Forestry: This theme will support research to integrate AI, agriculture, and food systems research in pursuit of resilient climate-smart agriculture and forestry, rural economic development, and increased equity and nutritional security. Theme Three is fully funded by the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture, which also supported tracks in the previous two AI institute competitions. The focus in this track specifically on climate change and the addition of forestry are both new for this competition.
- Theme Four – AI for Decision Making: This theme will support research to study fundamental challenges with current AI algorithms and reasoning mechanisms for decision making, including principles for deriving causal models, fusing different decisions models while considering the reliability of each, and making decisions while knowledge changes over time, among others. Strong proposals will also include innovative approaches to undergraduate and graduate education in the science of decision making.
- Theme Five – Trustworthy AI: This theme will support research that addresses foundations of trust and trustworthiness of AI, building trustworthy AI systems, and ethical and societal considerations of the use of AI. NSF expects industry participation in this institute and for research to be integrated across all three of the previously listed dimensions. Additionally, research should focus on use-inspired applications and domains that demonstrate the need for trustworthy AI. NIST is providing partial support to Theme Five and expects to collaborate with the awarded Institute. Note that this theme was previously competed in the first AI institute competition, but the description is substantially different from that solicitation.
- Theme Six – AI-Augmented Learning to Expand Education Opportunities and Improve Outcomes: This theme will support research and development of education innovations driven by AI within two tracks:
- “AI-Driven Digital Platforms to Expand and Accelerate STEM Learning in PreK-12 Settings,” which will support research on digital learning platforms and learning architectures for STEM preK-12 learning contexts. Proposals should address factors under the control of U.S. education systems to improve educational outcomes for diverse learners.
- “AI-Augmented Learning for Individuals with Disabilities,” which will fund research on AI innovations that advance identification, assessment, and support for learners with disabilities. Note that this topic is not limited to STEM education and the focus can be on learners in any educational setting from early childhood to postsecondary education provided that these settings are under the auspices of education agencies and the research address measures that improve student outcomes in school or afterwards.
NSF expects to award two institutes in this theme, one for each track. The ED Institute of Education Sciences is providing partial support to this theme.
Proposals must focus on one of the six themes identified in the solicitation. NSF will host a webinar on this solicitation during the first half of November 2021. Details are expected to be posted to the National AI Research Institutes program page by October 22, 2021. General questions regarding the National AI Research Institutes program can be directed to AIInstitutesProgram@nsf.gov. Theme-specific contacts are available on the National AI Research Institutes program page.
All AI institutes will be expected to advance foundational AI research that will have broad and sustained impacts, contribute new knowledge to the field of AI and advance innovation, enhance transfer of knowledge with stakeholders, actively contribute to the development of a diverse AI workforce, and serve as a convener of collaborative efforts. All applications should include groups of scientists, engineers, and educators from a variety of disciplines and clearly state how the use-inspired context for the proposed institute “reveal the foundational AI advances and how those foundational AI advances in turn contribute to the related sectors that define the use-inspired context.”
FUNDING INFORMATION:
NSF anticipates making one award per theme, with the exception of Theme Six, which has two tracks and will make two awards. Institutes will be funded through cooperative agreements and awards will be made for between $16 – 20 million for four to five years.
ELIGIBILITY RESTRICTIONS:
Institutions may submit a maximum of two proposals and individuals may be listed as a PI or Co-PI on a maximum of one proposal.
INTERNAL SELECTION PROCESS:
Interested investigators should submit the following materials via InfoReady Review by DATE: 11/19/2021
- Questions outlined in InfoReady Review application;
- A letter of recommendation from the appropriate department chair or dean
- A brief statement (up to 2 pages) by the candidate describing their scientific achievements and proposed project;
- A brief budget outline for the proposed research
- Up-to-date CV or biosketch.
A faculty committee drawn from both campuses will review internal proposals and select nominees.
DEADLINES:
Internal Materials Due: Friday, November 19, 2021
Sponsor Deadline: Friday, January 14, 2022