The Provost's AI Initiative and the Office of the Vice Provost for Research are launching AI & Society Seed Grants, a new internal funding opportunity designed to expand and strengthen research on the societal implications of artificial intelligence.
We invite proposals that critically examine the social, cultural, and economic implications of AI, and advance human-centered, socially responsible approaches to its development and use. Projects should be grounded in public interest and, where appropriate, engage communities and stakeholders.
Program Aims
- Catalyze innovative AI & Society research and associated programmatic activities
- Foster interdisciplinary collaboration across Cornell
- Position faculty to lead major externally funded initiatives, including those aligned with the emerging Humanity AI opportunities.
Priority Areas
Proposals should address at least one—and ideally more than one—of the following priority areas in AI & Society research:
- Democracy, human rights, and public institutions
- Humanities, culture, and creativity
- Education and learning
- Governance, public safety, risk management, and security
- Labor and economy.
Funding Opportunities
Tier 1: Catalyze Collaborations and Programmatic Development
Award amount: $10,000–$25,000.
Supports exploratory work, early-stage conversations, team formation, and partnership development, including:
- Workshops, symposia, or convenings
- Policy briefs, white papers, or creative outputs
- Pilot studies or community engagement activities.
Tier 2: Flagship Project Development
Award amount: $50,000–$75,000.
Supports interdisciplinary teams developing larger-scale projects aimed at securing major external funding. Activities should include:
- Building multidisciplinary research teams
- Developing competitive, large-scale grant proposals
- Producing programmatic activities, including public-facing outputs, pilot data collection, and preliminary research.
Teams selected for Tier 2 awards will receive tailored support from Cornell Research Development to identify and pursue external funding opportunities (e.g., Humanity AI, NSF, Mellon).
Timeline
- Proposal Deadline: August 15, 2026
- Award Notifications: September 1–15, 2026
- Project Start Date: Mid–late September 2026
- Award Term: Up to 12 months
Eligibility Requirements
- Open to Cornell PI-eligible faculty across all colleges and schools
- Project teams must include a PI and at least two Co-PIs
- Interdisciplinary teams are strongly encouraged, with PIs/Co-PIs from at least two different colleges
- Research teams that include junior faculty members are encouraged
- Faculty are only permitted to serve as the PI or Co-PI on one application total; applicants may serve as collaborators or team members on additional proposals.
Contact
For more, contact Jovana Savanovic (j.savanovic@cornell.edu).