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.
Note: For more, see Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) below.
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).
The grants are intended to foster meaningful interdisciplinary collaboration across different academic perspectives. To be eligible, proposals must include PIs or Co-PIs from at least two different colleges, representing different disciplines. Engagement with the humanities is strongly encouraged. One thrust is specifically for humanities and culture.
Project teams must include one PI and at least two Co-PIs.
No, this program is specifically for research, so it will not support engaged learning courses/projects.
Yes.
Funds can be used to cover costs necessary for planning and executing research projects, preparing grant applications, and conducting programmatic activities.
The 12-month project period will run October 1, 2026 — October 1, 2027. We will allow a three-month extension, giving applicants a total of 15 months from the start of the project to submit their grant applications.
Yes.
The program aims to fund five projects at both Tier 1 and Tier 2 levels.
The recommendation is intended to encourage meaningful interdisciplinary collaboration across different academic perspectives. Proposals will be considered in light of whether the team brings together complementary expertise that strengthens the project and aligns with the goals of the call.
For example, a collaboration between faculty from Comparative Literature (Arts & Sciences) and Law at Cornell Tech would align well with the spirit of the call, whereas two faculty from the same discipline (e.g., Computer Science), even if affiliated with different units such as Bowers and Cornell Tech, would generally not. We encourage teams to focus on bringing together complementary disciplinary expertise that advances the goals of the proposal.
No. Only PI-eligible researchers can serve as Co-PIs. You can check eligibility requirements criteria here:
https://researchservices.cornell.edu/policies/pi-eligibility.
Yes, provided you clearly explain how the proposed work is distinct or extends existing efforts in an innovative way.
Yes, but please use them sparingly and only when absolutely necessary.
Additionally, while they are allowed (2 at most), the consideration of appendices will be at the reviewers’ discretion.
We expect intellectual partnerships and not managerial ones.
Contact Research Development Director Jovana Savanovic (j.savanovic@cornell.edu) to schedule.
Yes. We would be happy to help connect participants and foster collaboration. Assuming attendees are comfortable with this, we plan to share a contact list and keep the group informed about future AI & Society opportunities, funding calls, events, and collaborations through the Cornell AI Initiative mailing list. If you want to sign up, please reach out to Melissa Osgood, Executive Director of AI Communications, mmo59@cornell.edu.