AI & Society Seed Grants

AI & Society Seed Grants is sponsored by Cornell Research Services (Provost’s AI Initiative and Office of the Vice Provost for Research). This internal funding opportunity is designed to expand and strengthen research on the societal implications of artificial intelligence.

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Deadline: August 15, 2026. 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.

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.

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 Governance, public safety, risk management, and security 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.

Proposal Deadline: August 15, 2026 Award Notifications: September 1–15, 2026 Project Start Date: Mid–late September 2026 Award Term: Up to 12 months 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.

For more, contact Jovana Savanovic ( j. savanovic@cornell. edu ).

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) 1. What counts as a unit on campus to meet interdisciplinary requirements? What is the level of engagement with the humanities?

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. 2. Can there be only two PIs or does there have to be three?

Project teams must include one PI and at least two Co-PIs. 3. Will seed grants support engaged learning courses/projects?

No, this program is specifically for research, so it will not support engaged learning courses/projects. 4. Does this funding support fieldwork research outside of the U.S.?

5. What kinds of activities can be funded by the Tier 2 grant? Given the short turnaround for project start time, hiring RAs would be very difficult but potentially necessary - how can we manage this?

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.

6. Do all Co-PIs need to be from Cornell? 7.

How many tier 1 and 2 projects will be awarded, separately? The program aims to fund five projects at both Tier 1 and Tier 2 levels. 8.

Is Cornell Tech considered its own college? 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. 9. Can graduate or postdoc students serve as Co-PIs?

No. Only PI-eligible researchers can serve as Co-PIs. You can check eligibility requirements criteria here: https://researchservices. cornell.

edu/policies/pi-eligibility. 10. For Tier 2, can projects that have already received funding from another source be proposed for scaling up?

Yes, provided you clearly explain how the proposed work is distinct or extends existing efforts in an innovative way. 11. Are appendices allowed (for example, pilot materials, etc.)?

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. 12.

Can Co-PIs represent a managerial role? We expect intellectual partnerships and not managerial ones. 13.

Can you please share details on the Thursday office hours? Contact Research Development Director Jovana Savanovic (j. savanovic@cornell.

edu ) to schedule. 14. Would it be possible to share the names of everyone here today to get networking started?

Internal Funding for Faculty, Postdocs & Students