Call for AI Lab Seed Grant Proposals

Call for AI Lab Seed Grant Proposals is sponsored by Princeton University. Supports AI-related projects that fall outside categories 1-3, with the goal of expanding the scope of research the AI Lab supports on campus.

Call for AI Lab Seed Grant Proposals | AI at Princeton Call for AI Lab Seed Grant Proposals Deadline to Apply: October 31, 2025 The Princeton Laboratory for Artificial Intelligence is pleased to announce a call for proposals for the AI Lab Seed Grant Program.

We will review seed grants in four categories: Large AI models: the use of large AI models to further research in academic disciplines in the humanities, social sciences, natural sciences and engineering. (Proposals will be reviewed by PLI.)

Natural and artificial minds: the intersection of cognitive science and artificial intelligence, including psychology, computer science, philosophy, neuroscience, linguistics, anthropology, and related disciplines. (Proposals will be reviewed by NAM.) AI for invention: AI-enabled applications for accelerating invention in engineering disciplines.

(Proposals will be reviewed by AI².) Other: AI-related projects that fall outside categories 1-3, with the goal of expanding the scope of research the AI Lab supports on campus. (Proposals will be reviewed by the AI Lab leadership.)

This category has a much smaller pool of potential funding than the other three, so if a project fits into one of the first three categories, that category should be indicated. These grants are intended to support research. However, proposals which may lead to the development of new research infrastructure, the creation of innovative research directions, or the training of a more skilled workforce will also be considered.

All Princeton faculty (including teaching faculty): A faculty member may participate in at most two proposals. Collaborative applications involving multiple faculty are encouraged. AI Lab directors and AI Lab initiative directors are not permitted to be PIs/co-PIs for the AI Lab seed grant proposals in any of the four categories above, even outside the initiative that they lead.

Executive committee members of AI Lab and AI Lab initiatives are allowed to submit proposals but will not participate in the seed grant review process in a year in which they submit a proposal. External collaborators are permitted but with the understanding that one of our goals is to build up and support the local Princeton research community.

The proposed work needs to be led by Princeton faculty and all work must occur at Princeton (i.e., external collaborators are “unfunded” collaborators). Faculty whose projects have been previously funded by the AI Lab seed grants are not eligible to apply for two academic years. Seed grants will fall into two budgetary buckets: $0-30K and $31-60K.

They will be granted in January 2026 and need to be used by June 30, 2027. (Projects may finish sooner.) Last year, we received over 100 proposals and awarded seed grants to 28 projects .

We were unable to fund many excellent proposals last year and are open to receiving revised versions of previous proposals if the research remains timely. The AI seed grant review process will follow the procedures below: Each proposal will be forwarded to one of the research initiatives (PLI, NAM, AI²) based on the selected category.

The proposal will be reviewed by at least two reviewers selected from the research initiative’s Executive Committee and past grant recipients. (Reviewers will be asked to indicate any COIs and reallocated accordingly.) The research initiative’s director(s) will review the feedback from their reviewers and make final decisions.

For the “Other” category, the AI Lab Director and Associate Director will review proposals with input from relevant members of the AI Lab Executive Committee as needed. As noted in the eligibility section, faculty who submit proposals in this cycle will not participate in the review process.

Proposals will be evaluated based on: Quality, originality, and potential for transformative impact (on campus and/or the field of study) Feasibility of achieving project goals Likelihood that the project is not a one-off and will lead to a string of positive outcomes or other funding Fit with target research initiative (or expansion beyond those initiatives, for the Other category) Proposal Preparation and Submission Instructions Please submit your proposal online here (Internal Opportunity “2025 AI Lab Seed Grant”).

Click on the link: “Princeton Research Funding Gateway” You will see “Welcome to the Princeton Research Funding Gateway” In the opportunity, search for “AI Lab” When you see the AI Lab tile  click on “more” Proposals must be submitted in slide format (single PDF file) and be no more than 4 slides in length.

Please select a presentation template of your choice for your project proposal, convert the completed version to a PDF format, and upload it to the submission portal. Funded proposals will be required to submit a final report.

Awardees agree to present their work at an AI Lab Research Collaboration Symposium, contribute to a blog article highlighting their project, assist with the seed grant review process, and allow the AI Lab/Princeton to reference their project’s progress in broader communications. Awardees may be asked to give presentations to supporters of the AI Lab about their research.

Fund Management Expectations The AI Lab will create a funding chart string for each seed grant project (not each PI). The administrator from the PI’s Department/Center/Program should be assigned to oversee the allocation of resources, tracking expenses, and coordinating any necessary operational support.

This ensures that the funds are used efficiently and that the project has the administrative backing needed for successful implementation. Questions? Contact AI Lab Executive Director, Remi Moss ( [email protected] )