Center on Responsible AI and Governance (CRAIG)

Center on Responsible AI and Governance (CRAIG) is sponsored by The Ohio State University. Supports mission-aligned projects and measurable outcomes in AI ethics and governance.

Call for Proposals (RFP) | Moritz College of Law Request for Proposals (RFP) Issued: April 1, 2026 Submission Deadline: April 27, 2026 CRAIG Overview and Mission The Center on Responsible AI and Governance (CRAIG) is a new National Science Foundation-funded partnership between The Ohio State University, Baylor University, Northeastern University, and Rutgers University.

Its mission is to develop the knowledge and workforce required to advance AI that is safe, accurate, impartial, and accountable. It achieves this mission through a program of integrated research , education , and industry collaboration .

Its deliverables include interdisciplinary research that addresses the socio-technical challenges of achieving responsible AI, and the training of a responsible AI workforce through applied research, mentorships, internships for students, and professional development programs for those already in the workforce.

This Request for Proposals invites faculty at the four partner universities to request funding for research projects that will advance responsible AI and governance. Further information on the Center, the proposal process and funding levels, benefits for faculty, and priority research areas follows below.

A link to the online submission portal is provided towards the bottom of this Web page, as is a plain-text version of the proposal form. Those already familiar with this RFP may proceed directly to the submission link. Others are advised to review the instructions and context provided here.

CRAIG operates within the NSF Industry–University Cooperative Research Centers (IUCRC) Program , a proven framework for long-term collaboration among universities, industry, and government.

Through this model, the Center combines NSF’s foundational support with direct industry and government agency investment to sustain applied, industry- and government-driven research , ensure transparent governance through its Industry Advisory Board (IAB), and maintain the infrastructure needed for cross-site coordination, data sharing, and workforce development. Artificial intelligence is embedded throughout the economy.

CRAIG’s founding Industry Members accordingly come from the technology, automotive, frontier AI, pharmaceutical, insurance, health care, manufacturing, and financial sectors. Additional members and partners are expected to join as the Center’s portfolio expands through new projects and initiatives. “Industry members” may include both private and public sector organizations.

In an IUCRC, academics work with industry members to pursue breakthrough research.

They do this through a four-step, annual cycle: (1) academics and industry members meet to identify the most pressing knowledge gaps; (2) academics propose research projects to address these gaps; (3) industry members, sitting as the Industry Advisory Board, select projects for funding and fund the research; and (4) academics carry out the research to scholarly standards.

C RAIG conducts pre-competitive research of shared interest to its industry members . This Request for Proposals corresponds to Step 2 in the above annual cycle. It invites faculty members at the four CRAIG universities to propose research projects for CRAIG funding.

The RFP seeks high-impact, interdisciplinary research projects that advance CRAIG’s mission and foster intra-university collaboration. The topics outlined in this RFP reflect research priorities identified through engagement with CRAIG industry members. Selected projects will form the initial portfolio of CRAIG-funded research, laying the foundation for a long-term program of collaborative research and innovation.

Benefits for Participating Faculty: Opportunities for interdisciplinary and cross-institutional partnerships Funding ($50,000-$75,000 for most projects) to support students, faculty time, and acquisition of data or other resources Direct engagement with industry members who can provide research support, access, and feedback.

Placement of graduate students in cutting-edge responsible AI research Mentorship and internship opportunities for students A streamlined proposal process with rapid deployment of funds.

Proposal Submission and Selection Process 4/1/26 Request for proposals released 4/27/26 Deadline for interested faculty to submit a brief proposal 5/11/26 The CRAIG Core Leadership Group and industry members select 8-10 finalists, provide feedback to these finalists, and assist them in identifying a collaborator at another partner university 5/20/26 Finalists submit final proposals 6/4-5/26 Finalists present a short (20 minute) pitch presentation at the annual IAB meeting to be held at Ohio State (in person presentations encouraged) 6/15/26 As per standard IUCRC rules, Industry Advisory Board members select the proposals that will receive funding July 2026 Research funding allocated Aug-Sept 2026 Research projects launched Proposals will be reviewed by the CRAIG Core Leadership Team and IAB Members.

Evaluations will be based on the following criteria: Relevance to CRAIG Themes : Alignment with one or more of CRAIG’s core research themes and motivating questions. Responsiveness to Industry Needs: Demonstrated practical value proposition for CRAIG Industry Members and partners.

Feasibility: Clarity and realism of goals, methods, timeline, and budget, including the ability to deliver actionable insights and outputs at regular intervals throughout the first year. Collaboration and Teaming: Strength of cross-disciplinary and cross-site partnerships, as well as engagement with industry champions. Workforce Development : Inclusion and mentorship of students or trainees through participation in the research.

Vision for Impact: Potential for real-world adoption, scalability, or pilot implementation through CRAIG’s networks. Priority Research Themes and Questions Proposals are encouraged to align with one or more of CRAIG’s four Priority Research Themes, identified below, although proposals that fall outside of these themes will also be considered.

Each of the Priority Research Themes includes an illustrative set of topics and motivating questions, developed in consultation with Industry Members. While proponents are not limited to these topic areas, projects that fall within them are most likely to match industry member interests. Responsible AI challenges are often socio-technical in nature.

The strongest proposals are likely to be those that integrate faculty from more than one field. Priority Theme 1: Technical solutions for Responsible AI and Governance Can one develop a continuous, lifecycle‑wide auditing approach spanning both design‑phase process audits and post‑deployment impact audits of modern (agentic) black-box/white-box AI systems?

Can such approaches ensure that generative and agentic AI systems operate in accordance with legal fairness requirements? Can we enhance AI systems to improve alignment and safety through continuous oversight, including explainability- and interpretability-driven RAI goal verification, adversarial stress-testing, and post-deployment monitoring?

AI Security and Red-Teaming Can continuous, multi‑modal red‑teaming, spanning automated adversarial generation, agent‑driven exploit discovery, and human probing (e.g., jailbreaks, prompt injection), significantly improve an AI system’s, including an agentic AI system’s, resilience to security vulnerabilities post-deployment?

AI Privacy and Organizational Data Sovereignty How can we implement privacy-by-design safeguards and federated AI systems to prevent data breaches and misuse and support organizational data sovereignty and machine unlearning requirements? Priority Theme 2: Management Solutions for Responsible AI and Governance Balancing governance and innovation Do responsible AI governance implementation, and AI innovation, conflict with one another?

Or can responsible AI governance promote innovation and competitiveness? How can an organization best implement a risk-based approach to AI governance? Evidence-based governance best practices What standards, indices, metrics, evaluation tools, and methodologies can we use to evaluate AI governance practices?

Can we evaluate how these practices impact social and business performance and so identify evidence-based AI governance best practices? How can AI governance best meet the challenges posed by the rapid growth, scale, evolution, and reach of AI systems? How should existing governance structures and processes adapt?

What skills do employees need to integrate AI governance practices into their routines? How can organizations best engage stakeholders? How does AI reshape organizational culture, workforce experiences and identity, reskilling/upskilling needs, and satisfaction, and how should organizations manage these impacts?

Priority Theme 3: Law, Policy, and Ethics Solutions for Responsible AI and Governance How do existing regulatory regimes apply to AI? What gaps do they leave and how should policymakers best fill them? Which legal and regulatory paradigms and approaches are most effective for promoting safe and responsible AI?

Liability for AI-related injuries How do courts and legislatures currently allocate liability for AI-related harms, including those caused by AI agents, among developers, vendors, and deployers? How should they allocate this liability? How are the parties themselves currently allocating this liability through contract, and how should they do so?

Implementation of responsible AI standards How should organizations operationalize legal, industry, or other standards for responsible AI (e.g. explainability, accuracy, human accountability)? Are legal requirements for technological solutions feasible from a technical perspective? If so, how should organizations meet them?

Ethical deliberation and accountability How should organizations spot and decide AI-related ethical dilemmas? What structures, processes, and standards should they use for this purpose? How can organizations encourage and assign ethical responsibility and accountability?

Priority Theme 4: Social Science Insights into Responsible AI and Governance Impacts on opportunities, skills development, and health Does the rapid adoption of AI impact the opportunities, skills development, and physical and mental health of workers, students, and others? What long-term implications will this have for individuals, organizations and society?

What should we teach students and workers so that they can thrive in the AI enabled economy, and how should we teach it? What should we teach students and workers so that they can use AI responsibly and participate effectively in AI governance, and how should we teach it?

Human-AI Teaming and Interaction How can we design AI systems that center human values, amplify human abilities, and support transparent, safe, and effective human–AI collaboration that works for organizations and their employees? How can interface design foster trust, accessibility, and performance? Energy and environmental impacts How can we best calculate AI systems’ impact on energy resources and the environment?

Is it possible to reduce these impacts while maintaining AI performance and, if so, how can this be done? Proposal and Award Details Cross-Cutting Criteria for Impact and Member Value All proposals should demonstrate a credible pathway to impact by showing how the project will ultimately create value for CRAIG’s Industry Members and deliver measurable societal benefits.

Proposals that align with CRAIG’s Priority Research Areas are more likely to create such value, and are encouraged. Proposals may be submitted by faculty at The Ohio State, Baylor, Northeastern, and or Rutgers Universities. Cross-disciplinary, cross-institutional teams are strongly encouraged , and CRAIG will facilitate opportunities for joint engagement.

Principal Investigators (PIs) must be faculty or researchers eligible for PI status or equivalent under their home institution’s policies. Co-PIs and collaborators may include postdoctoral researchers or research staff with appropriate institutional approval. An individual may participate (as PI, Co-PI or collaborator) in at most two proposals in this RFP cycle.

Furthermore, an investigator may serve as the lead PI for exactly one submission. We are looking for your best ideas. Proposals may also identify external collaborators from other universities, industry, government agencies, or nonprofits.

Such collaborators may participate intellectually in CRAIG projects but are not eligible to receive direct financial support from CRAIG funds unless they are approved by the IAB as Industry Members or official partners under the terms of the CRAIG Membership Agreement. Award Amounts: Average project awards will range from $50,000 to $75,000 in the first year.

Exceptional projects demonstrating outstanding value to CRAIG members and a strong vision for broader impact may be considered for awards of up to $100,000 . Duration: Projects are expected to be funded for a one-year term .

Allowable Costs: Funding may be used for personnel (limited faculty support, postdoctoral researchers, graduate and undergraduate students), data acquisition, software, equipment, travel, stakeholder engagement, and other purposes with clear relevance to the conducting or sharing of the research. Expectations: Projects should demonstrate a clear pathway to industry and societal impact, as described above.

They should also create strong opportunities for student engagement through meaningful research, mentorship, and professional development activities that reinforce the Center’s workforce development goals.

Each project will be paired with an industry project advisor to provide academic researchers with useful feedback, ensure alignment with member priorities, facilitate data access and sharing, and strengthen the translation of research findings into practice. Projects that identify additional potential external partners, such as companies or public agencies, that may be eligible for CRAIG membership or partnership, are welcomed.

CRAIG provides targeted administrative and engagement support throughout the project lifecycle to help teams maximize impact, visibility, and alignment with Center goals. Available support includes: Industry Engagement: Assistance in identifying and connecting with industry partners and project champions to ensure relevance and facilitate applied collaboration.

Student Involvement: Opportunities for student placements, internships, and participation in CRAIG research projects. Cross-Site Collaboration : Coordination with related efforts through bi-annual Center-wide meetings and cross-site research collaborations.

April 1, 2026 - RFP Released April 27, 2026, 11:59 PM - Proposals Submitted May 11, 2026 - Finalists selected and feedback provided May 20, 2026 11:59 PM - Final Proposals Submitted June 4-5, 2026 - In-Person Project Pitch to IAB June 15, 2026 - Funding Decisions Announced Applicants should submit proposals through the online submission portal to which a link is provided below.

Text boxes will be used to request the following information: Principal investigator's name Principal investigator's email Principal investigator university Principal investigator department Duration of the project (maximum 12 months) Please provide a brief executive summary or overview of the proposed research ( 1500 characters, max ) Please describe the goal of your research project, the motivation for undertaking it, the methodology you will use to accomplish the work, and the key deliverables.

Finally, provide justification demonstrating that the project can be successfully completed within the proposed timeframe ( 7500 characters, max .) How can the proposed deliverables be used by CRAIG’s industry members? Please describe the practical or applied relevance of the proposed project (1 500 characters, max .)

Who is on the project team (PI, researchers, students)? For each team member, please provide their role in the project and links to relevant profiles (e.g., website, CV, Google Scholar, LinkedIn) Is the project interdisciplinary?

If yes, please explain which disciplines are involved and how they contribute to the project What existing resources or facilities will you use to conduct this research (e.g., compute resources, lab space, specialized equipment) Provide a high-level estimation of the total budget you would need to carry out this project Submit Your Proposal Here Professor Dennis Hirsch, Lead PI and Director The Ohio State University Professor Jean Gao, Co-PI and Site Director Professor John Basl, Co-PI and Site Director Professor Jorge Ortiz, Co-PI and Site Director