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Cisco Research funds academic work through two distinct mechanisms, and choosing the wrong one is the most common way applications go nowhere. Sponsored Research Agreements are direct, contracted partnerships with defined deliverables and negotiated IP terms - appropriate where Cisco has a specific commercial interest in the outcome.
Research Gifts are the open route: unrestricted gifts to universities and non-profits, awarded through periodically posted Requests for Proposals on the Cisco Research Open RFPs portal. Gifts carry a standard one-year term from approval and require an impact report on completion covering publications, expenses and results.
For AI researchers the relevant thrusts are AI and machine learning advancement, and cybersecurity split into two directions that Cisco treats separately - AI for security, meaning machine learning applied to detection, response and network defence, and security for AI, meaning the protection of models, training pipelines and AI systems themselves.
Adjacent thrusts that frequently absorb AI proposals include systems and networking, edge computing, and quantum networking and security. Two eligibility rules do real work. The Principal Investigator must be full-time faculty or research staff; students, adjunct faculty and part-time staff may participate on a project but cannot serve as PI.
And Cisco funds a given PI for only one proposal at a time, so a group with several candidate projects must sequence them rather than submit in parallel. Institutions must be 501(c)(3) non-profits or the non-profit equivalent outside the United States, which keeps the programme open internationally.
Award amounts and deadlines are not published; RFPs open and close on Cisco's own cadence, so the portal is worth checking regularly rather than waiting for an annual announcement.
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Or search similar grants →According to the current listing, eligibility includes: The Principal Investigator must be full-time faculty or full-time research staff at a university or research institution. Students, adjunct faculty and part-time staff may participate in a funded project but cannot serve as PI. The institution must be a 501(c)(3) non-profit organisation, or the non-profit equivalent for institutions outside the United States, which makes the programme open to international universities. Cisco Research funds a given PI for only one proposal at a time, so a PI with an active award must wait before submitting another. Two funding mechanisms exist: Sponsored Research Agreements, which are directly contracted research partnerships, and Research Gifts, which are unrestricted awards made to universities and non-profits through periodically posted open Requests for Proposals. Gifts run for a standard one-year term from the date of approval. An impact report is required on completion, covering publications produced, expenses incurred and results achieved. Research thrusts relevant to AI applicants include AI and machine learning advancement, cybersecurity covering both AI for security and security for AI, systems and networking, edge computing, and quantum networking, security and data centre topics. Cisco does not publish award amounts or fixed application deadlines; RFPs open and close on Cisco's own schedule. Proposals are submitted through the Cisco Research Open RFPs portal at cisco-research.versaic.com, and prospective applicants should monitor the portal and confirm current award ranges with Cisco Research directly. Confirm the full requirements in the official notice before applying.
The current listing shows cisco does not publish award amounts for its research gift programme. Awards are unrestricted research gifts made for a standard one-year term from approval; comparable industry research gift programmes typically fall in the range of roughly USD 50,000 to USD 100,000 per award, but applicants should treat this as an indicative range rather than a published figure and confirm directly with Cisco Research. Verify award ceilings, matching requirements, and allowable costs in the official notice.
Cisco Research Open Requests for Proposals and Research Gifts for AI Machine Learning and AI Security is funded by Cisco Systems (Cisco Research). Verify program details on the funder's official page before applying.
Start from the official opportunity page linked in this listing — it carries the sponsor's submission instructions.
The Merck Stimulating Innovative Research Grant Program 2026 includes a dedicated grant topic for artificial intelligence in cell culture media and process development, offering up to EUR 150,000 per year for up to 3 years. The program accelerates innovation through collaborative research, early engagement with industry experts, and translation of novel ideas into practical solutions. In 2026, priority areas also include in-vitro models for neuroinflammatory diseases (EUR 250,000/year for 2 years) and innovative approaches to contaminated materials remediation (EUR 150,000/year for 2 years). The two-stage application process begins with non-confidential submissions, followed by deep-dive workshops where finalists collaborate with Merck scientists and managers to jointly optimize proposals. The AI-specific grant focuses on applying machine learning and AI to optimize cell culture media formulation, bioprocess parameter optimization, and manufacturing quality control.
The Sony Research Award Program is Sony's principal channel for funding external academic research, and the Focused Research Award is its collaborative track: up to 150,000 dollars for focused joint research between a university or research institute and Sony. The 2026 research areas are unusually broad for a corporate program and cover most of the modern AI stack alongside Sony's hardware interests - AI and large language models, computer vision, machine learning, robotics, human-computer interaction, affective computing, speech and language technologies, audio technologies, RF sensing, wireless communications, cybersecurity, sports technology, digital humans, generative AI, content creation and neural rendering, plus device-level areas including MicroLED and optical metasurfaces. For AI and robotics groups this makes it one of the wider corporate calls available, though the breadth is deceptive: Sony funds work that connects to its own research agenda, and proposals are strongest when there is an identifiable Sony research counterpart for the collaboration. Eligibility is tightly drawn around the principal investigator rather than the institution. The PI must be a full-time faculty member or researcher at a recognized institution - Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, Professor or equivalent researcher - and must be able to supervise PhD students. Co-PIs are permitted but must be from the same institution and meet the same requirements, which rules out the cross-institutional consortia common in public funding. The 2026 deadline is 15 September 2026 at 11:59pm Pacific, with a separate India-specific time given as 16 September 2026. Submission guidelines are on the Sony Research Award Program site.
The Meta Research PhD Fellowship supports doctoral students conducting research in areas central to Meta's technical agenda, with several of its annual award tracks dedicated to artificial intelligence and machine learning. Current AI-relevant tracks include AI System Hardware/Software Co-Design (high-performance AI algorithms spanning model compression, numerical optimization, benchmarking, and distributed inference and training), Applied Statistics (bias and variance estimation and correction in models and datasets, uncertainty quantification), AR/VR Human Understanding (efficient ML techniques that run on AR/VR devices), and Programming Languages (program synthesis, probabilistic and differentiable programming). Recipients receive two years of paid tuition and fees, a $42,000 annual stipend covering living expenses and conference travel, and a paid visit to Meta headquarters for the annual Fellowship Summit; the award carries no intellectual property claim on the student's research. The 2027 cycle opened August 3, 2026 with applications closing September 20, 2026, reference letters due in October 2026, and winners notified in January 2027.