NSF TechAccess: AI-Ready America (NSF AI-Ready America) - State/Territory Coordination Hubs

NSF TechAccess: AI-Ready America (NSF AI-Ready America) - State/Territory Coordination Hubs is sponsored by National Science Foundation (NSF). This initiative aims to boost AI readiness in every U. S.

state and territory by establishing Coordination Hubs.

NSF TechAccess: AI-Ready America - State/Territory Coordination Hubs (NSF 26-508) - Research Support Notice: this is an archived listing << Back to Limited Submissions NSF TechAccess: AI-Ready America - State/Territory Coordination Hubs (NSF 26-508) Funding Agency: National Science Foundation (NSF) Funding Type: Research: Project Grants & Innovation Opportunity ID: NSF 26-508 Submission Limit per Institution: 1 Sponsor/Solicitation URL: Visit Sponsor Website Questions concerning the limited submissions process may be submitted to limitedsubs@psu.

edu . Alignment and Collaboration between the Coordination Hubs and the National Lead As a condition of award, State/Territory Coordination Hubs will be required to actively collaborate with the National Coordination Lead (National Lead) once established.

This collaboration will encompass the areas of interaction described under the responsibilities of each entity in the Program Description — such as participation in Hub convenings, contributing to national dashboards and best-practice repositories, engaging in AI Deployment Network activities, and coordinating sector-specific initiatives.

Collaboration will also include regular progress updates to the National Lead to support program monitoring. The structure and frequency of interactions will be determined collaboratively by NSF and the National Lead, in consultation with the Coordination Hubs. The initial cohort of Coordination Hubs (round 1 awardees) will play a critical role in shaping these interactions.

NSF is committed to ensuring these requirements provide clear value to awardees and do not impose undue burden; the National Lead will maintain an ongoing focus on streamlining engagement and maximizing benefit to participating Hubs.

TechAccess: AI-Ready America is a national-scale initiative to accelerate Artificial Intelligence (AI) readiness and adoption across the U.S. by strengthening coordination, leveraging partnerships and resources, filling gaps, and scaling what works — so local and state priorities can lead in shaping an AI-driven economy that benefits all Americans.

The program goals are to: Enable all Americans to be AI-literate and AI-ready; Empower businesses — especially small and emerging enterprises — to adopt AI to increase competitiveness, productivity, and growth; Support local governments and organizations in harnessing the power of AI to improve public services and spur local innovation; Strengthen workforce capacity to apply and innovate with AI across education, business and economic sectors, and public services.

The program is structured around three funding support mechanisms: State/Territory Coordination Hubs, which accelerate statewide AI readiness; a National Coordination Lead, which provides national strategy and alignment; and AI-Ready Catalyst Awards competitions, which rapidly pilots innovative approaches for potential national scaling. This funding opportunity focuses on Coordination Hubs.

This funding opportunity focuses on Coordination Hubs. The program will additionally support a National Coordination Lead award announced through an Other Transaction Agreement Solutions Offering as well as AI-Ready Catalyst Awards, to be announced through Dear Colleague Letters or through the National Coordination Lead.

Expanding Participation in STEM, NSF Priorities, and Gold Standard Science NSF prioritizes cutting-edge discovery science and engineering research, advancing technology and innovation, and creating opportunities for all Americans. NSF has established priorities set forth by Congress, the administration and the NSF director to promote NSF's mission .

Proposers should review the list of NSF priorities and are encouraged to align their proposals with them, where appropriate. NSF also expects the highest standards of scientific rigor, integrity and adherence to appropriate tenets of Gold Standard Science in proposals, as appropriate for the field of science and research modality.

Coordination Hubs will serve as the center of state/territory-wide coordination to accelerate AI readiness and deployment.

Each Coordination Hub will act as a neutral convening entity that connects local partners across education, workforce, industry, and government stakeholders; leverages established networks, assets, and organizations within the state/territory; facilitates knowledge exchange; and enables rapid scaling of successful AI adoption efforts.

The Coordination Hubs are expected to work with the National Lead, once the National Lead is established, to ensure state priorities inform national strategies, approaches, and scaling, and that the state/territory benefits from shared resources and tools, best practices and knowledge sharing.

Successful implementation will require a lead organization with statewide convening power and operational capacity, supported by a strong team of partners. Primary responsibilities include but are not limited to: 1. AI Learning and Resource Navigator Maintain a publicly accessible and user-friendly inventory of state and territory AI-related resources, including training programs, physical infrastructure, and support services.

Provide hands-on assistance for AI adoption — including advisory services, training, and technical setup, integration, customization, and deployment — to help local governments and organizations, small businesses, and others implement AI solutions effectively.

Coordination Hubs should leverage existing resources and partnerships with organizations that deliver hands-on local implementation support (e.g., with Cooperative Extension, American Job Centers, Small Business Development Centers, Veterans Business Outreach Centers) wherever possible and mobilize additional assistance where gaps exist.

Coordination Hubs may also develop an AI Deployment Corps — a roster of credentialed practitioners — aligned with the nationally coordinated AI Deployment Network managed by the National Lead. 4. AI Readiness Training & Capacity Building Coordinate education, workforce, and industry partners across the state's K – 16 and workforce systems to strengthen AI readiness.

Rather than delivering training directly, serve as a backbone organization that enables increased access to existing programs and resources, accelerates scaling of successful efforts, and aligns pedagogy and credentialing.

Coordination Hubs should draw on established national AI literacy guidance, such as DOL's AI Literacy Framework, and align their efforts with federal education and workforce programs supported under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) and the Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act (Perkins V).

This alignment should include both formal and informal mechanisms for demonstrating proficiency — such as micro-credentials, digital badges, competency-based assessments, and other flexible recognition pathways. Coordination Hubs should expand access to experiential AI learning opportunities across industry and public-sector settings.

These may include, for example, hands-on activities, project-based work, and other practice-based experiences such as Registration Apprenticeships, that help learners build and apply AI skills. Additionally, Coordination Hubs should work with the National Lead to, for example, leverage best practices from other states, integrate sector-specific training, and disseminate nationally recognized guidance and tools. 5.

Coordination Within Priority Sectors Identify and convene stakeholders in economic sectors critical to the state's economy (e.g., energy, agriculture, local manufacturing, healthcare delivery, and education). Facilitate collaboration among education, workforce, and industry partners to align AI adoption strategies, workforce training, and resource sharing within these sectors.

If strong coordination already exists in a sector, Coordination Hub efforts should complement and leverage those efforts rather than duplicate them. Activities may include sector-specific convenings, development of shared implementation plans, AI skill frameworks for occupations in priority industries, and contributions to best-practice repositories managed by the National Lead.

Alignment and Collaboration between the Coordination Hubs and the National Lead As a condition of award, State/Territory Coordination Hubs will be required to actively collaborate with the National Coordination Lead (National Lead) once established.

This collaboration will encompass the areas of interaction described under the responsibilities of each entity in the Program Description — such as participation in Hub convenings, contributing to national dashboards and best-practice repositories, engaging in AI Deployment Network activities, and coordinating sector-specific initiatives.

Collaboration will also include regular progress updates to the National Lead to support program monitoring. The structure and frequency of interactions will be determined collaboratively by NSF and the National Lead, in consultation with the Coordination Hubs. The initial cohort of Coordination Hubs (round 1 awardees) will play a critical role in shaping these interactions.

NSF is committed to ensuring these requirements provide clear value to awardees and do not impose undue burden; the National Lead will maintain an ongoing focus on streamlining engagement and maximizing benefit to participating Hubs.

Merit Review Principles and Criteria All NSF proposals are evaluated through use of the two National Science Board-approved merit review criteria: Intellectual Merit , which encompasses the potential to advance knowledge. Broader Impacts , which encompass the potential to benefit society and contribute to the achievement of specific, desired societal outcomes.

Information on NSF's merit review principles and process can be found on the How We Make Funding Decisions page on NSF.

gov. Additional Solicitation Specific Review Criteria To what extent is it evident that the proposed State/Territory Coordination Hub: Presents a clear vision and approach for advancing statewide AI readiness in alignment with program goals, national AI-readiness priorities, and responsibilities of the Coordination Hub.

Has a lead organization and partners that demonstrate statewide/territory-wide convening and coordination capacity, along with the expertise needed to implement the responsibilities effectively. Reflects an understanding of current state/territory efforts in AI and related areas and offers strategies to address gaps and accelerate progress.

Includes realistic milestones, measurable outcomes, and mechanisms for evidence-based implementation and scaling of efforts. Outlines credible strategies for mobilizing additional resources to expand impact beyond NSF funding.

State/Territory Coordination Hub Awards: Up to 56 awards; one for every state, the District of Columbia, or territory in the U.S. Coordination Hubs will be selected over three rounds : 10 Coordination Hubs in round one, 20 in round two, and the remainder in round three.

Each Coordination Hub Award will receive support of $1M/year for three years, with the possibility for one additional year of support if the Coordination Hub can demonstrate a compelling need as it phases out or transitions to other sources of funding. Each Coordination Hub award will be made as a Standard Grant or Continuing Grant. This announcement provides only opportunity highlights.

Please carefully review the program guidelines and the sponsor's website for any requirements and expectations related to eligibility, PI and Co-PI limits, budget, collaboration, priority research areas, letter of intent requirements, and review criteria before submitting to this internal competition.