Simons Foundation Collaboration on AI Safety

Simons Foundation Collaboration on AI Safety is sponsored by Simons Foundation. Supports large-scale collaborative research on mathematical and theoretical foundations of AI safety, including formal verification, alignment, provable safety guarantees, and robustness. Matches AI guardrails focus with rigorous theoretical approaches.

Simons Collaborations in Mathematics and the Physical Sciences You are using an outdated browser. Please upgrade your browser to improve your experience. Mathematics & Physical Sciences Mathematics & Physical Sciences 12 p.

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–5:00 p. m. Eastern time, except designated holidays November 25–27, 2026, December 24, 2026–January 1, 2027 The Simons Foundation’s Mathematics and Physical Sciences (MPS) division invites applications for the Simons Collaborations in MPS program.

Deadline for Letter of Intent (LOI) submission: October 29, 2026, at 12 p. m. (noon) Eastern time.

The aim of the Simons Collaborations in MPS program is to stimulate progress on fundamental scientific questions of major importance in mathematics, theoretical physics and theoretical computer science.

A Simons Collaboration in MPS should address a mathematical or theoretical topic of fundamental scientific importance, where a significant, new development creates a novel area for exploration or provides a new direction for progress in an established field. The questions addressed by the collaboration may be concrete or conceptual, but there should be little doubt that answering them would constitute a major scientific milestone.

The project should have clearly defined initial activities and goals by which progress and success can be measured. The support from the foundation should be seen as critical for the objectives of the project. The project should involve outstanding researchers in a range of career stages.

Excellence of the scientific leadership is one of the main criteria in the selection process. The project should be organized and managed in a manner engendering a high level of collaboration.

Collaboration Director and Principal Investigators (PIs) Each collaboration is led by a collaboration director who is expected to determine the scientific agenda, coordinate the scientific activities of the other members, determine (in collaboration with the other members) the scientific themes, coordinate a collaboration website and organize collaboration meetings and activities as appropriate, including a two-day annual meeting at the foundation.

The director will be the foundation’s main point of contact for the activities of the collaboration and will be responsible for monitoring the overall progress of the research effort and deciding on research directions and personnel as the collaboration evolves. PIs are expected to perform research that advances the goals of the collaboration and to collaborate as appropriate with other members of the collaboration.

PIs are also expected to assist the director and other PIs in fulfilling the additional collaboration obligations outlined above. Attendance at the annual meeting held at the foundation is expected for each collaboration member. Proposals should specify a core group of PIs.

Additional PIs may be added only after the LOI is approved. Interinstitutional and international collaborations are allowed. The collaboration director must hold a tenured faculty, or equivalent, position at an educational institution with a Ph.

D. program in the director’s department at the time of application and for the duration of the award. PIs and co-Investigators (co-Is) must hold a tenured or tenure-track faculty, or equivalent, position at an educational institution at the time of application and for the duration of the award.

There are no restrictions on the department and/or discipline of the director or PIs/co-Is. Directors, PIs, co-Is and other collaboration participants may be from non-U.S. institutions. A co-I must be employed by or be affiliated with a PI institution or another organization participating in the project under a consortium agreement.

Please see the foundation’s grant policies for further information regarding requirements and responsibilities of PIs and co-Is. A PI in a collaboration project may participate as a main PI on their own application/award in a collaboration or in the Additional PI role on another PI’s application/award. An individual in a Principal Investigator (Collaboration) or Additional PI role is considered a Collaboration PI.

PIs not requesting any funding must be associated with a participating institution and added to the applicable record in an Additional PI role. Individuals participating scientifically in a project, but not requesting funding, can also be added in a Collaborator role on a collaboration application as appropriate.

Simons Foundation employees who receive a W-2 (Wage and Tax Statement) from the Simons Foundation, including employees of the Flatiron Institute, may not apply as a principal investigator (PI) to any Simons Foundation or Simons Foundation International requests for applications (RFAs) released by the Simons Foundation.

PIs and any project personnel listed on the application who will receive funding for salary, travel, support for students, postdocs or research staff, lab equipment, computing time or other individual expenses may not be employees of the Simons Foundation, which includes the Flatiron Institute.

Limit on number of collaborations per PI/director: An individual in a PI, Additional PI or co-I role may be part of not more than two letters of intent (LOI) and only one full proposal, as long as all eligibility requirements are met.

An active PI, Additional PI co-I or director on a currently funded collaboration project cannot be part of an LOI or proposal and can only participate on one funded collaboration at a time in any of those roles, including during the no-cost extension period. Applications may be submitted by established U.S. and foreign public and private educational institutions and stand-alone research centers.

Funding to U.S. national labs or salary support of scientists employed at these labs is not allowed.

Scientists employed at national labs may be nonfunded collaboration members, and collaboration funding may be used to support travel or local expenses related to the participation of the lab-based scientist in collaboration activities or to support travel and local expenses of students or postdoctoral fellows appointed at universities who work with collaboration members at national labs.

For-profit institutions are also not eligible to receive grant funds. There is no LOI limit per institution. SF and SFI do not provide funding to institutions in China (including institutions in Hong Kong) or to fiscal sponsors or agents of institutions in China or Hong Kong.

This includes funding to support subcontracts at institutions in China or Hong Kong or consultants residing or working for institutions in China or Hong Kong. Award Amount: A Simons Collaboration in MPS is budgeted at up to $2 million per year for an initial period of four years, inclusive of 20 percent indirect costs (see grant policies ).

The foundation would allow the annual budget to vary from $2 million as long as the total four-year budget is no more than $8 million. Award Duration: Four years, January 1, 2028 – December 31, 2031 Number of Awards: The foundation expects to award up to three new collaborations in 2027, which will begin January 1, 2028.

Future Funding: The scientific impact of the collaboration will be evaluated at either the year three or four annual meeting, and future funding for three additional years will be considered. Additional funding beyond year seven will not be considered.

The funding provided under a Simons Collaboration in MPS grant may be used to support research expenses in the following categories: Up to one month of summer salary support and related benefits for the collaboration director and each PI/co-Investigator per grant year. Typically, summer salary is solely for 9-month/academic-year faculty to charge research efforts to grants during summer months.

For PIs/co-Is with annual appointments (12-month), the program will allow PIs to request up to 1/12 of their annual year salary as a contribution to research time, only if an exception exists where their institution permits extra compensation for specific, separate activities outside of regular duties and provided that the summer salary request is not in violation of their institution’s policies of more than 100 percent effort per year.

Summer salary funds are not substitutional (cannot be used to relieve a university of salary costs) and cannot be used to reduce teaching loads below the departmental norm. They can only be used to supplement the salary similarly to a summer salary in the U.S. system.

Teaching Reduction Exception for the Director only : reduction to a level not lower than one course per semester— Teaching reduction for other collaboration members is not an allowable expense. Conferences and meetings, including meals, travel, lodging, vehicle rentals for participants and facility fees.

Salary support and related benefits, including tuition support, for staff/research scientists and postdoctoral, graduate and/or undergraduate research assistants. Please note that it is not the responsibility of the foundation to manage support for postdocs or grad students outside of the initial 4-year grant period.

Support for visitors and collaborators, including salary and standard fringe benefits, travel, meals and lodging expenses. Related per diem expenses are allowable. Equipment, supplies and other research-related expenses, including computers, professional literature, publication expenses and professional membership dues.

Collaboration-related travel for collaboration members per the travel policies of each participating institution. Parking, hotel, taxi, registration and other related travel and conference costs are allowable. Support for a collaboration administrator.

Other expenses related to the support and administration of the collaboration (e.g., web design). Expenditures in other expense categories may be possible but must be approved in advance by the foundation. The costs for the annual meeting held at the foundation will be paid directly by the foundation and will not factor into grant funds.

Note: The program is no longer utilizing the director’s discretionary fund. All available funds should be requested in either the director or PI budgets. Please see the Simons Foundation’s grant policies for further guidelines.

A letter of intent (LOI) must be completed electronically and submitted by the proposed director via the Simons Award Manager (SAM) by October 29, 2026, at 12 p. m. (noon) Eastern time .

Please refer to the How to Apply tab for further instructions. LOIs will be reviewed by Simons Foundation scientific staff. Notification of the status of the LOI will be sent by January 1, 2026.

Please note that the volume of interest in this program is such that the foundation is not able to provide guidance on potential proposals. We use the LOI stage to assess suitability and novelty. The foundation recommends submitting an LOI if a proposed director believes their proposed collaboration project meets the criteria outlined in the RFA.

A review of the LOI may lead to a request for a full proposal, which will be due by February 25, 2026, at 12 p. m. (noon) Eastern time .

Full proposals will be reviewed by Simons Foundation scientific staff and an expert external review committee. Project teams may be invited to come to the foundation to present their research plan. Full proposal notifications will be sent by July 1, 2027.

Awards will begin January 1, 2028. Please note that in the event of budgetary or other considerations, The Simons Foundation, Inc. (“the Foundation” or “SF”) reserves the right to refer an application to The Simons Foundation International, Ltd. (“SFI”) for consideration and funding.

SFI and SF have entered into an agreement pursuant to which SF provides program operations and grant administration services, including payment processing, to SFI. SFI grant recipients are subject to SF policies and procedures . Additional award terms may be included in the official award notification.

Grantees are subject to the conditions outlined in their official award notification. Our Commitment to Expanding Pathways to Science and Opportunities for All Many of the greatest ideas and discoveries come from a diverse mix of minds, backgrounds and experiences. The Simons Foundation is committed to advancing basic science and mathematics to benefit humankind and expand our collective understanding of our world.

As part of our mission, we support partners, programs and initiatives that seek to broaden the scientific community and open pathways to science and mathematics careers.

The Simons Foundation provides equal opportunities to all applicants for funding without regard to race, religion, color, age, sex, pregnancy, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic disposition, neurodiversity, disability, veteran status or any other protected category under federal, state and local law.

How to Apply Instructions Frequently Asked Questions SAM Frequently Asked Questions and Instructional Videos 12 p. m. (noon) Eastern Time, 12 p.

m. (noon) Eastern Time, Program or Administrative Questions: Office Hours: Monday–Friday, 9:00 a. m.

–5:00 p. m. Eastern time, except designated holidays November 25–27, 2026, December 24, 2026–January 1, 2027 Deadline for Letter of Intent (LOI) Submission: October 29, 2026, 12 p.

m. (noon) Eastern time. Late applications will not be accepted.

The collaboration director (referred to in SAM as the Spokesperson PI ) must submit the LOI —be sure that the director’s profile in SAM is associated with their current institution. If the LOI is approved, a full proposal application will be created for each PI designated as a Principal Investigator (Collaboration) role at the LOI stage and must be submitted to the Spokesperson PI’s application for submission to the foundation.

The director is the designated contact for the collaboration and will be responsible for coordinating the submission of PI applications and the project narrative, as outlined below. If the collaboration proposal is awarded, each PI in the Principal Investigator (Collaboration) role and the director will receive their own award, and their institution will be paid separately.

Multiple PIs at the same institution can either receive individual awards or reside on one award via one proposal budget. This is entirely at the discretion of the director. The director now has the ability to view the budget details for each PI once their application is in a Submitted to Spokesperson PI status by clicking on the View button in the Budget tab of each PI application record.

Note that the salary information is masked for confidentiality. LOI and proposal attachments should be single spaced and in a common typeface and font size no smaller than 10 points. Margins must be at least half an inch in all directions.

Letter of Intent (LOI) Submission: The applicant’s name and institution will appear in this section. The institution will default to the applicant’s primary affiliation in their SAM profile. Please ensure the listed institution is the one to which funds must be administered if selected for funding.

If the institution or applicant must be changed, refer to the SAM Frequently Asked Questions for assistance. Complete all required fields, including academic rank, position/title and ORCID iD This information should be completed in the applicant’s profile. The applicant may use the Edit Profile button to update their information as needed.

To add your ORCID iD, navigate to the ORCID tab of the user profile, and select the Create or Connect Your ORCID iD button to link to your ORCID profile. Applicants must complete their profiles by clicking the Complete Profile button on the user profile in order to submit. Degrees: Enter applicant degrees (optional).

Application Details: Enter the title of the LOI application. The title must follow this nomenclature: Simons Collaboration on [Insert subject matter].

Proposal – Upload required files as follows: Letter of Intent Narrative (three-page limit, plus up to one page for references and figures, which can be embedded within the text): The narrative must outline the topic and scientific approach and explain the logistics of the collaboration and any relevant preliminary results.

Personnel Biosketches: Upload a PDF of the biosketch for each individual in the Additional PI and co-Investigator (co-I) role, including the director . Biosketches must be in SciENcv, NIH, or NSF-style format or a two- to three-page CV. Please name each PDF as Last Name_First Name_Biosketch.

Indicate the extent to which, if any, generative AI technology was used and how it was used to develop your proposal. Contacts & Personnel Tab: Refer to the instructions provided in SAM. Institution Administrative Contacts: While a Signing Official and Financial Officer are not required to submit an LOI, it is possible your institutional officials would request to be added at this stage.

Under Project Personnel, indicate all PIs and co-Is, other than the spokesperson PI/director. At the LOI stage, it is not necessary to include other personnel, such as subcontract PIs, collaborators, consultants, postdoctoral research associates and graduate students.

Designated PIs and co-Is are individuals who contribute to the scientific development or execution of a project in a substantive, measurable way, whether or not they request salaries or compensation. Note that the Simons Foundation does not use the role type co-PI. All PIs who will receive their own award must be added in the role of Principal Investigator (Collaboration) under the Multi-Site or Collaboration Personnel section.

If the LOI is approved, for all key personnel added as Principal Investigator (Collaboration), a full application proposal will be created. Will there be multiple sites? Indicate Yes.

Click the Add/Modify button to add each individual PI, excluding the director, in the role Principal Investigator (Collaboration). Each PI will receive a notification informing them that they have been added as a Collaboration PI. Click the Save Draft button in order for the newly added personnel to display in the table.

Other PIs or co-Is must be added in Project Personnel section in a Project Personnel – With or Without Application Access role; then, once the application has been saved, click on the Add More Detail button and select either Additional Principal Investigator or Co-Investigator. Note: Applicant PIs do NOT need to be added in this section.

Publications & Other Support Tab: Publications: Provide a list of up to 10 relevant publications for the director only via their SAM profile or PDF upload. If selecting from the SAM profile, the director can import data from other publication databases such as ORCID, PubMed or OpenAlex. Please name the PDF as Last Name_First Name_Publications.

Other Support: Follow instructions for providing current and pending support for the director only via PDF upload or via SAM profile: Provide all current and pending external PI or co-PI support, which includes all financial resources, whether federal or nonfederal, available in direct support the director and their research. It is not necessary to include internal funding or this current application.

If providing via SAM profile, select Yes. Then select the Select Other Support from Profile option. Click the Assign Other Support for This Proposal button to add other support to this application.

This will display all other support related to the applicant that was previously added to their SAM profile. Reporting overlap is required to submit an application. While overlap is not a consideration for funding in this program, click on the Report Overlap button for each entry and select Yes or No as appropriate.

If using PDF upload, NSF format is sufficient and should at least provide the award number, source of funding, title of award, dates of project and total costs for each support item listed. Please name the PDF as Last Name_First Name_Support. Check Application Progress: Click the Check Application Progress button to check for any missing required information or files.

All missing required information will be listed at the top of the screen and must be corrected before the application can be submitted. Submit Application: When the LOI application is complete, click on the Submit Application button to submit to the foundation. A confirmation page will appear once the application is successfully submitted.

The applicant/director will also receive an email confirming its submission. Note that a LOI cannot be submitted if the deadline has passed. A submitted LOI will appear in the Submitted queue of the Awards and Applications table on your SAM home page.

A notification will be sent to the director inviting them to submit a full proposal in SAM. If an LOI is approved, the status changes to In Progress and the record appears in the Draft column of the Applications and Awards table. Click on the record to gain access to the full proposal application.

For all key personnel who were added as a Principal Investigator (Collaboration) in the LOI proposal, a full proposal application will have been created and will reside under the Awards and Applications table. All Principal Investigator (Collaboration) proposals must be submitted first to the Spokesperson PI (Director) application for submission to the foundation.

A spokesperson/director can add more Principal Investigator (Collaboration) key personnel during the full proposal application stage. Please see the instructions below under the Contacts & Personnel section. Full Proposal Submission: Please adhere to any additional guidelines that may be included in your LOI Approval notification.

The applicant’s name and institution will appear in this section. The institution will default to the applicant’s primary affiliation in their SAM profile. Please ensure the listed institution is the one to which funds must be administered if selected for funding.

If the institution or applicant must be changed, refer to the SAM Frequently Asked Questions for assistance. Principal Investigators Tab: This section gives a summary of all collaboration applications. For the Collaboration Director only, before submitting to the foundation, please confirm that the total collaboration budget does not exceed $8M over four years.

Note: This section will not appear until after at least one project personnel in a Principal Investigator (Collaboration) role is added (see Contacts & Personnel tab instructions below). Complete all required fields, including academic rank, position/title and ORCID iD. This information should be completed in the applicant’s profile.

The applicant may use the Edit Profile button to update their information as needed. To add the applicant’s ORCID iD, navigate to the ORCID tab of the user profile, and select the Create or Connect Your ORCID iD button to link to the applicant’s ORCID profile. Applicants must complete their profiles by clicking the Complete Profile button on the user profile in order to submit.

Degrees: Enter applicant degrees (optional). The title of the spokesperson/director full proposal application will be the same as in the LOI proposal. If appropriate, the director of the collaboration can update the title for the full proposal application, as long as the title is substantially similar to the LOI title.

The title must follow this nomenclature: Simons Collaboration on [Insert subject matter]. All PI application titles should match exactly the title the director has specified. The collaboration start and end dates will be pre-populated on both the director and PI applications.

These dates are fixed. All collaborations will start January 1, 2028.

Proposal – Upload required files as follows: Proposal Narrative: Director application only (12-page limit, plus up to two pages for references and figures, which can be embedded within the text): Provide a summary of the scientific questions and research goals of the collaboration, including an outline of relevant previous work of each PI and others involved, as well as a description of the planned research, including preliminary results (if relevant) and an explanation of how the research of the different PIs will be coordinated.

Personnel Biosketches: Upload a PDF of the biosketch for each individual in the applicant PI, Additional PI and co-I role on each collaboration application, as applicable (e.g., PI #1 includes their biosketch and biosketches for project personnel on their award only) . Biosketches must be in SciENcv, NIH, or NSF-style format or a two- to three-page CV. Please name each PDF as Last Name_First Name_Biosketch.

Other Upload: Use this optional upload for additional budget justification related documentation (e.g., equipment quotes and tables). This upload should not substitute for justification entered in the budget, which is required for every line item entered. Indicate the extent to which, if any, generative AI technology was used and how it was used to develop your proposal.

Indicate whether the PI or any project personnel listed on the application are affiliated with the Simons Foundation or the Flatiron Institute as a Visiting Scholar / Independent Contractor or Employee. Contacts & Personnel Tab: Please refer to the instructions provided in SAM for adding Institution Administrative Contacts. At least one Signing Official and one Financial Officer must be added to this section.

For the Director application: Select Yes to “Will there be multiple sites? ” Click the Add/Modify button to add or modify Principal Investigator (Collaboration) personnel only. Individuals in these roles should not be duplicated in Project Personnel.

All other Project Personnel should be added in the Project Personnel section below. Collaboration PIs who will receive their own award must be added as a Principal Investigator (Collaboration) tto be able to access their own full proposal application. Select Yes or No to “Will there be a subcontract?

” (as applicable for the director application only , to be added/modified as needed). Under Project Personnel, indicate all other project personnel for the director application only , including additional PIs, co-Is, collaborators, consultants, postdoctoral research associates and others.

The other project personnel on the director’s application should reflect only those project personnel specific to the director’s project and not that of any PI in the Principal Investigator (Collaboration) role. For Principal Investigator (Collaboration) applications: Select Yes or No to “Will there be a subcontract? ” (as applicable for the PI’s application only, to be added/modified as needed).

Under Project Personnel, indicate all other project personnel for the PI’s application only , including additional PIs, co-Is, collaborators, consultants, postdoctoral research associates and others. Applicant PIs do NOT need to be added in this section.

Note: Other PIs or co-Is who are on the Director or Principal Investigator (Collaboration) applications must be added in either the Subcontract Personnel section or Project Personnel section in a “Subcontract Lead – With or Without Application Access” or “Project Personnel – With or Without Application Access” role, respectively; then, once the application has been saved, click on the Add More Detail button and select either Additional Principal Investigator or Co-Investigator.

Project personnel include individuals who contribute to the scientific development or execution of a project in a substantive, measurable way, whether or not they request salaries or compensation. Note that the Simons Foundation does not use the role type co-PI. Budget Tab: Click the Edit/Modify button to add a detailed, four-year budget in USD and corresponding justification.

Refer to the allowable expenses outlined in the RFA. Each PI and director budget must be entered only in their respective applications. Note: Please be cognizant of the notification and award start dates when preparing the budget, particularly in year one with regards to the timeline for the hiring of postdoctoral fellows.

Enter each PI on each proposal in the Personnel Costs section of that proposal budget even if not requesting salary in order to reflect the PI’s percent effort. For PIs and co-Is requesting summer salary with a 9- or 10-month appointment, please only select Academic for the Appt Type (which refers to the individual’s institutional appointment) and the base salary corresponding to this appointment type.

The percent effort should then be adjusted accordingly.

For PIs and co-Is requesting summer salary at non-U.S. institutions and/or those receiving 12 months of salary, the program allows them to request up to 1/12 of their calendar year salary as a contribution to research time on the project, only if an exception exists where their institution permits extra compensation for specific, separate activities outside of regular duties and provided that the summer salary request is not in violation of their institution’s policies of more than 100 percent effort per year.

Please only select Annual for the Appt Type (which refers to the individual’s institutional appointment) and the base salary corresponding to this appointment type. The percent effort should then be adjusted accordingly.

Important: In order for known project personnel to display in the Personnel column drop-down list, you must add them as Project Personnel in the Contacts & Personnel tab of the application as well as add an application role to each personnel using the Add More Details button. You will need to close and reopen the budget for the changes to populate. Do not select TBD in the Personnel drop-down list if personnel are known.

They must be first entered in the Project Personnel section as outlined above. Do not combine personnel on one budget line (e.g., multiple postdocs must be itemized individually). Provide justification for each budget line item entered, including all Personnel Costs requested.

Note that the budget justification should be detailed and appropriate for the funds being requested. An insufficient budget justification will result in the proposal not being considered further. The addition of subcontract budgets is handled via the Project Personnel section in the Contacts & Personnel tab.

Click on the Add/Modify Project Personnel button in that section for additional instructions. Within each budget period, you have the ability to copy the budget and justification from the previous period and then make edits as needed.

Important note: If content has already been entered in year 2 or 3, for example, copying from the previous year will not replace the content — it will only add the previous year’s content, potentially duplicating the budget the next year. Duplicated entries can only be deleted individually by line item.

Publications & Other Support Tab: Publications: Provide a list of up to 10 relevant publications for each PI and co-I for each application via PDF upload or SAM profiles. If selecting from the SAM profile, PIs can import data from other publication databases such as ORCID, PubMed, or OpenAlex. Please name each PDF as Last Name_First Name_Publications.

Other Support: Please follow instructions for providing current and pending support for each PI and co-I for each application via PDF upload or via SAM profiles. Provide all current and pending external Applicant and Additional PI support, which includes all financial resources, whether federal or nonfederal, available in direct support of the PIs and their research.

It is not necessary to include internal funding or this current application. If providing via SAM profile, select Yes. Then select the Select Other Support from Profile option.

Reporting overlap is required to submit an application. While overlap is not a consideration for funding in this program, please click on the Report Overlap button for each entry and select Yes or No as appropriate. If using PDF upload, NSF format is sufficient and should at least provide the award number, source of funding, title of award, dates of project and total direct costs for each support item listed.

Please name each PDF as Last Name_First Name_Support. Check Application Progress: Click the Check