Schmidt Sciences Awards $11M for AI Research in the Humanities
March 13, 2026 · 2 min read
Claire Cummings
Schmidt Sciences has awarded $11 million to 23 research teams through its Humanities and AI Virtual Institute (HAVI), funding projects that apply artificial intelligence to archaeology, ancient manuscripts, literary analysis, and cultural heritage preservation.
The program's next application round closes today, March 13, 2026, with awards ranging from $100,000 to $800,000.
What HAVI Funds
Level I awards ($100,000–$299,999) target new research projects exploring AI applications in humanities disciplines. Level II awards ($300,000–$800,000) fund the scaling of mature projects that have demonstrated results.
The 23 selected teams span the globe, including researchers at the Sorbonne studying Eugène Delacroix's artworks with computer vision and EduceLab's heritage science facility using AI and micro-CT imaging to read ancient scrolls without unrolling them.
"Rather than destroying the humanities, AI has a role in advancing the humanities, opening new avenues of scholarship," said HAVI Director Brent Seales, whose team previously used machine learning to decode carbonized Herculaneum papyri.
Why This Matters Beyond the Humanities
HAVI addresses a technical gap that most AI funding ignores: humanities data doesn't look like the internet. Ancient languages, three-dimensional artifacts, and fragmentary manuscripts require models trained on small, specialized datasets — a challenge that pushes AI capabilities in directions relevant well beyond academia.
"Our newest technologies may shed light on our oldest truths, on all that makes us human," said Wendy Schmidt, co-founder of Schmidt Sciences.
For researchers working at the intersection of AI and humanities, HAVI represents one of the few dedicated funding streams in this space. Applications are accepted through the Schmidt Sciences portal. Detailed coverage of AI funding trends is available on the Granted blog.