Deadline to Apply: October 31, 2024, 11:59 pm
Proposal Submission Form 

The Princeton Laboratory for Artificial Intelligence (AI Lab) is pleased to announce a call for proposals for the AI Seed Grant Program. Grants will be distributed in four categories (some grants may fall within multiple categories): 

  1. Large AI models: the use of large AI models to further research in academic disciplines in the humanities, social science, natural sciences and engineering.
  2. Natural and artificial minds: the intersection of cognitive science and artificial intelligence, including psychology, computer science, philosophy, neuroscience, linguistics, anthropology, and related disciplines.
  3. AI for invention: AI-enabled applications for accelerating invention in engineering disciplines.
  4. Other: AI-related projects which fall outside categories 1-3, with the goal of expanding the scope of research the AI Lab supports on campus.

While typical grants support research, proposals that will lead to the development of new research infrastructure, the creation of innovative research directions, or the training of a more skilled workforce will also be considered. 

PI Eligibility
All Princeton faculty and lecturers. A faculty member or lecturer can participate on at most two proposals. Collaborative applications involving multiple faculty are encouraged.

Program Size and Dates
Seed grants will fall into three budgetary buckets: $0-30K, $31-60K, and $61-110K, and will be granted on January 1, 2025 and need to be used by June 30, 2026 (projects may finish sooner). 

Review Criteria
Proposals will be reviewed by the executive committees of the AI Lab and its research initiatives. Proposals will be evaluated based on:

  • Quality, originality, and potential impact (on the campus and/or the field of study)
  • Feasibility of achieving project goals
  • Likelihood that the research outcomes (if any) will be widely disseminated (e.g., journals, media outlets etc.) 
  • Likelihood that the project is not a one-off and will lead to a string of positive outcomes or other funding

Reporting Requirements
Funded proposals will be required to submit a final report. Awardees agree to present their work at an AI Lab symposium, contribute to an article highlighting their project, and allow the AI Lab/Princeton to reference their project’s progress in broader communications.

Fund Management
The management of the awarded grant funds and logistical support would be handled by the Department/Center/Program Manager, who has committed to overseeing the allocation of resources, tracking expenses, and coordinating any necessary operational support. This collaboration ensures that the funds are used efficiently and that the project has the administrative backing needed for successful implementation.

Proposal Preparation and Submission Instructions
Proposals will be submitted in slide form and will be no more than 4 slides in length.

  • Slide 1 - Title of project, investigators (highlight the lead investigator).
  • Slide 2: Outlines aims, links to related PI(s) papers, includes a brief statement on how the proposal will advance research in the area, and a brief explanation of what the PI(s) offer.
  • Slide 3-4: Additional one-two slides with supporting schemes, figures, or formulae. Include budget and brief explanation.

Submit proposals online through the AI Lab  website. Complete the form on the webpage and upload the slides as a pdf document: 

AI Seed Grant Proposal Submission Form 

Questions?  Contact AI Lab Executive Director, Remi Moss ([email protected])

About the AI Lab
The AI Lab supports and expands the scope of AI research at Princeton, adopting a new organizational model designed to accommodate the challenges of working in this fast-moving field. The AI Lab is focused on incubating ambitious AI-related research initiatives involving faculty members across the natural sciences, engineering, social sciences and humanities and providing a shared infrastructure and resources for supporting AI research more broadly.