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Greetings,

 

We are excited to share this funding opportunity from the National Science Foundation (NSF). The newly launched Unlocking Dataset Value for AI-Enabled Scientific Discovery (AI Datasets) program will advance scientific community datasets to enable scientific discovery and innovation using artificial intelligence (AI) and other methods. More information about the award can be found in the synopsis and links below. For a full list of currently open opportunities that have been announced through our office, please visit our new Current Opportunities web page. As a reminder, our Research Development team is available to provide proposal development support to FAS ladder faculty.

 

NSF Unlocking Dataset Value for AI-Enabled Scientific Discovery (AI Datasets)

  • OSP Deadline: October 28, 2026 at 9:00 AM ET
    Departments or areas may require additional time for proposal review and submission. Please discuss a timeline with your departmental or FORA grants administrator.
  • Sponsor Deadline: November 4, 2026 at 5:00 PM ET; first Wednesday in November, annually thereafter 
  • Award Amounts:
    • Planning Grants: up to $200,000 over up to two years, as described in the PAPPG (10-20 awards anticipated)
    • Impact Awards: up to $2,000,000 over up to three years (10-20 awards anticipated)
    • Flagship Awards: up to $5,000,000 over up to three years (5-10 awards anticipated)
 

Program Overview

 

As artificial intelligence (AI) becomes an increasingly important element of scientific discovery and economic growth, the United States Government has recognized the need to invest in AI-enabled science to accelerate scientific advancement. On November 24, 2025, the Genesis Mission was created through Executive Order 14363: “Launching the Genesis Mission” to harness AI for breakthroughs in energy, discovery science, and national security. As outlined in a July 22, 2026 NSF Dear Colleague Letter, NSF is uniquely positioned to contribute to the Genesis Mission, having long supported fundamental research that has both advanced the field of AI as well as the range of scientific research in other fields that can be turbocharged through the use of AI.

 

The NSF 26-512 Unlocking Dataset Value for AI-Enabled Scientific Discovery (AI Datasets) program is one such opportunity that supports the Genesis Mission and aims to advance scientific community datasets to enable scientific discovery and innovation using AI and other methods. Its goal is to increase the value that can be derived from existing scientific datasets by leveraging novel methods and AI in order to unlock new AI-driven insights. The program seeks to:

  1. Apply AI-based capabilities to feature extraction and metadata generation, and the integration of multiple datasets.
  2. Develop robust data pipelines necessary for automated analysis of existing datasets and similar use-cases by AI tools and systems.
  3. Augment and/or harmonize existing datasets to better enable use by AI data pipelines and automated analysis. 

This cross-directorate program is a joint effort across the Directorates for Computer and Information Science and Engineering; Biological Sciences; Engineering; Geosciences; Mathematical and Physical Sciences; and Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships. Proposals are encouraged to leverage existing resources; these may include NSF data platforms, the NSF Integrated Data Systems and Services program, the NSF-led National AI Research Resource (NAIRR), the Genesis Mission platform, or other national infrastructure. The total anticipated funding amount for this program is $60,000,000 to $100,000,000.

 

Priority Areas

  • Investigated topics may include, but are not limited to:

    1. The use of novel feature extraction, metadata generation, and data integration techniques that make previously generated datasets more usable by AI for testing new hypotheses.
    2. Next-generation data pipelines that create more powerful, comprehensive, or interdisciplinary datasets ready for automated analysis and AI training.
    3. Strategic augmentation and/or harmonization of existing datasets that significantly expand their scientific utility and usability by AI tools.
    4. Automated platforms that discern the readiness of legacy datasets at scale.
    5. Expanding broad availability of enhanced scientific community datasets through NSF data platforms, accelerating AI-driven inquiry and interdisciplinary discovery.
 

Selection Criteria

  • In addition to Intellectual Merit and Broader Impacts, solicitation specific merit review criteria include:
    • Size, commitment, potential impact, breadth and outreach plan of the communities that will benefit from investment in the proposed AI-enabling activity.
    • Novelty and transformative potential of the proposed dataset enhancements to accelerate AI-driven scientific discovery.
    • Dataset security, integrity and governance mechanisms, including the community contribution process and sustainment plan.
    • Viability of adoption and ease of adoption and use by a target community.
    • For Flagship proposals – justification for increased flagship funding level.
 

Additional Information and Resources

 

Interested applicants are encouraged to view the full program solicitation for more information. 

 

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 tenets of Gold Standard Science in proposals, as appropriate for the field of science and research modality.

 

Proposers to the Flagship category are strongly encouraged to contact the AI Datasets Program Officers to discuss their project scope and concept with a program officer early in the proposal preparation process.

 

Questions from FAS or SEAS faculty about this opportunity may be directed to FAS Research Development.

MAILING LISTS

Sign up to join the mailing list for FAS Funding Focus, a resource series tailored to help FAS faculty and staff navigate the ever-evolving landscape of grants and funding. Previous editions of FAS Funding Focus (FFF) are accessible in the FFF archive. To receive additional announcements from FORA, including the monthly On Your RADAR (Research Administration Developments & Announcements Rundown) newsletter and invitations to the FORA Forum, a monthly meeting for Harvard research administrators, please sign up for the FORA listserv here.
 

RESOURCES

Research Development maintains a Sample Proposal Library of successful proposals from recent award recipients that are available to FAS and SEAS faculty by request; please email Research Development to request to view a proposal. For more information on Research Development's resources—including lists of internal funding programs, early career funding programs, and sabbatical fellowships—please visit the Funding Opportunities web page. 
 

SEARCH FOR OPPORTUNITIES WITH PIVOT

All Harvard affiliates can search for opportunities and set up alerts using Pivot, a searchable database of federal and private funding opportunities. Information on Pivot, including a one-page user guide, and other funding opportunity databases available to the Harvard community can be found on the Funding Databases web page.
 

PIVOT CURATED SEARCHES

Curated funding opportunity lists are funding search topics of broad interest. The following curated lists can be further refined in Pivot based on your funding needs. To view the results you must be on a Harvard network or logged in to your Pivot account. Information on setting up a Pivot account can be found in our one-page user guide. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Quantum Science and Engineering 

 

Additional curated lists are available on the Funding Databases web page. We continue to add to and refine these lists based on feedback. Please feel free to reach out to us at research_development@fas.harvard.edu with any suggestions you may have.
 Research Development | FAS Office of Research Administration | research.fas.harvard.edu
Your Research, Our Mission

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