RU Calls for Nominations, Training & Funding Opportunities & Lewis and Burke - Office of Research and Sponsored Programs

Last Updated: July 13, 2026

Listed in Ascending Order of External Due Dates

(i.e. if it’s listed first it’s due to the sponsor sooner)

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U.S. Air Force Office of Scientific Research Releases Broad Agency Announcement

The Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR) released a new Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) to solicit proposals for basic research in support of future U.S. Air Force and Space Force capabilities. AFOSR closed its previous BAA on March 23, 2026, “due to a new mandatory review process, as required by Executive Order 14332 Improving Oversight of Federal Grantmaking”. If proposals were submitted to the previous BAA between March 18 and March 23, 2026, applicants will need to resubmit proposals to the new solicitation – Opportunity is open until superseded and has an award ceiling of $10,000,000. The updated BAA expects to only fund fundamental research in areas that benefit “national warfighting and peacekeeping capabilities”, includes programmatic changes, and requires adherence to “Gold Standard Science”.

The full writeup is available here: Funding Opportunity – U.S. Air Force Office of Scientific Research Releases Broad Agency Announcement.pdf

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Funding Opportunity: USDA Invests $65 Million in Conservation Innovation Grants to Help Farmers Improve Operations and Conserve Natural Resources

The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced $65 million in FY 2026 funding Conservation Innovation Grants (CIG) 2026, supporting new tools and technologies that advance natural resource conservation on private lands. Backed by the Working Families Tax Cuts Act, which expanded farm bill conservation investments, like the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), the program continues its two‑part structure: CIG On‑Farm Conservation Innovation Trials ($50M) and CIG Classic ($15M). While funding levels remain unchanged from the last cycle in FY 2023, this year’s priorities shift slightly, On‑Farm Trials focus on irrigation water management, nutrient management, grazing lands, and soil health demonstrations, with methane reduction no longer a priority. CIG Classic priorities now include water management, pest‑pressure ecosystem conservation, soil, habitat improvement, and farmer‑focused outcomes, removing energy efficiency and native knowledge from this year’s priorities. Notices of funding for CIG Classic and CIG On-Farm Trials are available on Grants.gov, with applications due July 27, 2026.

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Call for Nominations for the ACS-Moore Postdoctoral Bridge Award in Quantum Materials (Deadline: July 31)

Deans, Directors, and Chairpersons:

On behalf of the Office of the Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs, I am pleased to announce that Rutgers has been invited to submit up to six nominations for consideration for the inaugural ACS-Moore Postdoctoral Bridge Award in Quantum Materials program. Each awardee will receive up to $100,000 for one year ($95,000 stipend plus $5,000 for research and travel), along with career development and networking opportunities provided by the American Chemical Society (ACS).

The program is intended to support outstanding postdoctoral researchers in quantum materials who are experiencing financial challenges that may affect their current postdoctoral appointment or transition to their next career opportunity. Nominees must demonstrate exceptional potential for future scientific leadership, reside in the United States, and meet the program’s eligibility requirements, including restrictions on certain existing EPiQS and Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation awards.

Research must be within the program’s scope, including areas such as strongly correlated systems, topological materials, frustrated magnets, two-dimensional and low-dimensional materials, hybrid quantum materials, and organic-based quantum materials.

Please review the program guidelines for complete eligibility requirements and research scope. To nominate a candidate, please upload the following materials to InfoReady no later than July 31, 2026:

Letter of nomination
Statement of research (including key findings and future research directions)
Curriculum vitae
Two letters of support:
- One from the nominee’s current research advisor
- One from the department chair, a close collaborator, or the nominee’s Ph.D. advisor

Self-nominations will not be accepted. The usual peer review process will be invoked if there are more than six nominations.

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Chancellors, Provosts, Deans, Directors, and Chairpersons:

On behalf of the Office of the Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs, I would like to notify you that the University has been invited to submit up to two nominations for consideration by the Searle Scholars Program. The awards recognize “exceptional young faculty, pursuing independent research careers in biochemistry, cell biology, genetics, immunology, neuroscience, pharmacology, and related areas in chemistry, medicine, and the biological sciences.” I am requesting your help in identifying suitable candidates at the rank of assistant professor whose research is involved in the areas defined for this award. Candidates should have begun their first appointment as an independent investigator at the assistant professor level on or after May 1, 2025. The candidate must be in their first tenure-track position. Fifteen scholars will be chosen nationally, each of whom will receive $450,000 over a three–year period. The program guidelines are available at the Searle Scholars Program website.

To nominate a candidate, please upload to InfoReady, a brief description (1-2 pages) of the nominee’s research program, along with the nominee’s curriculum vitae, and a nomination letter (1-2 pages) or brief statement of support that includes a description of the candidate’s potential to make innovative and high-impact contributions to research over an extended period of time no later than July 15, 2026. Self-nominations will not be accepted. The usual Faculty Committee selection process will be invoked if more than two candidates are nominated. Those faculty members who are chosen will be notified in August, and the application must be prepared to meet the September 30, 2026, deadline for submission.

Given the strength of our faculty in these areas, I am confident that the candidates we nominate will be highly competitive. Your assistance in identifying the best candidates is greatly appreciated.

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Funding and Engagement Opportunities on Behavioral Health

Yesterday, Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy announced $96 million in funding at SAMHSA for a new Safety Through Recovery, Engagement, and Evidence-based Treatment and Support (STREETS) program as part of the Great American Recovery Initiative. While addressing substance use and mental health disorders has been a key pillar of the Administration’s Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) agenda, this marks the first substantial federal investment for communities to tackle substance use and mental health disorders, connect individuals to treatment, and promote recovery. STREETS aims to “solve long-standing homelessness issues, fight opioid addiction, and improve public safety by expanding treatment that emphasizes recovery and self-sufficiency” by supporting “targeted outreach, psychiatric care, medical stabilization and crisis intervention, while connecting Americans experiencing homelessness and addiction to stable housing with a clear focus on long-term recovery and independence.” As a result, SAMHSA will be making up to eight $3 million awards to communities per year for a total project period of four years.

Through the STREETS program, SAMHSA will prioritize evidence-based practices and coordinated partnerships that advance treatment for serious behavioral health needs, crisis intervention and emergency services, and recovery that leads to improved functionality in work-life responsibilities. Notably, the program does not include funding for harm reduction services like syringe services programs (SSPs), however, it does support the following allowable expenses in conjunction with treatment services:

Food ($10 or less per client per day);
Sober/recovery housing, application fees, and security deposits;
Medications to treat HIV, Hepatitis B, and Hepatitis C;
Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) and Post-Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP) for HIV; and
Up to $30 in non-cash incentives for individuals to participate in follow-up data collection.

While eligible applicants are limited to cities, counties, and Indian tribes or tribal organizations, there are opportunities for hospitals, educational institutions, private-sector businesses, and other relevant stakeholders that have close relationships with these entities to receive funding via a memorandum of understanding (MOU) that formalizes the cross-system partnerships required to address the national mental health and overdose crises. MOUs must define the roles and responsibilities of partner organizations and letters of commitment (LOCs) from partners must be submitted along with the main application in order to be considered. As such, Lewis-Burke recommends that interested clients engage with relevant contacts in city or county-level organizations to learn more about how to partner with them on a project. The application deadline is July 17, 2026.

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NIFA Releases Request for Application on Research Facilities Act Program

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) released a Request for Applications (RFA) for the FY 2026 Research Facilities Act Program (RFAP). The RFAP aims to provide funds for the “construction, alteration, acquisition, modernization, renovation, and/or remodeling of agricultural research facilities”. The total award amount for the RFAP in FY 2026 is approximately $121,127,200, a significant increase from the previous solicitation in 2023, which was funded at $1.9 M. The One Big Beautiful Big Act (H.R. 1) provides $125 M of mandatory funding for the RFAP program for FY 2026 and each fiscal year thereafter. Applicants must choose to apply to one of four Project Funding Levels. Four Project Funding Levels include: Planning Activities, Small Facility Upgrades, Mid-Scale Construction/Expansion, and Large-Scale Research Complex. The project duration is between one to four years for all project funding levels. There is a 1:1 match required for each award, and the full match amount must be budgeted in the application, with sources of funding clearly disclosed. The entire match does not need to be in-hand in advance of the project’s construction but can be phased or “synchronized with project construction milestones”. All applications are due by July 17, 2026.

The full writeup is available here: Funding Opportunity -NIFA Releases Request for Application on Research Facilities Act Program.pdf

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HRSA Releases Several Health Workforce Grants

In early June, the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) announced more than 35 funding opportunities relevant to institutions of higher education and academic health centers. Given the volume of recent announcements and the relatively short application timelines, institutions may benefit from identifying the opportunities most relevant to their priorities and areas of focus.

To assist with this effort, LBA has compiled and organized the currently available funding opportunities by HRSA bureau and office. Many application deadlines are approaching quickly, with submissions due between July 8 and July 17, 2026. This resource is intended to help institutions focus on opportunities that align with their training, workforce development, and health professions education programs. For more details, please refer to the applicable Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for complete eligibility, application, and programmatic requirements.

The full writeup is available here: Funding Opportunity – HRSA Releases Several Health Workforce Grants.pdf

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NSF Releases National Coordination Lead Solicitation for TechAccess: AI-Ready America Program – please contact RU Central as a lead PI has been identified

The National Science Foundation (NSF) Directorate for Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships (TIP) has released a new funding opportunity to support the National Coordination Lead (National Lead) for the TechAccess: AI‑Ready America Initiative. This is the second of three opportunities under the program, which aims to expand AI education beyond traditional classrooms and into the broader public, including individuals, businesses, and organizations. The National Lead will facilitate “collaboration and knowledge sharing among Coordination Hubs, coordinating priority economic sectors, and informing national AI strategies.” As Lewis-Burke previously reported, Coordination Hubs will be awarded in each state through a separate solicitation .

The National Lead will oversee seven performance workstreams with defined objectives and timelines, including supporting Coordination Hubs, mobilizing industry and philanthropic engagement, and helping develop the forthcoming Catalyst Award Competition. The solicitation is due on July 21, 2026, at 4:00 p.m. ET. NSF anticipates making a five-year award with an expected funding level of $5 million per year.

The full writeup is available here: Funding Opportunity-NSF Releases the National Coordination Lead for TechAccess AI-Ready America Program .pdf

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Funding Opportunity: USDA Invests $65 Million in Conservation Innovation Grants to Help Farmers Improve Operations and Conserve Natural Resources

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Funding Opportunity: NASA Releases Space Technology Early-Stage Innovation Solicitations

On July 2, NASA released two Early-Stage Innovation (ESI26) solicitations as appendices to the Research and Technology Mission Directorate (RTMD) umbrella NASA Research Announcement (NRA) titled, “Space Technology Research, Development, Demonstration, and Infusion 2026 (SpaceTech REDDI 2026). Through the Space Technology Research Grants (STRG) Program within the newly formed RTMD, ESI26 and ESI26-ISRU solicit proposals for innovative, early-stage space technology research of high priority to NASA. Proposals must be primarily responsive to civil-space needs and use cases, rather than terrestrial or non-civil space applications.

The preliminary proposals are due August 13, 2026, and are open to Institutions of Higher Education (IHEs), with the opportunity for industry, non-profit, and other non-academic organization partners to participate as subcontractors or collaborators on a university-led team.

The full writeup is available here: Funding Opportunity – NASA Space Technology ESI26 and ESI26-ISRU Solicitations.pdf

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Funding Opportunity: SBA Launches SCALE Program

The Small Business Administration (SBA) recently launched the Supply Chain Acceleration and Logistics Enablement (SCALE) program. The SCALE program aims to fund organizations that will support the ability of small businesses to develop as suppliers and break down barriers to growth in critical industries through technical assistance, education, industry engagement, and other activities. SBA anticipates funding 20 awards up to $500,000 over a performance period of two years. Applications are due on August 7, 2026, and SBA will host an informational webinar on July 14, 2026, at 3:00 PM ET. Registration can be found here.

The full writeup is available here: Funding Opportunity – Small Business Administration Launches SCALE Program.pdf

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Funding Opportunity: Department of Labor (DOL) Releases Solicitations for the Susan Harwood Training Grant Program

On July 1, 2026, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) within the Department of Labor (DOL) announced the availability of nearly $12.8 million in funding for the Susan Harwood Training Grant (SHTG) Program. This program supports instructor-led training and education about workplace hazards and controls, worker rights, and employer responsibilities under the Occupational Safety and Health Act to help reduce workplace safety and health hazards. Each year, the program sets training priority topics based on the current workplace safety and hazards landscape which are highlighted in more detail in each solicitation.

This notice announces two separate funding opportunity announcements on targeted topic training and training and educational materials development, with an estimated total program funding level of $12,787,000 to fund up to 100 awards. Applications for both opportunities are due on July 31, 2026 at 11:59pm ET.

The full write-up of this opportunity is available here.

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Minority University Research and Education Project (MUREP) Space Technology Artemis Research (M-STAR)

The Minority University Research and Education Project (MUREP) Space Technology Artemis Research (M-STAR) opportunity is a National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) initiative through its Office of STEM Engagement (OSTEM). It is designed to strengthen the role of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs) and Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) in the future of space exploration. Applications are due on August 11, 2026

$12 million is available in funding for awards up to $1 million each.

Opportunity Listing – Minority University Research and Education Project (MUREP) Space Technology Artemis Research (M-STAR)

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Funding Opportunity: NASA Releases Space Technology Early-Stage Innovation Solicitations

The full writeup is available here: Funding Opportunity – NASA Space Technology ESI26 and ESI26-ISRU Solicitations.pdf

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The National Institutes of Health’s High-Risk, High-Reward Research program has released four funding opportunities for the FY27 NIH Director’s Awards. These awards support exceptionally creative researchers who pursue highly innovative and bold approaches to address major challenges in biomedical and behavioral research across the NIH mission.

As part of an ongoing effort to ensure broad awareness of NIH funding opportunities, we are reaching out directly to research offices at institutions whose researchers may benefit from this program.

Among these awards is the Early Independence Award, which enables rigorous and promising early career investigators to bypass the traditional postdoctoral training period and launch an independent research career. This prestigious award is for applicants who recently completed or will soon complete their doctoral degree or clinical training. Importantly, to be eligible, the applicant must have a guaranteed independent research position at the submitting institution and must be able to begin independent research by the project start date. (This year, that will be September 2027.) Any research topic relevant to the broad mission of NIH is welcome, including basic, clinical, or translational work. The primary requirements are that the research is highly innovative and has the potential for unusually broad impact.

Funding Opportunity: RFA-RM-27-004
Application assistance webinar: July 13, 2 – 3:30pm ET. Register today!
Application deadline: September 10, 2026

Please see the resources below for more information about this exciting opportunity.

Successful sample applications
Application and Award Guide
FAQs
NIH grant application resources
Recorded webinar (will be posted following the live event)

We invite your institution to explore this opportunity and to share it with any interested, eligible applicants.

Any further questions can be submitted to EarlyIndependence@od.nih.gov.

The HRHR Research Program is managed by the Office of Strategic Coordination, Division of Program Coordination, Planning, and Strategic Initiatives in the NIH Office of the Director, in partnership with the NIH Institutes, Centers, and Offices.

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DARPA MXO Hosts Spark Tank and Pitch Day

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)’s renamed Multi X Office (MXO) will be hosting an in-person Spark Tank and Pitch Day in Chicago, Illinois, on November 2-4, 2026. The events will introduce prospective performers to MXO’s mission and three research trusts, while providing an opportunity to engage with program managers. The three thrusts are focused on developing novel materials and hardware to create secure technologies; domestic tools and processes that limit reliance on foreign processes; and new and hybrid modalities to improve operational capabilities for mission success.

The Pitch Day, hosted on November 2, is an invitation-only event in which selected teams will present transformative concepts aligned with MXO priorities for a chance at funding. Further details are expected to be released around June 24. As previously reported by Lewis-Burke, DARPA renamed its Microsystems Technology Office (MTO) to the Multi X Office (MXO) to better reflect a “more integrated, disciplinary approach,” rather than a focus on advancing individual technologies. MXO’s updated mission will now focus on scaling and integrating individual technologies in addition to expanding beyond traditional microsystems.

Eligibility: This opportunity is open to all responsible sources from academia. Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDC), University Affiliated Research Centers (UARCs), and Government Entities are discouraged from attending this event.

Due Dates: Registration opens August 10, 2026, and closes October 18, 2026. Attendees are required to submit a capability summary describing their organization’s core competencies, research areas, and accomplishments from the previous five years. The summary should not include funding requests and will be used to inform program managers of organizational capabilities.

Sources and Additional Information:

More information on the Spark Tank can be found here: https://web.cvent.com/event/3242b3c4-174b-4a4d-b668-be09fa2cec66/summary.
More information on the Pitch Day can be found here: https://sam.gov/opp/8cbb7b593cc44411830921b94d4e6ce4/view
Information about the new MXO Office can be found here: https://www.darpa.mil/about/offices/mxo.
The list of MXO Office program managers can be found here: https://www.darpa.mil/about/offices/mxo#pm.

The full writeup is available here: Engagement Opportunity – DARPA Multi X Office (MXO) Hosts Spark Tank and Pitch Day .pdf

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NIH Releases New SBIR/STTR NOFOs

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) recently released new Notices of Funding Opportunities (NOFO) for its Small Business Innovation (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) program. This comes after the SBIR/STTR programs were reauthorized in April 2026 following the enactment of the Small Business Innovation and Economic Security Act. Prior to this, SBIR/STTR programs were paused for over six months due to lapsed authority. Federal agencies that support SBIR/STTR programs are now resuming operations of the programs, which provide seed funding for small businesses and early-stage startups.

New solicitations posted include the Parent NOFOs for SBIR and STTR programs, the SBIR/STTR Commercialization Readiness Pilot Program, and a newly authorized program, the SBIR Phase IIB Strategic Breakthrough Awards. The Strategic Breakthrough was created to support the transition between Phase II and commercialization for SBIR or STTR Phase II awardees. Eligible applicants include small businesses that have at least one prior Phase II award and can secure 100 percent matching funds from new private capital, non-SBIR government funding, or a combination thereof.

NIH has also posted several guide notices on policy changes required by the reauthorization bill. To comply with the new regulations, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) will now limit the maximum number of new, renewal, resubmission, or revision applications for SBIR and STTR grants to nine per fiscal year. Policy changes regarding foreign disclosure and risk management were also updated to codify and standardize foreign risk due diligence programs by clarifying statutory review factors and establishing a discretionary process for notifying small businesses if they are denied due to foreign risk concerns. Lastly, NIH updated discretionary technical and business assistance (TABA) to provide more flexibility with TABA options for awardees.

NIH will host a webinar on the new opportunities and policies on June 9, 2026, at 1:30 PM – 3:00 PM ET. Registration can be found here.

Deadlines: For the SBIR/STTR Parent NOFOs and the Commercialization Readiness Pilot Program application cycles are due by September 5, 2026, January 5, 2027, and April 5, 2027. For the Strategic Breakthrough Program, “an NIH Phase II grant or contract recipient should submit a Phase IIB Strategic Breakthrough application within the first six due dates following the expiration of the Phase II budget period.”

Sources and Additional Information:

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NIH Launches Integration of Nutrition Training into Health Care Education Challenge

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) Office of Nutrition Research (ONR) has launched the Integration of Nutrition Training into Health Care Education Challenge, a national competition designed to strengthen nutrition education across the medical and nursing education continuum.

The initiative seeks to identify and award exemplary curricula that effectively integrate evidence-based nutrition training into health professional education and demonstrate strong potential for dissemination and adoption by other institutions. The Challenge aligns with broader Administration efforts to address chronic disease prevention through improved nutrition education, including priorities advanced through the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) Initiative, and follows recent commitments from more than 50 medical schools to expand nutrition instruction within their curricula. The Challenge offers a total prize pool of up to $2.1 million, with awards distributed across both the Exemplar and Developing Tracks. Applications are due by September 15, 2026.

The full writeup is available here: Funding Opportunity - NIH Launches Integration of Nutrition Training into He.pdf

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NIH Common Fund Releases PRIMED-AI Consortium Opportunities

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) Common Fund has launched its Precision Medicine with AI: Integrating Imaging with Multimodal Data (PRIMED-AI) Program to support the development of innovative, reliable, cost-effective, and multimodal AI-based clinical decision support (CDS) tools. PRIMED-AI seeks to develop AI-based CDS tools to create personalized medicine strategies. NIH encourages applicants to check the PRIMED-AI Program website for additional information as well as to familiarize themselves with all the companion funding opportunities to better understand the goals of the entire program.

Additional details on the program and each funding opportunity can be found attached. Broadly, all applications are due in October 2026 and are open to Institutions of Higher Education (IHEs), non-profits, for-profit organizations, among other types of entities.

Lewis-Burke’s full write-up is available here.

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DON Releases Solicitation for HBCU/MI Program

I wanted to be sure you saw that the Department of the Navy (DON) has released a new solicitation for its Historically Black Colleges and Universities/Minority Institutions (HBCU/MI) program. Administered by the Office of Naval Research (ONR), the program works to increase the participation of HBCUs and MIs in naval research, development, test, and evaluation (RDT&E). The goal of this program is to strengthen institutional capabilities to carry out basic (6.1) and applied (6.2) research; improve the quality and quantity of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) programs; and promote cross-institutional collaboration to solve naval science and technology (S&T) challenges. Further, the FY 2027 solicitation will focus on institutional research capacity and research infrastructure. To this end, the FY 2027 competition will not support non-research STEM activities and seeks to support projects that enhance student and faculty engagement or advance an institution’s research capacity. All projects must align with ONR’s S&T focus areas which include artificial intelligence, naval engineering, manufacturing, human and biological systems, and materials, among several others. An exhaustive list of focus areas is included in the full solicitation, linked below.

It is worth noting that ONR anticipates supporting only three awards at approximately $525,000 each. Awardees may receive a maximum of $150,000 per year for up to three years. Awards will be made to single principal investigators (PIs); co-PIs or sub-awardees should not be included in proposals. Further, ONR will support proposals for supplemental awards to existing projects, as well as entirely new projects. Covered educational institutions and accredited post-secondary minority institutions are eligible to apply. White papers are mandatory, and proposals will be accepted by invitation only. White papers are due by 5:00 PM ET on September 18, 2026; invited proposals are due by 5:00 PM ET on December 11, 2026.

Proposers are strongly encouraged to contact a Naval Technical Point of Contact to discuss their research idea before submitting a white paper. A full list of contacts, along with ONR’s S&T focus areas, can be found in the full solicitation here, or on grants.gov under funding opportunity number “N0001426SF001”.

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DARPA to Host Industrial and Research Security Conference in August

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) will host an industrial and research security conference from August 11-13 in Long Beach, CA. The conference will provide three days of security training, discussion groups, keynote presentations, and Q&A with DARPA and other defense leadership. Recommended attendees include university research compliance officers, defense industrial base security professionals, and cybersecurity practitioners. Of note, the event will provide a parallel three-day track for university-specific training for institutions of higher education with “DARPA fundamental research contracts, focused on the Countering Foreign Influence Program and DARPA’s Fundamental Research Risk Based Security reviews.”

To express interest and obtain a registration link, attendees must send emails to the below addresses. Lewis-Burke recommends that emails include the attendees’ first name, last name, name of the institution, and work email address. NOTE: Registration is limited to two individuals per institution, so Lewis-Burke recommends that interested entities coordinate internally on attendance before registering.

Universities: DISC_CFIP@darpa.mil
Industry performers: DARPAIndustrialSecurityConference@darpa.mil

Registration is encouraged by July 10, and like other DARPA events, will be first come, first served. Therefore, Lewis-Burke recommends registering as soon as possible to ensure attendance. The registration fee is $450 and includes meals. Questions about the event can be sent to DARPAIndustrialSecurityConference@darpa.mil.

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NIST Renames AI Consortium; Calls for New Members

The NIST AI Consortium is expanding its goals and calling for new members. Formerly known as the AI Safety Institute Consortium (AISC), the now “NIST AI Consortium” has been renamed to reflect the goals of the NIST Center for AI Standards and Innovation (CAISI). With a new focus on “AI measurement, innovation, and adoption” the AI Consortium will support implementation of NIST’s Strategy for American Technology Leadership in the 21st Century, and work to establish an evaluation ecosystem, invest in efforts to enable AI for scientific discovery, and champion AI technologies developed domestically. The consortium will be organized around six task groups which will focus on testing, evaluation, verification, and validation zero drafts; assessing the risks and impacts associated with AI; evaluation and measurement methods; limitations of generative AI and the effects of bias; documentation; and chemical and biological security. To enable this reorganization, NIST is seeking new consortium members. NIST is currently accepting letters of interest from all organizations who have relevant technical capabilities and expertise. While there is no deadline, NIST will select participants on a “first-come, first-served” basis.