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THE ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE INNOVATION INSTITUTE THE OFFICE OF THE VICE PRESIDENT FOR RESEARCH ARE PLEASED TO ANNOUNCE:

AI Innovation Institute Seed Fund Program

Request for Applications

DEADLINE: TUESDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2024

 

ABOUT THE AI^3 SEED PROGRAM

The Artificial Intelligence Innovation Institute (AI^3) is a new university-wide initiative to advance the use of AI in research, teaching and service. To inaugurate the institute, AI^3, with administrative support from the Office of the Vice President for Research (OVPR), invites applications to a seed grant program for collaborative projects in artificial intelligence, along three distinct tracks:

  • Collaborative Research in AI – The proposed projects in this track represent new collaborations between computational science faculty (broadly defined) and researchers in other disciplines in the social and natural sciences, humanities and engineering (broadly defined). The investigators can request up to $60K for one year to advance their project.
  • Technical Support for Discipline-Centric Research – Faculty with primary expertise outside the computational sciences may be eager to use AI in their research, but lack the technical expertise to get started. The projects in this track will request time allocations (number of hours) for an experienced AI consultant (to be identified by the AI Innovation Institute, presumably a graduate student in Computer Science) to help pilot your project and get it started. The investigator(s) can request up to $25K for one year, plus up to 160 hours of consultant time to advance the project.
  • Seed Grants for AI Education and Service – The projects in this track will seek to apply modern AI systems to disciplinary teaching at Stony Brook, as well as efforts to teach core AI technologies. It will also consider projects that apply AI technologies to advance the efficiency and quality of educational/administrative services using AI. Each team can request up to $60K for one year to advance their project.

The program will fund projects for up to a one-year period, depending on the availability of funds. AI^3 anticipates making at least six awards on this call. A one-year, no-cost extension can be requested in the final 6 months of a project with approval subject to progress towards project goals and active participation in research themes.

Competitive applications will actively incorporate modern AI technologies into the work; integrate students; document significant potential for future funding or other growth-oriented outcomes; and highlight innovations.

 

HOW TO APPLY

The 2024 application deadline will be October 15, at 11:59 PM EST. Recipients will be notified by December 20, and projects are anticipated to commence at the start of the Spring 2025 semester.

 

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

  • Please review carefully to determine whether you need a letter from your Department Chair. 

    To serve as Principal Investigator on either of the two research tracks (Collaborative Research in AI or Technical Support for Discipline-Centric Research), an individual must have a current full-time faculty appointment at Stony Brook University. 

    Per OVPR/RF policy, titles that require no prior approval from Chair to serve as PI on the research tracks include: Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, Professor, Distinguished Professor, Clinical Assistant Professor, Clinical Associate Professor, Clinical Professor, Research Assistant Professor, Research Associate Professor, and Research Professor. Individuals with different titles are required to submit a letter from their Department Chair.

    Any full time Stony Brook employees with a Director title or a salary classification of MC3 or above are eligible to serve as PI on proposals submitted to the AI Education and Service track. Other employees will require a letter from a Director-level employee in their department.

    If needed, the letter should be submitted as part of the proposal package PDF and include a description of how the proposal aligns with the roles and responsibilities of the PI at Stony Brook University

    Additional eligibility information: 

    • Applicants can be PI or Co-PI on only one application to this call. 
    • There is a limit of 4 Co-Investigators (in addition to the PI) on an application.

 

APPLICATION

Proposals must be uploaded to the application portal as a single PDF file by 11:59 PM on October 15, 2024, via the AI Innovation Institute Seed Fund Program Portal in InfoReady. All documents should be combined in the following order and uploaded to the application submission portal as a single PDF file. Each section must start on a new page (the page limits for each are listed below). Font size must be 11 points or larger with 1 inch margins. Smaller text in figures, graphs, diagrams and charts is acceptable, as long as it is legible when the page is viewed at 100%.

  1. Abstract (300 word limit)
  2. Description of Aims/Goals/Objectives (1 page limit) written in such a way that the content is accessible to reviewers from disciplines outside the proposal topic.
  3. Significance Statement (1 page limit) that describes how the project will advance the relevant disciplines, grow AI^3 research volume, and contribute to collaborative research at SBU. 
  4. Project Description (2 page limit for proposals) that explains the project goals and design, and how they align with the seed grant objectives. Make clear how AI will be central to the proposed project.
  5. References (no limit)
  6. Research Team and Roles (1 page limit) describing the strength of the team, the unique expertise of each member, prior experience with collaborative efforts and any shared grants or publications among the team members. For education/service grants, this portion should feature a description of the PIs and their underlying organizations.
  7. Current and pending funding for all PIs and Co-PIs (no page limit)
  8. Biosketch/CV for all PIs and Co-PIs (2 page limit)
  9. Budget Justification (no page limit) that includes:
    1. A budget that is appropriate for the track it is submitted to. Salary requests for PI/Co-PIs must present strong justification and all personnel related expenses must include fringe. Travel funds may be requested but must be necessary to perform the proposed research. Given that these are internal funds, F&A costs should not be included in the budget.
    2. A timeline for spending the funds that is no more than one year.
    3. For Track 2 (Technical Support for Discipline-Centric Research) only: Describe how the consultant hours will be utilized.
    4. A sustainability plan that includes:
        • A timeline for submitting proposal(s) to an external sponsor with details about the specific sponsor/program and RFP targeted, and scale of funding sought. AI^3 Seed award periods are intended for one year, and teams are expected to apply for external grants within the award period.
        • For any hire of a staff person, a plan for funding of the new position. 

Please note, myResearch is not required.

 

EVALUATION

Applications will be peer reviewed by a panel selected by the AI Innovation Institute, with these reviews guiding the final selection of awards by AI^3. The following criteria will be used for evaluation:

  1. Innovation and Excellence: What is the potential for the proposed project to advance knowledge and understanding within its own field or across different fields?
  2. AI Component: How well does the project utilize or advance AI technology?
  3. Overall Impact: To what extent would the proposed program/research benefit the SBU and AI^3 communities?
  4. Economic Impact: To what extent would the proposed project create opportunities for attracting external funding or improving university teaching/operations? This includes submitting at least one proposal to an external sponsor within the award period or implementing improvements to university teaching/operations.
  5. Personnel: How well qualified is the team to conduct the proposed activity? Is the team sufficiently diverse? Does the team have the necessary track record for the targeted external funding opportunities?
  6. Budget: Is the budget clear, efficient, and well-justified? Is the sustainability plan credible?

 

PROGRESS REPORTING

Awarded projects will be required to (1) make a five-minute presentation at an AI^3 faculty and staff meeting each active year of the project; (2) submit a written annual progress/final report; (3) report on any outcomes of the project for three years after the award period ends (e.g., funding, publications). Templates will be provided by AI^3. Seed Teams may be asked to present to the AI^3 Advisory Board and in other similar settings.

 

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION/QUESTIONS

For more information, please contact the AI Innovation Institute at ai@stonybrook.edu, subject “AI^3 Seed Grant”.



OVPR Seed Grant Program
OVPR Seed Grant Program