Foundations for Operating the National Artificial Intelligence Research Resource: the NAIRR Operations Center (NAIRR-OC) — U.S. National Science Foundation funding opportunity
U.S. National Science Foundation · Federal agency

Foundations for Operating the National Artificial Intelligence Research Resource: the NAIRR Operations Center (NAIRR-OC)

Posted 24d ago

The National Artificial Intelligence Research Resource (NAIRR) Pilot is a pioneering public-private initiative to catalyze a competitive national artificial intelligence (AI) ecosystem for discovery and innovation by con...

82
match
Award $35M Deadline Fixed Location Alabama Type grant Level Federal Open posted Oct 1, 2026
✦ AI Summary
  • Who can apply: Federal-level applicants (see eligibility for details).
  • Funding amount: starting at $35,000,000.
  • Issued by: U.S. National Science Foundation.
Sign in to generate AI summary
How was this generated?

The “key facts” mode pulls structured fields directly from the official source posting (amount, deadline, eligibility tags). The AI mode adds a short plain-English narrative on top, generated from the same source. Always verify with the agency before applying.

AI-generated. Always verify with the official source.

Who can apply — at a glance

  • Eligible applicants: see the Eligibility tab for the criteria from the official announcement.
  • Where: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming, District of Columbia.
  • Award: $35M. Total program pool: $35,000,000.
  • Matching funds: not required.
  • Deadline type: Fixed.

Compiled from the official listing's structured fields — always verify with the funder before applying.

About the funder

U.S. National Science Foundation is a federal-level funder.

See all 836 open programs from this agency →

Award amount
$35M
Deadline
Fixed
Total pool
$35M

About this opportunity

The National Artificial Intelligence Research Resource (NAIRR) Pilot is a pioneering public-private initiative to catalyze a competitive national artificial intelligence (AI) ecosystem for discovery and innovation by connecting researchers and educators to the most advanced public and private-sector computational and data models, and technological expertise necessary to accelerate AI-driven discovery and innovation. Beginning in January 2024, National Science Foundation (NSF) – together with 14 other federal agencies and 28 private sector partners – established the NAIRR Pilot, which has immediately advanced innovative AI and science research and accelerated AI workforce training and education. As recommended by America's AI Action Plan, the NAIRR Operations Center (NAIRR-OC) will serve as a lean and sustainable operations capability and be the focal point for operational transition from the current Pilot towards a sustainable long-term NAIRR. This solicitation seeks proposals to establish a community-based organization that will be responsible for the foundational development activities in support of an integrated national infrastructure for AI research and education. The resulting award would advance the National Artificial Intelligence Research Resource (NAIRR) vision for a public-private partnership to accelerate AI innovation and national competitiveness. This NAIRR Operations Center (NAIRR-OC) will be responsible for the following overarching goals and responsibilities: Organizational leadership: Establishing the operational framework, organizational management, and success metrics for the NAIRR and its successful operations according to the requirements established by the NSF and other federal partners. Building NAIRR capabilities and community: Undertaking specific development activities in support of NAIRR stakeholders, including interfacing with partner organizations and resources, deploying a unified web portal, integrating data-focused and other resources into the NAIRR, and conducting outreach and community building activities. Interfacing with Pilot Operations: Coordinating with existing NAIRR Pilot contributing partners and interfacing with the independently supported teams conducting NAIRR Pilot operational functions, while developing tailored plans to execute such functions via the NAIRR-OC in the future. NSF anticipates making a single award for this competition. NSF will provide oversight of award activities via the NAIRR Program Management Office (PMO) which may include representatives from partnering agencies. The awardee from this competition may be eligible for expansion of operational responsibilities and duties in a future phase, depending on NAIRR priorities, awardee performance and availability of funds.

Funding agency

U.S. National Science Foundation
Federal agency

Tags

Nonprofit & Community Technology & Software Education & Research Construction & Housing Climate & Environment Transportation & Logistics Science, Tech & Engineering (STEM)
Want help applying?

Our specialists will check your eligibility, prepare the application, and walk you through every step — for free. Create a free account →

Who can apply

Eligibility details aren't on file yet — check the agency source link in the Documents tab for the latest rules.

Geographic eligibility

  • Alabama
  • Alaska
  • Arizona
  • Arkansas
  • California
  • Colorado
  • Connecticut
  • Delaware
  • Florida
  • Georgia
  • Hawaii
  • Idaho
  • Illinois
  • Indiana
  • Iowa
  • Kansas
  • Kentucky
  • Louisiana
  • Maine
  • Maryland
  • Massachusetts
  • Michigan
  • Minnesota
  • Mississippi
  • Missouri
  • Montana
  • Nebraska
  • Nevada
  • New Hampshire
  • New Jersey
  • New Mexico
  • New York
  • North Carolina
  • North Dakota
  • Ohio
  • Oklahoma
  • Oregon
  • Pennsylvania
  • Rhode Island
  • South Carolina
  • South Dakota
  • Tennessee
  • Texas
  • Utah
  • Vermont
  • Virginia
  • Washington
  • West Virginia
  • Wisconsin
  • Wyoming
  • District of Columbia

How to apply

We don't have application instructions on file yet — head straight to the official source.

Get expert help applying
Tip from our team:

Read the agency's eligibility checklist before you start — it's almost always shorter than the full NOFO and will tell you in 90 seconds whether to keep going.

Need help getting in touch with the right agency contact?

Create a free account and our specialists will guide you through the application end-to-end.

Source documents

Source documents available on request
Sign in or open a support ticket and we'll send you the canonical NOFO + application packet for this opportunity.
No supplemental documents yet.

Direct downloads (NOFO PDFs, application forms, FAQs) will appear here once our team attaches them. For now, the agency site has the canonical packet.

Citation details

Source systemgrants.gov
Source ID364017
PostedOct 1, 2026

Frequently asked questions

No FAQs yet.

Have a question about this fund? Sign in to open a ticket about this fund.

Similar grants

Healthcare & Biotech
Posted 25d ago
Dept of the Army -- Materiel Command

The Science, Mathematics and Research for Transformation (SMART) Scholarship for Service Program Cooperative Agreement

90
match

The Department of War (DoW) seeks innovative applications to cooperatively partner with eligible entities in the implementation and execution of the SMART Scholarship-for-Service Program. The Department intends to awa…

$0–$1300M Dec 3 Nationwide, USA
Agriculture & Farming
Engineer Research and Development Center

ERDC Broad Agency Announcement

87
match

The Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) is issuing this announcement for various research and development topic areas. The ERDC consists of the Coastal and Hydraulics Labora…

$0–$1,000.0M Jan 1 Nationwide, USA
Transportation & Logistics
Munitions Directorate

Air Delivered Effects

77
match

Broad Agency Announcement for Air Delivered Effects - Amendment 5

Up to $750M Mar 21 Nationwide, USA
Transportation & Logistics
Munitions Directorate

Air Dominance Broad Agency Announcement (BAA)

96
match

Broad Agency Announcement for Air Dominance. This effort was initially posted on 1 Nov 2024.

Up to $750M Oct 31 Nationwide, USA
Get help applying