Objectives
BU is soliciting a call for faculty interested in leading or collaborating on an institutional proposal for the NSF NAIRR-OC.
The NSF NAIRR-OC is soliciting proposals to establish a community-based organization responsible for the foundational coordination, operations, and development activities supporting an integrated national infrastructure for AI research and education. Proposals are expected to direct foundational operations for the NAIRR. The NAIRR-OC is expected to be awarded via a cooperative agreement between NSF and the awardee institution.
The primary functions of the NAIRR-OC are in providing organizational, management, and coordination support for national AI infrastructure. As a result, the awardee is expected to accomplish the following overarching goals and functions:
- Organizational leadership: Establishing the operational framework, organizational management, and success metrics for the NAIRR and its successful operations according to the vision, goals, and 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.
Many researchers and educators lack the necessary access to the capabilities and tools to fully conduct their work and to train the rapidly expanding AI workforce. As indicated in the NAIRR Pilot, NAIRR aims to provide a shared national research infrastructure to bridge this gap by connecting U.S. researchers and educators to AI resources — computation, data, software, models, training and educational materials — to advance research, discovery and innovation. The overarching goals for the NAIRR are to:
- accelerate AI and AI-powered discovery and innovation
- expand the AI workforce and train the next generation of AI researchers and educators
- increase capacity, integration, and use of world-class public and private-sector AI resources
- advance AI interpretability, security, and trust
Thus, the awardee of NAIRR-OC will navigate the transition from the pilot phase to a long-term, nationwide infrastructure aimed at strengthening US AI innovation, education, and competitiveness.
Funding Information
NSF will make 1 award for up to $35 million for a period of up to 5 years.
Eligibility
There are no restrictions or limits on who may serve as a PI. The PI must serve as the Director of the NAIRR Operations Center.
PIs and co-PIs may only be listed on one proposal. Organizations may only submit one proposal.
The leadership team (PI, co-PIs and senior investigators) shall be affiliated with a single submitting organization to the maximum extent possible. Strong central leadership and management via the submitting institution is expected. If a skill set gap exists within the submitting institution, leadership from one additional institution may be added. Proposals that include substantial use of sub-awarded partners or affiliate appointments at the leadership level are not aligned with the goals of this grant.
Expression of Interest Process
BU faculty interested in leading or collaborating on an institutional proposal are invited to submit the following materials via InfoReady Review by 10/19/2025
- Contact Information
- Interest Statement describing how you would contribute to the institutional proposal and what interests you about the program (max 1 paragraph)
The Office of Research will contact applicants to coordinate a proposal by Friday, October 31, 2025.
Deadlines
Expressions of Interest Due: Sunday, October 19, 2025 by 11:59 pm ET
Letter of Intent Due: Monday, December 15, 2025 by 5 pm ET
Full Proposal Due: Wednesday, February 4, 2026 by 5 pm ET