The U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) is offering a major funding opportunity designed to expand access to advanced artificial intelligence infrastructure and accelerate AI-enabled scientific discovery across science and engineering.
The NSF State and Regional Artificial Intelligence Infrastructure Hubs Program: Expanding Access to Compute for Scientific Discovery, also known as the AI Infrastructure Hubs program, is designed to establish state or regional consortia that connect higher education institutions with industry, philanthropy, and state and local governments.
The current solicitation, NSF 26-513, was posted on July 31, 2026, and includes a November 3, 2027, full proposal deadline. The program anticipates approximately $100 million in funding, with typical awards ranging from $4 million to $12 million over five years.
NSF AI Infrastructure Hubs Grant 2027
The NSF AI Infrastructure Hubs program aims to expand access to the computing, data, and software infrastructure required for AI-enabled scientific research.
According to NSF, the program will connect researchers with new compute infrastructure while transforming research, education, and training opportunities at institutions of higher education. The initiative is intended to accelerate AI-enabled discovery across science and engineering while developing a technical workforce capable of using AI in the scientific enterprise.
The program is particularly relevant to universities, research institutions, and eligible nonprofit organizations seeking to build regional partnerships around advanced computing and AI for science.
NSF Grants 2027 Funding Amount
NSF anticipates approximately $100 million will be available for the program.
Typical proposals are expected to request:
- $4 million to $12 million
- A project duration of approximately five years
- Cooperative agreement funding
- One award per state or multi-state region
NSF anticipates approximately 10 awards per award cycle, although the actual number of awards will depend on the availability of funds and the quality of proposals received.
The solicitation also states that awards are expected to range between $4 million and $12 million for each AI Infrastructure Hub, with the size of an award scaling according to the population of researchers and students served and the scale of the proposed hub’s resources.
NSF 2027 Grant Deadline
The full proposal deadline for the 2027 cycle is:
November 3, 2027, by 5:00 p.m. submitting organization’s local time.
The solicitation also lists November 4, 2026 as an earlier deadline and states that the deadline will fall on the first Wednesday in November annually thereafter.
Applicants should therefore begin consortium development, partnership discussions, and infrastructure planning well before the 2027 deadline.
Who Can Apply for the NSF AI Infrastructure Hubs Grant?
This is not an individual student scholarship or an individual research fellowship. Eligible proposals must be submitted by qualifying organizations.
According to the solicitation, eligible applicants include:
Institutions of Higher Education
Two-year and four-year institutions of higher education, including community colleges, may submit proposals if they are accredited and have a campus located in the United States.
The institution submits the proposal on behalf of its faculty members.
Nonprofit Organizations
Eligible nonprofit, non-academic organizations include independent museums, observatories, research laboratories, professional societies, and similar organizations located in the United States that are directly associated with educational or research activities.
International organizations and individuals should carefully review the eligibility requirements because this particular opportunity is structured around U.S.-based institutions and regional consortia.
One Proposal Per Organization
There are important submission limits.
An institution may submit or participate in only one State and Regional AI Infrastructure Hubs proposal for a given deadline. An individual may participate in only one proposal as a PI, co-PI, or Senior/Key Personnel for each deadline.
NSF also states that only one award per state or multi-state region will be made.
This makes early coordination among universities and regional partners particularly important.
What Will NSF AI Infrastructure Hubs Support?
The program focuses on five major components.
1. Hub Consortium Stakeholders, Vision and Deliverables
Applicants must establish a strong consortium involving institutions of higher education and, where appropriate, industry, philanthropy, and state and local governments.
The proposed hub should have a governance structure and a clear strategy for expanding access to AI infrastructure across the state or region.
NSF encourages proposals to include institutions of different sizes, including smaller institutions and community and technical colleges.
2. Computing, Data and AI Infrastructure
The consortium must identify the computing, data, software and other AI infrastructure that will support its researchers and students.
Potential approaches include on-premises infrastructure, cloud computing, or a combination of both.
Importantly, NSF does not provide funding under this opportunity for the acquisition of AI infrastructure itself. The regional or state consortium is responsible for raising the necessary funding for computing, data, software, networking, storage, cloud services and related infrastructure.
NSF instead provides catalytic support for coordination, workforce development, faculty training, and related activities.
3. Partnerships With Regional Stakeholders
AI Infrastructure Hubs are expected to engage with their broader regional ecosystems.
Partnerships may involve:
- Technology companies
- Research organizations
- Nonprofits
- State governments
- Local governments
- Philanthropic organizations
- Industry partners
The program specifically identifies research collaborations and workforce development partnerships as potential activities. These may include internships, apprenticeships, cooperative placements, and research experiences.
4. AI Infrastructure Workforce Development
NSF will support AI infrastructure professionals working with the hubs.
Potential roles include:
- Systems administrators
- Systems and storage architects
- Cybersecurity specialists
- Network engineers
- Performance engineers
- Software engineers
- Training and user-support experts
- AI for science facilitators
The program also encourages hubs to involve student employees and interns so that students can gain practical experience working with advanced AI infrastructure.
5. Faculty Training and Instructional Materials
AI Infrastructure Hubs will also support faculty and educators in developing courses, laboratories, workshops, and training programs that help students use computing and data resources for scientific research.
Activities can include train-the-trainer programs, course development and course restructuring.
The goal is to increase the ability of educators and students to use AI, computing and data systems to accelerate scientific discovery and engineering research.
Research Areas Supported by NSF AI Infrastructure Hubs
Rather than restricting funding to one scientific discipline, the program is designed to support AI-enabled discovery across science and engineering.
The infrastructure may therefore support researchers working across multiple STEM fields.
The program specifically emphasizes the use of advanced computing, data, and AI resources to accelerate scientific research and develop the technical workforce needed for AI-enabled science.
AI Infrastructure Workforce Skills
The NSF solicitation identifies several skills that can be developed through the program, including:
- Data engineering and curation
- Research software engineering
- Model deployment
- GPU programming
- Access control
- Secure research environments
- Research computing facilitation
These skills are intended to help build a workforce capable of operating and using advanced computing resources for scientific research.
What Should an NSF 2027 Proposal Include?
A responsive proposal must address all five core elements of the AI Infrastructure Hubs program.
These include:
- Hub consortium stakeholders, vision and key deliverables
- Computing, data and AI infrastructure
- Partnerships with regional stakeholders
- Development of an AI infrastructure workforce
- Faculty training and instructional material development
Consortium Governance
Applicants should explain how the consortium will be governed, how participating organizations will work together, and how decisions regarding shared activities and infrastructure resources will be made.
The proposal should also demonstrate support from senior leaders at participating institutions.
Infrastructure Plan
Proposals should describe the computing, data, software, and AI resources that will be available to consortium members.
Applicants must demonstrate that sufficient resources are available or being acquired to support the consortium throughout the five-year award period.
Regional Partnerships
Each proposed hub should include at least one regional industry or nonprofit partner.
Applicants should explain the purpose of the partnership and the activities that will be undertaken together.
Workforce Development
The proposal should explain how AI infrastructure professionals, students, and other participants will receive practical training and develop relevant technical skills.
Applicants are also expected to describe pathways connecting postsecondary education with continuing and professional education.
Faculty Training
Proposals should identify approximately 5 to 10 new or enhanced courses, workshops, or other educational activities that could benefit from the hub’s resources.
Applicants should also explain how additional faculty will be trained and how instructional materials and lessons learned will be shared throughout the consortium.
NSF Grant Review Criteria
NSF evaluates proposals using its two primary National Science Board-approved merit review criteria:
Intellectual Merit — the potential of the proposed project to advance knowledge.
Broader Impacts — the potential of the project to benefit society and contribute to desired societal outcomes.
For this particular program, reviewers will also consider factors such as:
- The effectiveness of the consortium’s governance structure
- Plans for reaching different types of institutions
- Strength of AI infrastructure workforce development
- Regional partnerships
- Faculty and educator training
- Adequacy and design of proposed AI infrastructure
How to Apply for NSF Grants 2027
Eligible organizations can submit proposals through Research.gov or Grants.gov.
Letters of intent are not required, and preliminary proposals are also not required for this solicitation.
Applicants should prepare their proposals according to the applicable NSF Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG) requirements and the specific instructions contained in the AI Infrastructure Hubs solicitation.
The 2027 deadline is:
November 3, 2027 at 5:00 p.m. submitting organization’s local time.
Important Funding Requirement
Organizations considering this opportunity should understand an important distinction.
The NSF award supports components such as consortium coordination, workforce development, faculty training and instructional materials. However, the consortium itself is responsible for securing funding for the underlying AI infrastructure, including computing, data, software and related resources.
This means prospective applicants should begin building partnerships with universities, industry, philanthropy and government entities capable of contributing resources toward the infrastructure component.
Expected Outcomes
NSF identifies several measures of success for the AI Infrastructure Hubs program.
These include scientific outputs generated through hub resources, new technologies and tools, follow-on funding and translational research.
The program also seeks improvements in student education and career outcomes, training for faculty and students in critical technical skills, development of AI-for-science curricula and increased use of research infrastructure.
NSF Grants 2027 — Key Details
| Opportunity | Details |
|---|---|
| Program | NSF State and Regional AI Infrastructure Hubs |
| Solicitation | NSF 26-513 |
| Focus | Expanding access to compute for scientific discovery |
| Funding available | Approximately $100 million |
| Typical award | $4 million–$12 million |
| Typical duration | 5 years |
| Anticipated awards | Approximately 10 per cycle |
| 2027 deadline | November 3, 2027 |
| Submission time | 5 p.m. submitting organization’s local time |
| Eligible applicants | U.S. higher education institutions and eligible U.S. nonprofit organizations |
| Award type | Cooperative Agreement |
| Letters of intent | Not required |
| Preliminary proposal | Not required |
| Submission platforms | Research.gov or Grants.gov |
Final Thoughts
The NSF State and Regional Artificial Intelligence Infrastructure Hubs Program represents a substantial opportunity for U.S. higher education institutions and eligible nonprofit research organizations seeking to build regional capacity for AI-enabled scientific discovery.
With approximately $100 million anticipated for the program and typical awards of $4 million to $12 million over five years, the initiative is designed to bring universities, research institutions, industry, philanthropy, and government partners together around advanced computing and AI for science.
The 2027 full proposal deadline is November 3, 2027. Organizations interested in applying should begin developing their consortium, identifying regional partners and securing commitments for computing and AI infrastructure well in advance of the deadline.
The official solicitation should be consulted for the complete eligibility, proposal preparation, review, and award requirements because NSF requirements can change and the solicitation’s current version governs submissions.
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