NAIRR and Beyond: Unleashing AI Innovation for all Researchers and Educators
April 29, 2025 – Fundamental science research in universities drives discoveries that lead to new or improved technologies while teaching and training the next generation of researchers. University research is the core of our nation’s technology transfer start-up ecosystem, ultimately contributing to widespread regional economic growth. The National Artificial Intelligence Research Resource (NAIRR) Pilot is the latest illustration of how U.S. federal government investment and coordination can leverage new technologies, like artificial intelligence (AI), to reinvent this idea.
Understanding NAIRR: Origins and structure
The NAIRR Pilot is a federal initiative to democratize access to AI research tools, enabling universities to innovate, foster interdisciplinary collaboration, and shape the future of AI. NAIRR brings together a nationwide cyberinfrastructure, offering researchers and educators access to six high-performance compute resources, AI-ready government and non-government datasets, and educational tools with user support. It aims to empower researchers beyond large tech firms, delivering infrastructure—not direct funding—for cutting-edge AI R&D.
In 2020, the National AI Initiative Act created a task force to examine the merits of establishing a fully realized NAIRR. In January 2024, one year after the NAIRR task force published its recommendations, NSF launched a two-year pilot program in partnership with 10 other federal agencies and more than 25 private sector, nonprofit, and philanthropic organizations. With more than 340 awards announced to date, NSF has invested $30 million with an additional $80 million in in-kind contributions from private industry annually.
Want to get involved?
With less than eight months left to leverage the NAIRR Pilot, you can visit nairrpilot.org to explore the ongoing opportunities for researchers, educators, and students, including AI-ready datasets, pre-trained models, and other resources associated with the NAIRR Pilot.
Researchers and educators can apply now for access to NSF and Department of Energy high-performance computing facilities that have been made remotely and readily available for AI-related research projects. Visit nairrpilot.org/allocations for more information and to better understand application deadlines.
In addition to compute infrastructure and datasets, the NAIRR Pilot hosts webinars, community events, and technical workshops to engage stakeholders. These webinars and workshops serve to equip faculty and staff with the skills to begin or transform AI implementation in learning. You can sign up for future announcements here. Want to join as a contributing partner? Click here.
Not a researcher? No problem.
Companies (and particularly those that aren’t a billion-dollar technology firm) can take advantage of indirect opportunities to participate in the NAIRR Pilot. While you may not be applying for compute credits, you can engage with other participants via public-private partnerships with eligible academic or nonprofit institutions to leverage curated datasets. You can also contribute datasets and expertise to gain visibility and collaboration prospects, collaborate with universities to use educational resources for workforce development, submit EAGER proposals for demonstration projects by emailing nairr_pilot@nsf.gov, and network at NAIRR events, like the recent February 2025 annual meeting. Lastly, you can advocate for small business inclusion in future NAIRR phases through public comment periods and help shape future opportunities that navigate eligibility and resource constraints.
Why it matters, and where do we go from here?
It will take an act of Congress to determine if NAIRR continues beyond 2025. To fully capitalize on the uncertainty and NAIRR’s potential, institutions should maintain a proactive, forward-thinking approach to implementing AI for research. AI serves as a force multiplier, capable of transcending the limitations of traditional research methodologies. Universities can (and should) embrace bold, ambitious projects that leverage NAIRR’s compute resources, datasets, and tools to tackle complex challenges across disciplines—from health care to agriculture and engineering.
The future of NAIRR is uncertain, but the mission it serves to accomplish is an honorable one—democratized access to advanced technologies and capabilities so we can sustain American research and innovation dominance.
Contributed by Holten Stringer Associate Vice President, Van Scoyoc Associates
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