National Artificial Intelligence Research Resource (NAIRR) Pilot
The National Artificial Intelligence Research Resource (NAIRR) Pilot aims to connect U.S. researchers and educators to free computational, data, and training resources needed to advance AI research and research that employs AI.
Learn more about NAIRR
This webinar overview of the NAIRR pilot explains what exactly the NAIRR program is, what types of resources are available, some examples of projects that have been accepted, who at Columbia is eligible and what the application process looks like.
Available NAIRR Resources
- advanced computing systems (HPC)
- cloud computing platforms (HPC)
- access to models, software and privacy enhancing technology tools and collaborations to train models
- education platforms
Many of NAIRR's resources are part of the ACCESS program and Campus Champion representatives at CUIT can help provide guidance to researchers who are interested in getting access to NAIRR resources.
Focus Areas
This call for allocation proposals encompasses projects covering any of the cross-cutting or domain focus areas for the NAIRR Pilot.
Cross-cutting focus areas
- Advancing AI methods that enable scientific discovery.
- Creating open-source foundation models for specific applications.
- Using large-scale models to explore complex datasets interactively.
- Advancing approaches for integrating simulations and AI.
- Using experimental data from sensors, detectors, or other edge instruments.
- Empowering use of scientific data by other stakeholders and the public.
- Training and educating a cohort of scholars in AI technologies and their responsible use.
- Probe key AI challenges using sensitive data including privacy-preserving methods.
Domain-specific focus areas
- Accelerating societally-relevant research on AI safety, reliability, security, and privacy.
- Empowering advances in cancer treatment and individual health outcomes.
- Supporting resilience and optimization of agricultural, water, and grid infrastructure.
- Improving design, control, and quality of advanced manufacturing systems.
- Addressing earth, environmental, and climate challenges via integration of diverse data and models.
Other projects that align with the broader objectives of the NAIRR Pilot, as well as projects in other areas of AI research and applications, may secondarily be considered for allocation.
How to Apply
Researchers and educators can apply for access to these resources and view descriptions of the first cohort of awarded projects at nairrpilot.org. For those with a project in mind, you can apply to the following open calls:
For assistance, watch the Requesting Resources via the National AI Research Resource (NAIRR) Pilot webinar from April 2025. This webinar presents an overview of the process for requesting no-charge access to technology resources via NAIRR, as well as providing AI Researchers and Educators with tips for successful resource allocation requests:
- program eligibility and requirements for Classroom/Educator and Research projects
- the proposal review and resource allocation processes
- specific proposal instructions from the NAIRR Pilot portal
- strategies for addressing specified review criteria
- example resource estimates that quantitatively justify requested NAIRR Pilot resources
Webinar recording | Slides (with speaker notes)
Project Expectations
All persons submitting proposals should note the following parameters and expectations:
- Because of the strong public component of the NAIRR, all project results must be open and publishable. Teams who receive NAIRR Pilot access are expected to publish their results in the open scientific literature or otherwise disseminate publicly, and to make all project products publicly available, to the extent possible.
- Project PIs are expected to provide brief (2–3 paragraphs) project updates 1 month and 6 months into the project, and a final report (three pages) upon project completion.
- NAIRR Pilot projects are intended to be completed within twelve (12) months. Projects with longer-term timelines should contact [email protected] to be referred to existing proposal and allocation opportunities.
- To see full details and additional expectations, please check out NAIRR Pilot - Expectations of Project
FAQ
The NAIRR Pilot gives researchers and educators the opportunity to advance their work in the short term, and will also help refine the design of a full NAIRR program. Many researchers lack the necessary access to the computing, data, software and educational resources needed to fully conduct their research and to train the next generation of researchers. NAIRR aims to bridge this gap and ensure that AI resources and tools are accessible to the broad research and education communities.
A NAIRR Pilot allocation can complement existing or planned allocations obtained via the ACCESS program. For example, you might identify a subset of your research program that is well aligned with the NAIRR Pilot focus areas and likely to produce successful results within 12 months. This project could progress in parallel with the work done under ACCESS.
Additionally, building upon work you have already done on existing resources can help substantiate your NAIRR Pilot resource request, by referencing publications and performance data obtained on the requested resources for similar or related software and data.
Yes! To request access to NAIRR Pilot Classroom resources, you can submit a request through the Classroom/Educator Resources Call.
Yes. The Department of Energy and the National Institutes of Health are co-leading a NAIRR Secure pilot effort as part of the NAIRR Pilot.
NAIRR Secure will enable research that involves sensitive data, which require special handling and protections. The NAIRR Secure pilot will assemble exemplar privacy/security-preserving resources (e.g., data enclaves, secure compute resources, and privacy preserving tools) and develop requirements for the future NAIRR Secure.
Goals of the pilot phase include:
- Investigating new opportunities for combining data in ways that preserve privacy and security.
- Investigating challenges and opportunities for interoperability of tools, software and other resources between NAIRR Secure enclaves and NAIRR Open.
- Identifying research and training use cases to inform the development of the future NAIRR Secure.
Resources that are part of the NAIRR Secure effort can be found on the Pilot Resources Page.