Responsible AI UK impact accelerator round one

Fund details

This funding opportunity aims to support activities that maximise the impact of responsible AI research on the:

• economy
• society
• culture
• policy
• health
• the environment
• quality of life

Projects need to build on existing research and look to achieve impact within the lifetime of the project or demonstrate strong potential for impact soon after the project is completed.

Your proposed project could deliver translational research and knowledge exchange (KE). This includes testbeds, datasets, frameworks, processes, or tools, that can help organisations or individuals to adopt and use AI responsibly to meet society’s needs for justice, equity, sustainability, and inclusivity.

RAI UK champions a reflective, inclusive approach to responsible AI development that does not ignore AI’s potential harms but acknowledges, understands and mitigates them for diverse societies.

Successful proposals would seek to maximise the impact of their solutions by proposing the following types of support:

• early-stage knowledge exchange: supporting proof of concept, proof of value, or prototype development projects with commercial, third sector or policy partners, particularly concerning solving challenges with designing, deploying or using AI technologies responsibly
• secondments and people exchange: to achieve an effective impact of responsible AI knowledge, skills and expertise promptly. Note: a separate funding opportunity will be issued for international partnerships
• research software engineering support: to allow greater exploitation of research platforms, results and testbeds for responsible AI design, deployment or use by industry, civil society or government
• six-month residencies: supporting postdoctoral researchers for a six-month residency with an external partner organisation to develop KE projects. Please note that proposals with a strong potential for knowledge transfer partnerships (KTP) will have priority. While researchers are encouraged to propose activities with any appropriate impact types, we particularly encourage proposals that fit the RAI UK vision: help enable responsible AI to power benefits for everyday life & work in collaboration with researchers, industry professionals, policymakers and stakeholders to drive an ecosystem that will be responsive to the needs of society

In particular, UKRI encourages interdisciplinary collaborations and collaborations between researchers and others to:

• develop methodologies for responsible AI
• support the development of legal and responsible innovation toolkits that can be used by small and medium-sized enterprises and large corporates to help them meet current regulations and anticipate future changes to regulation and standards in AI
• establish policy engagement activities that enhance conversations involving policymakers, researchers, practitioners, end-users, and the public

Eligibility

RAI UK is leading this funding opportunity on behalf of UKRI. Standard UKRI eligibility rules apply. Research grants are open to:

• UK higher education institutions
• public sector research establishments
• research council institutes
• UKRI-approved independent research organisations and NHS bodies with research capacity
• UK businesses, third sector, or government bodies (restrictions apply)

You can apply if you are resident in the UK and meet at least one of the following:

• are employed at the submitting research organisation at lecturer level or above
• hold a fixed-term contract that extends beyond the duration of the proposed project, and the host research organisation is prepared to give you all the support normal for a permanent employee
• hold a UKRI, Royal Society or Royal Academy of Engineering fellowship aimed at later career stages (excluding industry employees)
• hold fellowships under other schemes (considered on a case-by-case basis)

Funding 

Up to £1.5 million in funding is available through the RAI UK programme to support between five to ten grants for up to 18 months (at 80% full economic cost (FEC)).

UKRI expects to fund impact activities requesting funding between £50,000 and £300,000 (at 80% FEC).