Upcoming funding opportunity—Canada-UK Artificial Intelligence Initiative
The three Canadian federal research funding agencies and UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) are pleased to announce their intention to launch the Canada-UK Artificial Intelligence Initiative.
The Canadian agencies include the Canadian Institutes of Health Research; the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council; and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council. The four UK research councils involved in this UKRI initiative are the Arts and Humanities Research Council; the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC); the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council; and the Medical Research Council.
Description
The rapid development and ever-growing global investment in artificial intelligence (AI) illustrate the undeniable impact that these technologies are having, and will have, on our economies, health and societies. Given the expertise of researchers in Canada and the United Kingdom, the Canadian agencies and UKRI are jointly supporting the development of a collaboration in AI among stakeholders in Canada and the UK. The aim is to build competitive and resilient economies and maximize the social and health benefits.
This is a unique collaboration, which will require each project to include a principal investigator (PI) based in Canada and a PI based in the UK. The PIs will share equally leadership and project management responsibilities. The Canadian and UK applicants will develop a common research plan and jointly prepare the full proposal. Proposals will be required to demonstrate a significant degree of, or novel approach to, interdisciplinarity, with research that cuts across at least two of the following research domains: social sciences and humanities; health and biomedical sciences; and natural sciences and engineering (including computational and/or mathematical sciences).
In addition to promoting interdisciplinary AI, this call will support the development of responsible AI while establishing new partnerships and enhancing infrastructure and training between researchers in Canada and the UK. The outputs and outcomes of the research should allow for uptake by relevant stakeholders where possible.
Anticipated timeline
| Stage | Date |
|---|---|
| Launch | June 2019 |
| Webinar | Summer 2019 |
| Intention to submit deadline | August 2019 |
| Full application deadline | September 2019 |
| Funding start date | February 2020 |
| Note: These dates are estimates and subject to change. | |
Funds available
The total amount available for this funding opportunity is about C$14 million (£8.2 million), enough to fund up to approximately 10 projects.
- Canadian funding agencies: The maximum amount available for Canadian researchers is C$173,333 (£102,000) per year for up to three years, for a total of C$520,000 (£305,000) per project.
- UKRI: The maximum amount available for UK researchers is a total of £625,000 (C$1.1 million) per project at 100% full economic cost.
Note: Canadian applicants are only eligible to receive funding from the Canadian agencies and UK applicants are only eligible to receive funding from UKRI.
Contacts
Full initiative details will be available in the coming weeks. For questions about this strategic initiative and research objectives, please contact:
UKRI: Canada―UK AI Initiative Call Team
Email: aiukcanada@esrc.ukri.org
Tel.: 01793 414 697 or +44 1793 413 136
For Canadian-based queries:
Tri-agency contact: Anna Torgerson
Email: anna.torgerson@sshrc-crsh.gc.ca
Tel.: 613-996-3248
Disclaimer: The information contained in this announcement of the Canada-UK Artificial Intelligence Initiative funding opportunity is subject to change and does not commit the Canadian agencies nor UKRI to the requirements outlined in this version. The funding agencies anticipate that the final funding opportunity will be published on ESRC’s website and promoted on the Canadian agencies’ websites later in June 2019.
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