FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES FOR PROMOTING AI RESEARCH

Deadline for proposals: May 31, 2014

Background:

The  Artificial  Intelligence Journal  (AIJ)  is  one  of the  longest established  and most  respected  journals  in AI,  and  since it  was founded  in 1970,  it has  published  many of  the key  papers in  the field. The operation of the Editorial Board is supported financially through an arrangement with AIJ’s publisher, Elsevier.

Through this arrangement, the AIJ editorial board is in the unique position of being able to make available substantial funds, (of the order of 175,000 Euros per annum), to support   promotion and dissemination of AI research. These funds are made available through a series of competitive open calls.

What are the goals of this funding?
In providing this funding, AIJ aims to:

– promote & raise awareness of AI research & practice;

– encourage the  timely and  widespread dissemination of AI research results, techniques, and tools

– promote interaction  and exchange of ideas  between AI researchers, practitioners, and students

– promote the  exploitation of  AI research results,  techniques, and tools.

We strongly encourage the submission of proposals for activities that are fundamentally new, and likely to lead to the establishment of a new research community or new direction for AI research.

What activities will AIJ consider funding?

Broadly speaking, any activity that achieves  the goals  described above. For example:

– student travel scholarships for a conference or workshop

– funds  for  an  invited  speaker  to present  at  a  conference  or workshop

– funds to  support a  web site to  disseminate proceedings of  an AI related conference or workshop

– start up funds for a workshop in a promising new area of research

– funding to organise a summer school on some aspect of AI.

This list is absolutely not intended to be exhaustive, and we strongly encourage you to  consider innovative ways in which  the goals set out above can be achieved.

What activities does AIJ prefer not to fund?



– We prefer not to fund individuals.  By preference, requests will come from organisations such as a foundation, charitable body, or the organising committee of an event. AIJ does not exclude the possibility of funding individuals, but this is likely to be exceptional. Note that AIJ will not support individual requests for travel funds.

– We prefer not to   fund research projects.  Research projects involving staffing costs would probably not, in our view, be a cost effective use of the funds.

– We won’t fund duplicate activities.  For example, if there is already an established, successful, and well-regarded conference in the area of X, then in all likelihood we would not provide seed funds to set up a duplicate, competitor conference.

– We prefer not to fund activities where alternative sources of funding are readily available.

– Activities are funded on a not-for-private-profit basis. AIJ will not fund activities that lead directly to profit for the organisation or individuals involved. However, we recognise that with some events, (e.g., large conferences) it is necessary to budget for a surplus; in this case, proposals should describe what will happen to the surplus.
There is  no hard and fast  rule about how  much you can ask  for: you should   ask    for   what   you   need   to    make   your   activity successful. However, here are some broad principles; as ever, these are only guidelines.  First, if you are applying on behalf of a large (> 80 participants), successful, and scientifically strong conference, then please bear in mind that several such conferences  applied for funding for student travel grants and invited speakers in the December 2011  round of  AIJ funding,  and typically  received about  Euro 7000 each. Although, as always, there may be exceptions to this, it may be helpful to use this amount as a guideline. Note that we would be reluctant to spend more than Euro 35K on an individual activity.

Proposals may include the possibility of AIJ underwriting an activity (to an agreed limit) in the event of a loss.  Finally, we urge you to investigate whether it is possible to leverage AIJ funding, for example by obtaining matched funding from elsewhere. In this case, the value of every euro spent by AIJ is effectively doubled, which makes for a compelling funding case.

How can I bid for funds?

A proposal should contain the following sections:

– What?
Describe exactly what activity  funding is requested for.  Please note that AIJ funds specific activities.  For example, “request funds to support a conference  on  X” is  not  a specific  request, while “request travel funds to bring invited speaker X to conference Y” is a specific request. Provide any contextual information that you think is relevant.

– How Much?
A  (high level)  budget, in  Euros, which:  clearly states  the amount requested; provides  details of the use of  requested funds; describes how  the  requested  amount  fits  into  an  overall  budget  for  the activity/event; and  clearly states what  will happen to funds  in the event of a surplus.

– Why?
Brief justification for  funding; note that priority will  be given to activities for which no alternative funds are available.

– Who?
Describe who will benefit from the proposed activity.

– When?
Dates of  the proposed  activity, and date  by which funding  would be needed.

– Where?
Location of the proposed activity.

– Contact details.
Name, affiliation,  contact details for the  responsible party (postal address,  email, telephone number, fax), web  address of  event if available.

Proposals should under no circumstances exceed more than two pages in total.

Proposals should be submitted in PDF via the Easychair web review system at the following URL: http://www.easychair.org/conferences/?conf=aij10

NB: PLEASE GIVE ALL COSTS IN EUROS

How will proposals be evaluated?

We anticipate  issuing calls for proposals two times  per  year, with May 31, 2014  being  the  deadline for  this call. Further calls will be issued later — watch the AIJ web site for details  (http://www.aijd.org/). The AIJ  sponsorship committee will assess proposals on the basis of:
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– scientific quality of proposed activities

– likely level of impact on the international AI community

– cost effectiveness/value for money.

All bidders will be informed by email of the outcome of their proposal as  soon as  an  outcome is  known. If a proposal is approved for funding, then please  be aware it may take time  to transfer funds: if you are  bidding for funds to  support an event, then  we suggest your proposal should be submitted at  least 6 months before the event takes place.

Where a proposal  is felt to have  merit but is not fundable in its submitted  form,  we  may   return  to  bidders  to  discuss  possible modifications; where this  is felt to be necessary, we  will try to do this  practicably  and  expeditiously.  A summary of successful proposals will be made publicly available on the AIJ website.

My proposal was rejected, can I appeal?

The decision of the AIJ  sponsorship committee with respect to funding decisions is final, and we will not enter into any correspondence with respect to unsuccessful proposals.