Open — 2027 Simons Foundation Utilizing the Full Power of Empire AI open competition, with complete institutional applications due December 1, 2026 at noon Eastern Time.
New York Empire AI Consortium — Simons Foundation 2027 Utilizing the Full Power of Empire AI Research Grants
FundingNo published maximum individual award budget. Expected 6-12 institutional research awards; $6,000,000 is the total program funding pool over two years and must NOT be represented as an applicant award ceiling. Requested budgets must be justified and include indirect costs per foundation policies.
DeadlineDecember 1, 2026, 12:00 p.m. (noon) Eastern Time for complete institutional application, including electronically submitted Signing Official approval, through Simons Award Manager. Anticipated decisions March 1, 2027; award June 1, 2027-May 31, 2029.
Last verified2026-10-27
Required next actionConfirm a tenured or tenure-track lead Principal Investigator at one of the nine named Empire AI consortium member institutions. Review the complete Simons Foundation 2027 Utilizing the Full Power of Empire AI RFA and How to Apply instructions, define a two-year fundamental research project requiring multi-node Empire AI GPUs, and assemble SAM proposals with PI profile/ORCID, narratives, biosketches, computing research environment, justified budget inclusive of indirect costs, subcontract/other support documentation, required regulatory assurances, and a Signing Official and Financial Officer. Submit complete institutional sign-off in Simons Award Manager by December 1, 2026 at noon Eastern. Official information: https://www.simonsfoundation.org/funding/utilizing-the-full-power-of-empire-ai-2027/ and https://www.simonsfoundation.org/funding/utilizing-the-full-power-of-empire-ai-2027/how-to-apply/.
Broad Eligibility
Only eligible Empire AI consortium member institution (Columbia, Cornell, CUNY, SUNY, RPI, NYU, University of Rochester, RIT, or Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai) may lead, with a tenured or tenure-track faculty PI with a PhD, MD or equivalent. Nonmember U.S./international research institutions may participate via eligible subcontract but may not lead alone. Requires substantial use of Empire AI multinode GPU computing for fundamental computational science. Simons/Flatiron employees cannot receive funded PI/personnel support; China/Hong Kong funding exclusions apply.
Atlas Analysis
Fully source-verified October 27, 2026 directly from the Simons Foundation's current 2027 Utilizing the Full Power of Empire AI RFA and detailed How to Apply pages. Genuine applicant-facing competitive institutional research grant, not procurement. Applicants strictly limited to nine NY-based Empire AI consortium institutions as leads; 6-12 awards anticipated. No per-applicant budget maximum stated; $6 million total two-year program pool not individual funding. Budgets inclusive of indirect costs, per Simons grant policies; no universal match requirement published. Submission through SAM with PI and institutional Signing Official signature due December 1 at noon ET. Two-year grant starts June 1, 2027. Scientific use of multinode Empire AI computing required; foundation employee and geographic subcontract restrictions. WordPress all-status title/source/identifier duplicate checks found none October 27. Official sources: https://www.simonsfoundation.org/funding/utilizing-the-full-power-of-empire-ai-2027/ and https://www.simonsfoundation.org/funding/utilizing-the-full-power-of-empire-ai-2027/how-to-apply/.
The Simons Foundation 2027 Utilizing the Full Power of Empire AI competition is open, with complete institutional applications due December 1, 2026, at 12 p.m. (noon) Eastern. It supports ambitious two-year projects in mathematics and basic science that make substantial use of multi-node GPU clusters in the Empire AI computing consortium. The foundation anticipates funding six to twelve awards, with decisions around March 1, 2027 and performance June 1, 2027–May 31, 2029.
Applicant-level funding: The foundation explicitly publishes no maximum budget total for an individual award. The proposed $6,000,000 across the program over two years is an aggregate pool shared by six to twelve projects, not a per-applicant award limit. Applicants should request justified amounts inclusive of indirect costs under foundation grant policies. An applicant match percentage is not stated as a universal requirement.
Direct-application eligibility is narrow: a principal investigator in a tenured or tenure-track faculty position must lead from an Empire AI consortium member institution: Columbia University, Cornell University, CUNY, SUNY, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, New York University, University of Rochester, Rochester Institute of Technology, or Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Eligible sponsoring institutions submit applications; external institutional PIs may join through subcontracts, including qualifying research organizations in the U.S. or abroad, but nonmember institutions cannot apply as the sole lead institution. All PIs and key collaborators must have a Ph.D., M.D., or equivalent and a faculty position or equivalent. No citizenship restriction applies. Foundation/Flatiron employees cannot be funded PIs or funded project personnel; Flatiron staff may collaborate without funding. Exclusions apply to institutions in China or Hong Kong and their fiscal agents.
Research scope and use restrictions: proposals must use multi-node Empire AI GPU resources, developing foundation or other machine-learning models to address fundamental research questions in computational astrophysics, physics, biology, physical chemistry, mathematics, neuroscience or related fields. Dataset-only work is considered only exceptionally when the same project uses the data to solve scientific research problems. The lead PI must demonstrate a sound two-year research plan, appropriate compute access, and compliance with Simons Foundation award policies, indirect cost rules, institutional assurances, and collaborator/subcontract requirements. Awards are subject to funding decisions and individual grant terms.
How to apply: submit a full proposal through Simons Award Manager by 12:00 p.m. Eastern, December 1, 2026. The PI must complete a profile, ORCID and degrees, upload proposal narrative and resources/research environment using SAM templates, biosketches for PIs and key staff, data-sharing plans when applicable, disclosures on generative AI used in proposal development, institutional contacts, detailed institutional and subcontract budgets, publications, other support, and required human/animal/biosafety assurances. The institutional Signing Official must electronically sign and submit the complete application before the deadline; a PI draft or pending internal sign-off does not count as submission.
Official controlling documents, read October 27, 2026: 2027 Empire AI RFA, eligibility, funding and policies; foundation’s complete application instructions.
Source verificationReferenced source · www.simonsfoundation.orgAtlas last verified this record 2026-10-27. Always use the funder's current application materials, amendments and portal instructions as the controlling source.View source and application materials ↗
