NSF Initiative Aims To Make Every American Worker, Business And Community AI-Ready

(MENAFN- Investor Ideas) (Investorideas Newswire)

The U.S. National Science Foundation announced a new funding opportunity as part of an effort to enable all Americans to understand, apply, and create with artificial intelligence. The NSF TechAccess: AI-Ready America (NSF AI-Ready America) initiative aims to expand access to AI knowledge, tools, training, and capacity building so all Americans can participate in-and benefit from-the AI economy.

As a first step, NSF and federal partners-the Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture (USDA NIFA), the Department of Labor, and the Small Business Administration-are releasing a funding opportunity to establish AI-ready Coordination Hubs in every U.S. state and territory.

Informed by theWhite House AI Action Plan, the NSF AI-Ready America initiative is designed to close the gap between the nation's AI capabilities and the workforce, businesses, and communities that need to use them. The initiative targets three areas where that gap is widest: expanding AI literacy and applied skills across the American workforce; equipping small businesses and local governments with the tools and technical assistance to adopt AI; and building hands-on learning pathways - including internships and project-based programs - that translate AI skills into real-world application.

The initiative will operate through a network of state and territory-based Coordination Hubs-up to 56 in total, covering all U.S. states, territories, and the District of Columbia - selected through three rounds of competition. Each Hub will connect local partners, coordinate deployment, and scale proven approaches based on the priorities of state and local stakeholders. NSF will invest up to $1 million annually per Hub over three years, with the possibility of a fourth year for Hubs demonstrating continued need during transition.

NSF plans to release a funding opportunity in the future to select a national coordination lead who will facilitate collaboration and knowledge sharing among the Coordination Hubs. NSF also anticipates issuing AI-Ready Catalyst award competitions focused on a series of topics to pilot and scale innovative approaches that address critical AI readiness needs.

Responses to the Coordination Hubs funding opportunity are due by Tuesday, June 23, 5 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT). To learn more,register for an informational webinar on Tuesday, April 14, at 1 p.m. EDT. You may also visit theTech Access: AI-Ready America webpage and read thefunding opportunity.

For more NSF news,visit our news site.

The U.S. National Science Foundation propels the nation forward by advancing fundamental research in all fields of science and engineering. NSF supports research and people by providing facilities, instruments, and funding to support their ingenuity and sustain the U.S. as a global leader in research and innovation. With a fiscal year 2026 budget of $8.75 billion, NSF funds reach all 50 states through grants to nearly 2,000 colleges, universities, and institutions. Each year, NSF receives more than 40,000 competitive proposals and makes about 11,000 new awards. Those awards include support for cooperative research with industry, Arctic and Antarctic research and operations, and U.S. participation in international scientific efforts.

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