AI & Human Empowerment

Research Support Schemes

The AI & Human Empowerment CIC is pleased to launch its inaugural portfolio of targeted research awards. Designed to accelerate high-impact scholarship at the critical intersection of artificial intelligence, moral philosophy, and human flourishing, these awards focus on unlocking specific operational bottlenecks and supporting full-cycle practical innovations to move exceptional ideas into real-world application.

Core Requirement: Supported papers and projects must directly investigate or implement themes related to artificial intelligence, human agency, and well-being, with a clear trajectory toward academic publication or real-world deployment.

Tiers of Impact Acceleration

We invite applications across four tailored funding tracks, structured around the specific operational bottlenecks and project scopes of each academic and practical stage.

Funding Amount: £500 Eligibility: MPhil and PhD candidates

The AI & Human Empowerment Paper Completion Bursary

To optimise, line-edit, and finalise outstanding manuscripts for journal submission. This bursary targets final-stage production bottlenecks, ensuring high-potential postgraduate research achieves the precise editorial polish required by top-tier journals.

Funding Amount: £1,000 Eligibility: Postdoctoral Researchers and Assistant Professors

The AI & Human Empowerment Research Catalyst Grant

To clear technical, infrastructure, or dissemination bottlenecks. This grant acts as an operational accelerator, providing early-career faculty with the resources needed for specialized computing credits, technical datasets, or international conference travel.

Funding Amount: £1,000 – £3,000 Eligibility: Associate Professors and Professors

The AI & Human Empowerment Academic Leadership Award

To scale research through dedicated research assistant support or high-level collaborative draft-review workshops. This award empowers senior faculty to act as intellectual anchors, funding crucial research assistant hours or bringing international co-authors together for intensive writing symposia.

Funding Amount: £5,000 – £10,000 Eligibility: Individual researchers, interdisciplinary teams, and postgraduate innovators

The AI & Human Empowerment Applied Innovation Grant

To fund full-cycle research projects that bridge the gap between theory and practice. This flagship grant supports initiatives moving through the entire deployment lifecycle: from initial conceptual design (idea), through technical development (app), to real-world user deployment and empirical testing (user implementation). Projects are expected to yield both a functioning deployment and a corresponding peer-reviewed case study or impact paper.

Application & Selection Process

The CIC operates a structured four-stage evaluation process to ensure academic rigor and strategic alignment while maintaining a streamlined experience for applicants.

Phase 1

Submit Application

Applicants submit proposals online using the streamlined template. Submissions must adhere strictly to the specified page limits.

Phase 2

Peer Review

The CIC selection committee evaluates proposals for academic excellence, methodological soundness, and framework alignment.

Phase 3

Shortlist & Interview

High-potential applicants are invited to a brief online interview to discuss implementation strategy and projected outputs.

Phase 4

Award & Disbursement

Successful applicants receive award letters. Funding follows the designated financial track structures.

Funding Disbursement & Financial Structure

Tiers I, II, and III (Bursary, Catalyst, and Leadership Awards)

Grants between £500 and £3,000 are disbursed as a single, lump-sum payment upon formal acceptance of the award to ensure researchers can clear immediate operational bottlenecks without delay.

Tier IV (Applied Innovation Grant)

To safeguard project momentum and support the full development lifecycle, the Applied Innovation Grant (£5,000 – £10,000) is disbursed in two equal instalments:

First Instalment (50%): Paid immediately upon the formal awarding of the grant to launch the project, supporting initial conceptual design and technical development (the idea and app phases).
Second Instalment (50%): Paid upon the successful completion of the development phase, unblocking the resources required for live deployment, testing, and evaluation (the user implementation phase).

Proposal Requirements

Submissions must be formatted using our template and adhere to the following length constraints.

For Tiers I, II, and III (Maximum 2 Pages)

The Abstract: A 300-word summary of the proposed journal paper and its explicit alignment with themes of artificial intelligence, human agency, and well-being.
The Trajectory: The specific peer-reviewed journal intended for submission.
The Justification: A brief, itemised breakdown explaining exactly how the requested funds will clear an immediate bottleneck and accelerate the paper's delivery.

For Tier IV: Applied Innovation Grant (Maximum 4 Pages)

Project Abstract & Thesis: A 500-word overview outlining the core concept, the user need it addresses, and how it advances human empowerment.
The Lifecycle Plan: A clear timeline detailing the progression from conceptualisation (idea), to prototyping (app), to live deployment and feedback collection (user implementation).
Research & Dissemination Output: An overview of how the user implementation data will be synthesised into a peer-reviewed research paper or public impact report.
Milestone-Based Budget: A structured breakdown of how the £5,000 – £10,000 will be allocated across development, user testing, and publication costs.

Journal & Project Acknowledgement Requirement

All successful recipients are required to include a formal funding acknowledgement within their final published papers, digital interfaces, or project documentation:

"This project was supported by [Award Name] from the AI & Human Empowerment CIC."