FAQs

A successful proposal will outline an ambitious two-year research program in one of the following fields, or at their intersections: computational astrophysics and physics, computational biology, mathematics, neuroscience and computational physical chemistry. Each proposal will necessarily rely on the development and utilization of foundational machine learning models, aimed at solving problems of fundamental importance in the above-listed disciplines.

Computational biophysics, neuroscience, ecology and evolution, plant biology, optimal transport, multiscale physics, fluid dynamics and numerical general relativity are representative examples of fields that could use multinode clusters of GPUs of Empire AI, which is a requirement of the program.

Empire AI consortium member institutions eligible for funding are Columbia University, Cornell University, City University of New York (CUNY), State University of New York (SUNY), Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, New York University, University of Rochester, Rochester Institute of Technology and Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Employees of the Flatiron Institute can participate as unfunded collaborators.

The main applicant PI must be from an institution within the Empire AI consortium eligible to receive funding. Additional PIs on a proposal can be employed by institutions outside of the Empire AI consortium, including non-U.S. institutions. Please see our policies regarding non-U.S. Awards.

There is no maximum budget total for an individual award. The total amount requested should reflect the proposed research. All award amounts are inclusive of indirect costs (see our grant policies). Please note that we anticipate funding six to 12 applications. The total program’s budget of $6 million USD over two years will be spread across all awards.

Indirect costs are allowed for this award and must follow our indirect cost policy (see our policies). The indirect cost rate is nonnegotiable.

Applications with multiple PIs from different institutions will be paid directly by the main institution. The additional PI must be added to the “Project Personnel” section to generate a subcontract budget for each PI.

For assistance navigating SAM, please refer to the SAM frequently asked questions and instructional videos webpage.

No. Please be advised that all deadlines are in U.S. Eastern time. We recommend registering early and submitting with ample time for corrections prior to the deadline hour. Site traffic can slow page-load times. You will not be able to submit after the deadline has passed.

If changes are required to the application after submission, you must first contact [email protected]. Applications can only be changed prior to the deadline. Once revised, the application must be sent for sign-off and signed by the Signing Official again in order to resubmit.

Only one person can edit a record at a time. A record will be locked for editing if another user already has it opened, and a gray bar will display at the bottom of the record to prevent multiple users from overwriting one another’s changes. Ask other users at your institution to close the application, then refresh your page. If this still does not correct the issue, please reach out to [email protected].

All applications must be submitted via the Simons Award Manager (SAM). Please refer to the submission instructions for detailed steps on how to complete and submit your application. You will not be able to submit if the deadline has passed. We will not accept applications or individual application materials submitted via email or ma

If changes are required to the application after it has been sent for sign-off, the Signing Official must send the application back for revisions. Once revised, the application must be sent for sign-off again and signed by the Signing Official in order to submit by the deadline. You will not be able to submit once the deadline has passed.