New updates to the AISI Challenge Fund

It’s been three months since we launched the AISI Challenge Fund — and in that time, we’ve received over a hundred of applications from across the UK and around the world. We’re encouraged and inspired by the strong interest from the research community, and we’re proud to be working together towards a safer, more secure future for AI.

Over the past few months, we’ve also heard from many of you potential applicants who’ve taken the time to share helpful feedback about how the programme can be clearer, faster, and more accessible. We’re grateful for your insights, and we’ve taken real steps to respond.

Here are some important updates based on what we’ve been told:

We’ve published a refreshed version of our priority research areas document , now aligned more closely with the AISI Research Agenda . This gives applicants clearer insight into the types of research we’re keen to support — and we encourage applicants to review it before applying.

Instead of waiting until project completion, successful applicants will now receive funding through monthly payments in arrears. This change is designed to ease cash flow constraints, particularly for smaller organisations, and make it more feasible for a wider range of teams to take part.

We know that budgeting has been a common source of confusion. To help, we’ve released cost guidance to clarify what types of costs are eligible — and how to present them. While this guidance will be most relevant for Stage 2 applicants, it can still serve as a useful reference when preparing your Stage 1 budget narrative.

We’re hosting a follow-up Applicant Webinar to give you the chance to engage directly with our Research teams. This session will focus on what types of research we’re looking to fund, what areas our teams are most interested in, and where they see opportunities for collaboration. It’s also a great opportunity to ask questions in real time.