Microsoft AI Economy Institute Open Call 4 2026: AI and Jobs research grants
Microsoft Research gives $75,000 grants to university researchers studying how AI changes work and jobs. Proposals are due November 30, 2026.
The Microsoft AI Economy Institute (AIEI) has opened its fourth call for research proposals. The theme of Cohort 4 is "AI and Jobs: designing for augmented work". Each selected proposal receives a research grant of $75,000.
Awardees also get a travel allowance: $7,500 for those based in the United States, Canada or Mexico, and $20,000 for everyone else. Awardees become AIEI Senior Fellows.
The call is open to researchers at accredited universities and research institutions worldwide. A proposal can have up to two principal investigators, and each must have held a PhD or equivalent degree for at least three years. Only one award is made per proposal.
Example topics include delegation and judgment, designing for augmentation, how organizations adopt AI including open models, how people build expertise when entry level work changes, and AI mediated discovery and markets. Proposals are scored equally on scientific strength, feasibility, practical use and the productivity of the investigators.
The submission portal opened on October 19, 2026 and the deadline is November 30, 2026 at 6:00 PM Pacific time. Awards are announced in December 2026. The research period runs from January to June 2027, with workshops every two weeks online and one in person workshop in March 2027.