/Office for Research and Innovation
Proposal Development

 

NSF X-Labs Initiative - AI for Physical Systems

X-LABS AI for Physical Systems PORTAL

All applications for this internal competition must be submitted via InfoReady. You can sign in using your Net-ID and your @stonybrook.edu email address. Please allow sufficient time to familiarize yourself with the portal prior to submitting your pre-application. Pre-application requirements are listed in the announcement below.

The Office for Research and Innovation invites applications for the NSF X-Labs Initiative – AI for Physical Systems Topic Area, which will target early-stage platform technologies that enable breakthroughs to accelerate entirely new forms of AI integration in physical systems including advanced sensors, robotics, embodied systems, human-robot interfaces, or cyber-physical systems. Stony Brook University can submit TWO applications to this topic area. 

Please see below for details. If you are interested in applying, you must submit a pre-application via the NSF X-Labs: AI for Physical Systems Portal in InfoReady by Monday, October 19, 2026, at 11:59 pm as a single PDF document.

KEYWORDS: Artificial Intelligence, Physical Systems, Sensors, Robotics, Biotechnology 

WHAT DOES IT FUND: The X-Labs Initiative is designed to build sector-defining platforms and develop new organizational research structures. The initiative will offer sustained, multi-year support to innovative and institutionally independent organizational structures to fill a vital gap in the innovation ecosystem. Awards will support a dedicated NSF X-Labs team with substantial operational independence and the flexibility to adapt quickly to an evolving technology landscape. See section 6 of main OTASO for details on expected new organizational entity/team structure and autonomy assessment. Examples of existing high-impact platform technologies include Very Large-Scale Integration (VLSI), the Internet, Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR), brain-computing interfaces, next-generation sequencing, AI models for protein structure prediction, and Light-Emitting Diodes (LEDs). See section 7 of main OTASO for examples of expected outcomes. 

Topic Area Description: NSF X-Labs teams will target early-stage platform technologies that enable breakthroughs to accelerate entirely new forms of AI integration in physical systems including advanced sensors, robotics, embodied systems, human-robot interfaces, or cyber-physical systems. Proposals must develop a technology not presently supported by existing R&D investments by the U.S. public or private sector. Examples of relevant Missions include, but are not limited to: technologies to enable new forms of distributed learning and swarming; adaptive behavior in the absence of connectivity; novel algorithms for sensor integration into digital twin or cyber-physical simulations; new capabilities in edge AI for physical systems; new modalities for AI control of emerging robotics such as bio-inspired or bio-hybrid components; platforms to support the next generation of robotic manufacturing based on mass-customizability and intuitive learning; and breakthroughs in the development of training data that, together with other advances, prepare physical AI systems for real-world variability including interactions with human counterparts. The resultant innovative platform technologies should benefit a broad range of application domains critical to U.S. competitiveness and security, which may include healthcare, national defense, emergency response, advanced manufacturing, and scientific discovery. An NSF X-Labs Mission in this Topic must be transformative, accelerating breakthrough R&D in physical AI towards creating or reshaping new lines of research and technologies. See Topic Area OTASO for full details.

 

THIS PROGRAM DOES NOT FUND: testbed or data center development, non-technical challenges, advancement of multiple research arms of a technology sector without a clear and

defined Mission for high-impact outcomes, computational or software solutions without practical integration into a physical system, integration of current technologies without significant advancement of the state-of-the-art, development of technologies where the impact is narrow and not widely deployable, fundamental research without potential for application in platform technologies, incremental advancement of the state-of-the-art of a technology or platform, or advancement of technologies that are already appropriately developed to the point of full-scale commercialization or that already demonstrate industry or venture capital investment.

 

APPLICANT REQUIREMENTS: Senior/Key Personnel may be listed on a maximum of one Written Proposal per Topic Announcement. Senior/Key personnel and/or members of an NSF X-Lab’s core leadership team must be dedicated full-time to the team by the beginning of Phase 1, unless otherwise approved by NSF. See Section 6 of main OTASO for details.

AWARD: NSF anticipates awarding teams selected for Phase 0 no more than $1,500,000, and teams selected for Phase 1 no more than $50,000,000 per year. Teams must consider their own operational needs and organizational readiness prior to requesting Phase 0 funding. NSF anticipates awarding teams a Phase 0 award lasting 9-12 months. After a Phase 1 Go/No Go selection, successful teams may proceed to Phase 1 lasting 24-36 months, with potential renewal for Phase 2 based on performance. By the end of a Phase 2 period of performance, a successful NSF X-Labs team might be sustained by external support and/or have accomplished their core Mission and transformed into a different organizational structure. In some cases where continued NSF funding is in the best interests of the nation, NSF may choose to award a Phase 3.

COST SHARE: Not required

SPONSOR DEADLINE: NSF will host an informational Q&A webinar for the new topic area AI for Physical Systems on October 14, 2026 from 1-2 pm. Questions due to NSF November 16, 2026. Written proposals due January 7, 2027. Virtual Oral Proposal Presentations by invitation only: not listed. Phase 0 awards expected to begin July 2027. Go/No Go selection for Phase 1 expected February 2028. Phase 1 awards expected to begin April 2028.

SPECIAL NOTICE: There are some complexities with this funding opportunity that are being reviewed by RF Legal. As a result, each X-Labs submission is reviewed by the Research Foundation Central Office and we will communicate related guidance and requirements. Additionally, although the submission portal does not explicitly require AOR submission, note that this is a limited opportunity and the NSF expects that the two proposals submitted were given formal institutional approval to move forward.

 

A complete pre-application should comprise of the following:
  • Statement from the PI's SBU Chair, which confirms that the PI has discussed this proposal with their chair and that they both understand that, if funded, the PI will be dedicated full-time to the X-Labs team by the beginning of Phase 1, unless otherwise approved by NSF.
  • Written Proposal (not to exceed a total of 3 single-sided pages, typed, single-spaced, using 12-point font, on 8½” by 11” paper, with 1” margins on all sides) including: 
    • Mission: Describe one or more novel platform technologies that the proposed NSF X-Lab is uniquely suited to advance. Successful teams will have a clear vision statement of how their work will result in an end-state that reshapes an entire field of scientific inquiry or a sector of technology, and how their Mission is currently unmet by existing organizational structures and funding mechanisms.
    • Technology Landscape: Provide an analysis of the current technology landscape that justifies how the proposed platform technology would accelerate the emergence of new technologies and lines of research. The Technology Landscape Analysis should compare current state-of-the-art technology and should provide a clear description of the team’s goal to progress the technology and unlock fundamentally new capabilities.
    • Outcomes: Describe the team’s ambitious target outcomes over a 5- to 7-year timescale to accomplish the stated Mission and the scientific and technical performance benchmarks needed to get there.
    • Senior/Key Personnel Qualifications: Provide a brief description of the qualifications of Senior/Key Personnel on the team. Include technical expertise, experience commercializing technology, past efforts, and other qualifications that will contribute to achieving the team’s Mission. Include information for all Senior/Key Personnel, including team members not currently affiliated with the lead organization.
    • Team Capabilities Statement: Provide a Team Capability Statement describing how the Senior/Key Personnel on the proposed leadership team bring together complementary expertise in strategic leadership, technical expertise, and/or entrepreneurship, as applicable. The statement should describe how, collectively, the team demonstrates the experience, adaptability, and collaborative approach necessary to execute the Mission. Briefly describe the team’s intended governance structure and autonomy during Phase 0 and Phase 1. If applicable, include an overview of networks, partnerships, and capital resources your team currently has and how they will be deployed in support of the proposal.
  • PI's CV or Biosketch