Erasmus Initiative Societal Impact of AI aims for innovative and interdisciplinary research and education in AI that places people and society centre stage. Together with key stakeholders we set the expectations for implementations of AI benefiting society. In setting these expectations, we seek to engage the public with the rapidly evolving integration of AI in society.
The AiPact Spore Fund (referring to an organically growing mycelium), invites Erasmus University scholars to apply for sponsoring of research and networking activities that align with the AiPact objectives and its programme lines. Why? To initiate, consolidate and connect an interdisciplinary network of scholars, enabling innovative research and educational projects on the societal implications of AI. Funding can be requested up to a maximum of €5,000.
The AiPact Spore Fund offers financial support for research and networking activities within the broader theme of AiPact at Erasmus University Rotterdam. These grants are provided to cover the cost of the expenses arising from local and international workshops, events, visits, pilot studies and preparation of grant proposals.
Funds are available to:
- Facilitate initial project planning and development (such as writing your grant proposal)
- Support the direct costs of research (such as pilot studies)
- Enable the advancement of interdisciplinary research through (international) workshops, conferences, events or visits.
Support can be sought for any combination of eligible activities.
The grant is open to all academic staff at Erasmus University Rotterdam. In order to be eligible, your application should:
- Demonstrate a clear link with the AiPact objectives, focusing on the societal impact of AI and/or fitting with one or more of the four programme lines.
- Ensure that the requested funds are for a clearly defined, distinct activity or piece of research, which will have an identifiable outcome on completion.
- Include a one-page rationale and budget specification, that clearly describes how the funding purpose meets the AiPact objectives and how the requested amount will be spent.
The level of the award is up to €5,000. Funding cannot be used to cover the cost of replacement teaching, payment in lieu of salary, or technical equipment. The awarded budget is for direct expenses for your research or networking activities only.
The AiPact Spore Fund is open call and is evaluated on a rolling basis. There is a limited amount of funding available, so applications will be reviewed and selected based on the relevance to the theme of the initiative and the societal impact.
You can submit your application to aipact@eur.nl.
If you have any questions or would like to discuss a project idea, please contact us at aipact@eur.nl. If you want to apply, we advise you to discuss your proposal with your responsible research mentor if applicable.
The final grant decision will be provided in writing.
We kindly request successful applicants to submit a short social media report via LinkedIn, with visuals of the activity and to tag and mention #AiPact where possible so your research and activities are exposed and can encourage others to contribute to society through AI too.