Opportunity Information: Apply for 17 518
National Robotics Initiative 2.0: Ubiquitous Collaborative Robots (NRI-2.0) is a federal grant opportunity aimed at pushing forward fundamental robotics research in the United States, with a clear emphasis on robots that work alongside people rather than replacing them. The central idea is to accelerate the development and real-world use of "collaborative robots" (often called co-robots) that can operate in close coordination with human partners. While the earlier NRI effort concentrated on proving out the basic concept of human-robot collaboration, NRI-2.0 expands the scope to focus on what it takes to make these systems practical at scale, meaning situations where many robots and many humans interact at once, across different settings, and over long periods of operation.
A major theme of the program is scalability and coordination in complex teams. The solicitation highlights the need for research on how multiple robots and multiple humans can interact smoothly and effectively, including how responsibilities, communication, and decision-making should be shared between people and machines. It also calls for advances that allow robots to perform a wide range of tasks in a wide range of environments without constant re-engineering. In other words, the program is interested in robots that can generalize better, adapt faster, and be deployed more broadly with minimal hardware and software changes, rather than systems that only work in a narrowly controlled scenario.
Another key focus is robot learning and the use of shared information. NRI-2.0 encourages approaches where robots improve performance and efficiency by drawing on large pools of data and experience, including resources from the cloud, knowledge learned by other robots, and input from people. This points to research directions such as collective learning, shared autonomy, distributed knowledge representations, and methods that let robots benefit from each other's training and operation history. Closely tied to this is the emphasis on reliability and large-scale operation: the program explicitly notes the importance of designing both hardware and software in ways that support dependable performance when systems are deployed broadly and expected to work safely and consistently.
Beyond the technical research agenda, NRI-2.0 also supports education and workforce development tied to robotics. The opportunity seeks innovative ways to establish and integrate robotics into educational curricula, build clearer education-to-career pathways, and strengthen the robotics workforce. In addition, it recognizes that ubiquitous collaborative robots will have real consequences outside engineering, so it invites exploration of social, behavioral, and economic implications. That can include how people perceive and trust co-robots, how workplaces change when humans and robots share tasks, what new skills become necessary, and what broader impacts these technologies may have on communities and industries.
The program encourages collaboration across universities, industry, non-profits, and other organizations to better connect fundamental science and engineering research with practical technology development, deployment, and use. It also allows international collaborations when they are well justified and clearly add value to the proposed research and education activities. The opportunity is administered by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and supported by multiple federal agencies, including NSF, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), and the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD). Because multiple agencies participate, applicants are expected to align project goals with the mission interests of the relevant agency and direct fit questions to the appropriate agency point of contact referenced in the solicitation.
From the published opportunity details, this is a discretionary grant program (Funding Opportunity Number 17-518) in the science and technology R and D category. The listed award ceiling is $1,500,000, with an anticipated total of about 70 awards. The opportunity was created on Nov 05, 2016, with an original closing date of Feb 02, 2017. Eligibility is described broadly as "Others" with additional clarification referenced in the full solicitation text. The funding is associated with multiple CFDA numbers reflecting the multi-agency nature of the program: 10.310, 12.800, 47.041, 47.070, 47.075, 47.076, 81.049, and 81.104.Apply for 17 518
- The National Science Foundation in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "National Robotics Initiative 2.0: Ubiquitous Collaborative Robots" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 10.310, 12.800, 47.041, 47.070, 47.075, 47.076, 81.049, 81.104.
- This funding opportunity was created on Nov 05, 2016.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Feb 02, 2017. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $1,500,000.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 70 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).
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National Robotics Initiative 2.0 (NRI-2.0) Grant FAQs
What is the National Robotics Initiative 2.0 (NRI-2.0) grant opportunity?
NRI-2.0: Ubiquitous Collaborative Robots is a federal grant opportunity focused on advancing fundamental robotics research in the United States, especially robotics designed to work alongside people. The program centers on "collaborative robots" (co-robots) that coordinate with human partners rather than replacing them.
What is the main goal of NRI-2.0 compared with the earlier NRI effort?
The earlier NRI effort focused on demonstrating the basic concept of human-robot collaboration. NRI-2.0 expands that scope to emphasize what it takes to make collaborative robots practical at scale, including situations with many humans and many robots interacting across different settings and over long operating periods.
What types of robots does the program emphasize?
The emphasis is on collaborative robots (co-robots) that can operate in close coordination with humans. The program highlights coordination, shared responsibilities, and smooth interaction between people and machines in real-world environments.
What does "ubiquitous collaborative robots" mean in the context of this program?
In this solicitation, it points to co-robots that can be deployed broadly and sustainably, across varied environments and tasks, including large-scale scenarios where many humans and robots work together over time.
What are the key research themes in this funding opportunity?
The provided opportunity description highlights several themes: (1) scalability and coordination in complex human-robot teams, (2) better generalization and faster adaptation to varied tasks and environments with minimal re-engineering, (3) robot learning that leverages shared information such as large pools of data and experience (including cloud resources, other robots, and human input), and (4) reliability and dependable performance in large-scale, real-world operation.
What does the solicitation mean by scalability and coordination?
It refers to research on how multiple robots and multiple humans can interact smoothly and effectively at once. This includes how responsibilities, communication, and decision-making are shared between people and machines when teams become large and the environment is complex.
Does NRI-2.0 prioritize robots that can work in many settings rather than a single controlled scenario?
Yes. The program description calls for advances that allow robots to perform a wide range of tasks in a wide range of environments without constant re-engineering, favoring systems that generalize better and can be deployed more broadly with minimal hardware and software changes.
What kinds of learning approaches are encouraged under NRI-2.0?
The opportunity encourages approaches where robots improve performance and efficiency using shared information and shared experience. Examples mentioned include collective learning, shared autonomy, distributed knowledge representations, and methods that allow robots to benefit from other robots' training and operation history, as well as input from people and cloud resources.
How important are reliability and safety for projects funded under NRI-2.0?
Reliability is explicitly emphasized in the program description, particularly because the initiative targets large-scale, broad deployment. It notes the importance of designing hardware and software to support dependable performance when systems are expected to operate safely and consistently in widespread use.
Does the program include education and workforce development goals?
Yes. NRI-2.0 supports education and workforce development tied to robotics, including innovative ways to integrate robotics into curricula, build clearer education-to-career pathways, and strengthen the robotics workforce.
Are social, behavioral, or economic aspects of collaborative robots within scope?
Yes. The solicitation invites exploration of social, behavioral, and economic implications of ubiquitous collaborative robots, such as how people perceive and trust co-robots, how workplaces change when humans and robots share tasks, what new skills are required, and the broader impacts on communities and industries.
Is collaboration across different types of organizations encouraged?
Yes. The program encourages collaboration among universities, industry, non-profits, and other organizations to connect fundamental science and engineering research with practical technology development, deployment, and use.
Are international collaborations allowed?
Yes. The opportunity allows international collaborations when they are well justified and clearly add value to the proposed research and education activities.
Which agency administers NRI-2.0?
The opportunity is administered by the National Science Foundation (NSF).
Which federal agencies support the program?
The description indicates multi-agency support, including NSF, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), and the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD).
How should applicants handle the fact that multiple agencies participate?
Because multiple agencies participate, applicants are expected to align project goals with the mission interests of the relevant agency. Fit and mission alignment questions should be directed to the appropriate agency point of contact referenced in the solicitation.
What is the Funding Opportunity Number for this solicitation?
The Funding Opportunity Number listed is 17-518.
What type of grant program is this?
It is described as a discretionary grant program in the science and technology R&D category.
What is the maximum award amount (award ceiling)?
The listed award ceiling is $1,500,000.
About how many awards were anticipated?
The published opportunity details anticipate a total of about 70 awards.
When was the opportunity created, and what was the original closing date?
The opportunity was created on Nov 05, 2016, and had an original closing date of Feb 02, 2017.
Who is eligible to apply?
Eligibility is described broadly as "Others," with additional clarification referenced in the full solicitation text.
What CFDA numbers are associated with this opportunity?
The funding is associated with multiple CFDA numbers reflecting the multi-agency nature of the program: 10.310, 12.800, 47.041, 47.070, 47.075, 47.076, 81.049, and 81.104.
Why are there multiple CFDA numbers listed?
The description notes that multiple CFDA numbers reflect the multi-agency nature of the program, consistent with support from several federal agencies.
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| Integrative Strategies for Understanding Neural and Cognitive Systems Apply for 17 519 Funding Number: 17 519 Agency: National Science Foundation Category: Science and Technology and other Research and Development Funding Amount: $1,000,000 |
| FIELD INITIATED PROJECTS PROGRAM (DEVELOPMENT) Apply for HHS 2017 ACL NIDILRR IFDV 0191 Funding Number: HHS 2017 ACL NIDILRR IFDV 0191 Agency: Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Community Living Category: Science and Technology and other Research and Development Funding Amount: $200,000 |
| FIELD INITIATED PROJECTS PROGRAM (RESEARCH) Apply for HHS 2017 ACL NIDILRR IFRE 0192 Funding Number: HHS 2017 ACL NIDILRR IFRE 0192 Agency: Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Community Living Category: Science and Technology and other Research and Development Funding Amount: $200,000 |
| Advanced Rehabilitation Research Training (ARRT) Program - Community Living and Participation Apply for HHS 2017 ACL NIDILRR ARCP 0188 Funding Number: HHS 2017 ACL NIDILRR ARCP 0188 Agency: Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Community Living Category: Science and Technology and other Research and Development Funding Amount: $150,000 |
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| Advanced Rehabilitation Research Training (ARRT) Program - Employment Apply for HHS 2017 ACL NIDILRR AREM 0190 Funding Number: HHS 2017 ACL NIDILRR AREM 0190 Agency: Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Community Living Category: Science and Technology and other Research and Development Funding Amount: $150,000 |
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| Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, Great Basin CESU Apply for G17AS00014 Funding Number: G17AS00014 Agency: Department of the Interior, Geological Survey Category: Science and Technology and other Research and Development Funding Amount: $73,000 |
| Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, Great Lakes Northern Forests CESU Apply for G17AS00017 Funding Number: G17AS00017 Agency: Department of the Interior, Geological Survey Category: Science and Technology and other Research and Development Funding Amount: $150,000 |
| Field Initiated Projects Program: Minority-Serving Institution (MSI) -Research Apply for HHS 2017 ACL NIDILRR IFST 0185 Funding Number: HHS 2017 ACL NIDILRR IFST 0185 Agency: Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Community Living Category: Science and Technology and other Research and Development Funding Amount: $200,000 |
| Field Initiated Projects Program: Minority-Serving Institution (MSI) - Development Apply for HHS 2017 ACL NIDILRR IFST 0186 Funding Number: HHS 2017 ACL NIDILRR IFST 0186 Agency: Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Community Living Category: Science and Technology and other Research and Development Funding Amount: $200,000 |
| FY 2017 PHase I Release 2 SBIR/STTR Apply for DE FOA 0001619 Funding Number: DE FOA 0001619 Agency: Department of Energy - Office of Science, Office of Science Category: Science and Technology and other Research and Development Funding Amount: $150,000 |
| Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, Piedmont, South Atlantic Coast CESU Apply for G17AS00018 Funding Number: G17AS00018 Agency: Department of the Interior, Geological Survey Category: Science and Technology and other Research and Development Funding Amount: $20,902 |
| Switzer Research Fellowships Program Apply for HHS 2017 ACL NIDILRR SFGE 0193 Funding Number: HHS 2017 ACL NIDILRR SFGE 0193 Agency: Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Community Living Category: Science and Technology and other Research and Development Funding Amount: $80,000 |
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