Scope and Opportunity
Recent technological developments have raised new concerns about the dangers posed by nuclear weapons. Emerging technologies and the rate of technological change – especially in areas related to outer space, artificial intelligence, cyberspace, and quantum – have disrupted traditional understandings of the risks associated with nuclear weapons and their role in escalation control, crisis management, and global security regimes.
Recognizing the consequences of these challenges, Carnegie Corporation of New York has launched a Request for Proposals (RFP) for innovative projects that will further explore the implications of emerging technologies and their risks associated with nuclear weapons. Through a highly competitive process, philanthropic grants up to $500,000 will be given to projects that may run up to 24 months. In total, Carnegie expects to select five to seven grants for a total of up to $2.5 million. The deadline for submission of a project concept note is February 28, 2025. More details are provided below.
Objectives
The RFP seeks projects that will analyze how and where technological developments affect nuclear risks and identify solutions for reducing these dangers. In particular, the RFP aims to explore how new and emerging technologies, and especially those related to outer space, artificial intelligence, cyberspace, and quantum, are fundamentally altering longstanding notions of nuclear deterrence and stability, how they could increase or reduce the risks of nuclear crises, and how they could increase or reduce the chances of future bilateral or multilateral agreements related to arms control, nonproliferation, and disarmament.
Requirements
Concept notes must answer each of the following questions:
- What is the knowledge gap your project addresses and why is filling that gap important for understanding the risks associated with emerging technologies and nuclear weapons?
- What activities will you undertake and why do you believe these are sound approaches?
- What do you anticipate will be the biggest challenges, and what mechanisms, institutions, and/or individuals will be critical for success?
- Who will be your key audiences, and what will be the main elements of your dissemination plan?
- Why are your institution(s) and people well-positioned to carry out this work?
- What broad impact would this project have for society?
- How much funding are you requesting from Carnegie, what is the estimated total cost of the project, and do you have any other complementary sources of support?
Additional Considerations
Although not required, concept notes are strongly encouraged to be led by an early-to-mid career expert or a team of early-to-mid career experts. In addition, concept notes are encouraged to:
- Involve collaborations between institutions and especially between those with technical and policy expertise.
- Seek to provide innovative approaches and actionable recommendations for governments, international institutions, and industry to reduce the risks associated with emerging technologies and nuclear weapons.
- Emphasize innovative solutions or creative approaches that leverage interdisciplinary perspectives to address the evolving challenges related to emerging technologies and nuclear weapons.
Eligibility
- Think tanks, university-based centers, and independent nongovernmental organizations are eligible to apply and each may submit up to two concept notes for the entire institution.
- Applying organizations must be based in the United States but are encouraged, where applicable, to have international partners.
- Concept notes must be submitted by an organization or institution; individual researchers are not eligible for consideration.
- Preference will be given to organizations or institution that currently are not Carnegie grantees.
- Projects may build on past or current work but must represent an expansion or evolution of that work.
Application Process and Timeline
- Applicants should submit a concept note. This should consist of one document containing two parts: a project proposal running no more than 1,000 words (and answering the required questions mentioned above) and one additional page with brief biographies of the principal investigator/s and key project personnel.
- Concept notes must be formatted as a PDF.
- All concept notes must be submitted online before midnight ET on February 28, 2025.
- Finalists will be contacted by May 15, 2025, with an invitation to submit a full proposal.
Questions? Please email IP_RFP@carnegie.org.
