The Microsoft AI Economy Institute Cohort 4 for Global Researchers ($75,000 Research Grants)

Application Deadline: November 30, 2026

Applications are now open for the 2026 Microsoft AI Economy Institute. Launched in 2025, Microsoft’s AI Economy Institute (AIEI) supports independent, policy-relevant research on how artificial intelligence is reshaping productivity, labor markets, education systems, and economic opportunity worldwide. AIEI advances rigorous scholarship that informs policymakers, educators, employers, and workers as societies adapt to the rapid diffusion of generative AI. The institute emphasizes scholarship that is immediately translatable to policy, decision-making, and investment.

Cohort 4: AIEI Senior Fellows

Cohort 4 is open to researchers affiliated with accredited universities or research institutions worldwide. Up to two Principal Investigators (PIs) are accepted per proposal, and PIs must hold a PhD or equivalent terminal degree (e.g., MD, JD, DrPH).

Cohort 4: Research focus

AI and Jobs: designing for augmented work

Microsoft AIEI invites proposals for its fourth global research call, centered on understanding the organizational choices that shape where AI complements human work, where it substitutes for human work, and where it creates entirely new forms of economic activity. These outcomes are not fixed properties of a model; they emerge from choices about workflow design, team structure, governance, incentives, accountability, and expertise development.

The AIEI Senior Fellows experience

The Senior Fellows Program follows a structured, cohort‑based model designed to support rigorous research, peer exchange, and public dissemination.

Senior Fellows will:

• Participate in bi‑weekly virtual workshops with fellow researchers and subject‑matter experts
• Engage in a multi‑day, in‑person workshop with Microsoft subject matter experts and AIEI leadership
• Contribute a chapter to an edited trade book on the AI economy
• Submit a research manuscript to a high‑quality, open‑access academic journal

Eligibility

• Open to researchers affiliated with accredited universities or research institutions worldwide and PIs and co-PIs must hold a PhD or equivalent terminal degree (e.g., MD, JD, DrPH) at the time of application.
• Each proposal may include up to two Principal Investigators (PIs), but only one award will be issued. Interdisciplinary teams are encouraged, and all PIs must meet the eligibility requirements.

Award and support

• Each selected proposal will receive a single research gift of $75,000.
• Each selected proposal is eligible for one travel allowance to support attendance at the in‑person workshop:
  • $7,500 for awardees based in the United States, Canada, or Mexico
  • $20,000 for all other awardees

Application components

Applications consist of two parts:

1. Applicant Biosketch (11-point font)
   • Personal statement (≤300 words)
   • One page professional summary
   • Up to three contributions to science
   • Current research support and citation metrics (H-index, total number of citations, and I-index)
2. Project Overview
   • Research question, methods, and contribution
   • Policy relevance and applicability
   • Up to three target journals

For More Information:

Visit the Official Webpage of the Microsoft AI Economy Institute