Utah AI Moonshot Program

The Utah AI Moonshot Program is a competitive statewide research funding initiative established under the Governor Pro Human AI Initiative and funded through the Higher Education Research Funding Pilot. The program is administered by The Nucleus Institute in partnership with the Utah System of Higher Education. It is designed to support ambitious artificial intelligence research projects that demonstrate a clear and measurable public benefit for the state of Utah. The program emphasizes transformative outcomes rather than incremental research, seeking proposals that articulate a bold five year vision for improving the health, safety, economic prosperity, and connectedness of Utah communities. The program offers three funding pathways with varying scales and durations. Moonshot Awards provide up to 1000000 dollars for large scale projects over 18 to 24 months, Pathfinder Grants offer up to 200000 dollars for 12 month projects focused on de risking concepts, and Spark Grants provide up to 50000 dollars for early stage ideas over 6 to 9 months. Each funding tier supports projects at different stages of development but shares the same overarching expectation of producing tangible benefits to Utah residents within the award period. Total program funding is 5000000 dollars, with multiple awards distributed across tiers. Eligible projects must align with one of several priority areas, including health and human flourishing, environmental intelligence, bioinnovation, autonomous systems, or an open horizon category for novel ideas. Proposals must be Utah centric, led by a Utah institution of higher education, and include at least one non academic partner such as industry, government, nonprofit, or community organizations. Partnerships must demonstrate meaningful collaboration, including financial or in kind contributions, data sharing, or deployment capabilities. Projects must also include plans for delivering benefits to everyday Utahns and ensuring accessibility across urban and rural populations. The application process requires submission through an institutional sponsored projects office using a designated portal. Required proposal components include an executive summary outlining a five year vision, a team roster and governance plan, a technical narrative with defined milestones, a timeline with deliverables, an impact statement, a pro human design statement, and a detailed budget justification. Proposals must adhere to strict formatting requirements and page limits, with a total maximum length of 12 pages plus letters of support. Budgets may include direct costs such as personnel, equipment, travel, and subawards, but indirect costs are not permitted. Applications are evaluated by a multi sector review panel using criteria that include moonshot ambition, impact on Utah residents, use of Utah specific assets, pro human alignment, feasibility, partnership strength, and public communicability. Each criterion carries a weighted score, emphasizing both the transformative potential of the project and its practical implementation. Additional considerations include commercialization potential, student participation, and alignment with state economic priorities. The program timeline begins with applications opening on August 1, 2026, followed by a submission deadline of October 15, 2026. Award decisions are expected by November 30, 2026, with public announcements occurring on December 8, 2026 at the Utah AI Summit. Projects typically run between 6 and 24 months depending on the funding tier. Awards are contingent on available appropriations, and the program reserves the right to modify funding levels, request additional information, or cancel the solicitation if necessary. The program does not guarantee funding for all applicants and includes provisions for conflict of interest management and independent scholarly review.

Align proposal with Utah specific impact demonstrate strong academic and industry partnerships and clearly define measurable outcomes and commercialization pathways