IHS Requests Proposals to Fund Research on the Future of Energy, AI, and Government
At America’s 250th anniversary, IHS is investing in scholarship that examines how freedom can remain resilient in a period of political, technological, and institutional strain.
What must a free society protect, renew, or rebuild in order to remain free and thriving under pressure? How should it govern transformative technologies? How can markets deliver energy abundance? Can constitutional structures designed for an earlier era still hold?
We invite scholars to explore these questions through three new requests for proposals in the following areas of research: energy innovation, AI existential risk, and the balance of power in the US government.
Energy Innovation and Market Abundance
AI data centers, electric cars, and small modular reactors are reshaping the energy landscape, and the need for affordable and reliable power has never felt more urgent. We invite research proposals that examine how technological change, regulatory constraints, and market institutions shape the prospects for affordable and reliable energy. Scholars in economics, law, public policy, and related fields can illuminate the pressures facing the energy system and the institutional conditions that make abundance possible.
“Given the need for more data centers to power advances in artificial intelligence, energy innovation is such a vital topic right now. And with technologies like electric cars and small modular reactors we can see a future of energy abundance in which the market can create energy that’s affordable, safe, and reliable. It’s exciting to be part of this RFP project to catalyze research to guide and inform policies that will enable a future of energy abundance.”
– Stephen McAndrew, PhD, Director of Solutions Coalitions, IHS
Do you think your work could contribute to this effort? Click here to learn more about the Energy Innovation project and submit your proposal.
Artificial Intelligence and Human Agency
What can history, philosophy, and the humanities tell us about how societies have navigated technological transformation before? We are interested in proposals that explore the human stakes of artificial intelligence by drawing on these and related disciplines. Scholars in these fields are well positioned to illuminate how past technological shifts reshaped public life and what those lessons suggest for preserving human agency and supporting human flourishing today.
“The rise of artificial intelligence has sparked both excitement and fear, but the proposed mechanisms predicting the pathways for future AGI development require further exploration and challenge. I look forward to seeing emerging research in this area, including work from scholars studying the social adoption of new technologies in the past.”
– Paul Matzko, PhD, Senior Program Manager, IHS
Does this align with your research? To learn more about the AI Existential Risk project and submit your own proposal, click here.
Balance of Powers and the Constitution
The separation of powers was designed to secure freedom by limiting the concentration of authority. How is that system being strained today, and what would it take to preserve it? We are looking for work that clarifies how the separation of powers is being tested under modern political conditions, what these pressures mean for the protection of individual rights, and what principles should guide the system’s renewal in a free society.
“In an era of deep divisions, balancing powers in the United States government is perhaps more important than ever before. This most powerful of American political institutions must provide for the protection of individual rights, even as it honors the democratic principle of majority rule. We’re excited to invite scholars to shed new light on these crucial issues at this pivotal time.”
– Michael Brodrick, PhD, Senior Program Manager, IHS
Interested in contributing to the Balance of Powers in the US Government project? Click here to learn more and submit your proposal.
For most accepted proposals, grants will not exceed $5,000; however, larger awards may be considered for exceptional work in one of these subject areas. Visit the Requests for Proposals webpage to learn more about these opportunities.
