AI is changing research funding – we need to use it wisely

The Research on Research Institute (RoRI), in partnership with the Research Council of Norway (RCN), today launches Funding by Algorithm: A handbook for responsible uses of AI and machine learning by research funders, a major new publication to support research funders in navigating the fast-changing landscape of artificial intelligence and machine learning.

From peer review to portfolio analysis, grant selection to policy design, data-driven tools are becoming central to the way research is funded and assessed.

As interest grows in the use of AI and machine learning to improve these processes, many funders are now asking: What can these tools meaningfully help us do? Where are the risks? And how do we ensure they are used fairly and transparently?

While the rise of generative AI has sparked sweeping predictions about its impact on research, the practical realities of applying these technologies in funding and evaluation are far more complex. Funding by Algorithm offers frameworks for identifying appropriate use cases, strategies for building internal capacity, and insights from real-world applications.

Funding by Algorithm

A handbook for responsible uses of AI and machine learning by research funders

This new handbook – the first of its kind – draws on two years of collaboration through RoRI’s GRAIL project (Getting Responsible About AI and Machine Learning in Research Funding and Evaluation), involving 13 research funding organisations across three continents. It distils their experiences, questions, and early experiments into clear, practical guidance to help others explore and apply AI in responsible, effective, and equitable ways.

There’s a lot of excitement (and anxiety) about how AI will shape the future of research funding. With this handbook, we wanted to cut through the hype and offer funders something grounded and practical. These technologies can support better research systems – but only if we approach them thoughtfully, with a focus on the real-world challenges AI is meant to help address, and pay attention to funders’ wider contexts and practical constraints.

Denis Newman-Griffis, Project lead, Research on Research Institute and University of Sheffield

The handbook draws on valuable insights and contributions from a global consortium of research funders, including the Research Council of Norway (RCN), Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF), German Research Foundation (DFG), Australian Research Council (ARC), Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), Austrian Science Fund (FWF), Novo Nordisk Foundation (NNF), Dutch Research Council (NWO), “la Caixa” Foundation (LCF), UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), Wellcome Trust, Volkswagen Foundation (VWF), and the Swedish Research Council (SRC).

As funders, we have a responsibility to ensure that AI is used in ways that enhance, not undermine, trust in research. This handbook is a great step toward building shared understanding and responsible approaches that can guide research funders  through this rapidly evolving landscape.

Jon Holm, Co-author, Special adviser and research evaluation expert at the Research Council of Norway

Read the handbook below:

Funding by Algorithm

A handbook for responsible uses of AI and machine learning by research funders

The handbook will be launched at a public webinar today, 20 June at 12 noon UK time. For full speaker details and to register to attend, click here.