NIST Center for AI Standards and Innovation (CAISI / formerly AISI)

The Center for AI Standards and Innovation, formerly the AI Safety Institute, is NIST's operating unit for commercial AI testing, evaluation science, and standards work. It serves as the government's main point of contact for collaborative research with industry on frontier AI systems. The rebrand matters because the work now sits around standards and innovation as much as safety. The program operates as a U.S.-based grant route with awards from $250,000 to $10 million and a median award of $1.5 million. The structured eligibility profile points to for-profit applicants, with nonprofits also allowed, and a TRL range from 3 to 8. The most relevant subject matter is AI safety, evaluation, and standards, with the work often overlapping red-teaming, model assessment, and measurement methods. This is a fit for teams that can help NIST test commercial models, define evaluation methods, or support security and standards development across the AI stack. The practical value is in technical credibility and the ability to work across agencies, since the center coordinates with defense, energy, homeland security, science policy, and the intelligence community. It is a policy-adjacent technical program, not a broad open innovation grant.

No upcoming rounds verified. Cadence: Annual.