University of Delaware to Lead USD 21.5 Million NSF AI Institute for Human-AI Cooperation
The U.S. National Science Foundation has awarded the University of Delaware USD 21.5 million to lead a national institute that reframes artificial intelligence as a clinical teammate in rehabilitation and personalized care.
The University of Delaware will lead a new U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) National Artificial Intelligence Research Institute focused on human-AI cooperation, NSF announced on July 29, 2026. The USD 21.5 million, five-year award establishes the NSF AI Institute for Human-AI Cooperation (HAIC), headquartered at the University of Delaware's Data Science Institute.
Image Source: University of Delaware.
A National Program for AI Research
HAIC is the newest entry in the NSF National Artificial Intelligence Research Institutes program, a strategic federal investment in the foundational science behind AI and its use in critical sectors of the economy. Launched in 2020 and funded at about USD 20 million each over five years, the program now comprises 29 institutes that connect more than 500 funded and collaborative institutions across the United States and around the world. It ranks among the largest public-private investments in AI research and development to date.
The institutes advance work across five pillars: agriculture and food supply chains, materials discovery, AI and advanced cybersecurity, human-AI interaction and collaboration, and AI-augmented learning. HAIC sits squarely in the human-AI interaction and collaboration pillar. The program aligns with the White House AI Action Plan and Executive Order 14277, titled "Advancing Artificial Intelligence Education for American Youth," which calls for expanding AI literacy and access to training across communities.
Rather than replacing human judgment, the institutes are designed to translate research into scalable, practical solutions, build a national infrastructure for AI education and workforce development, and train the next generation of researchers and practitioners.
