Google Research

Award for inclusion research program

The Award for Inclusion Research Program recognizes and supports academic research in computing and technology that addresses the needs of historically marginalized groups globally.

Launched in 2020, the Award for Inclusion Research (AIR) Program is an ongoing effort to support innovative research and professors working to create positive societal impact.

Program Status

Applications are currently closed.

Decisions for the 2023 application cycle will be announced via email in October 2023. Please check back in 2024 for details on future application cycles.

Research areas

This year, we are particularly interested in research areas focused on the following:

We welcome submissions outside of the above areas for research endeavors that impact historically marginalized groups globally. Please apply under the category "Miscellaneous".

Award information

We encourage submissions from professors globally who are teaching at universities and meet the eligibility requirements. The AIR Program funds topics including accessibility, impact of AI on education, collaboration, collective & society-centered AI and gender bias, and many other areas that aim to have a positive impact on underrepresented groups.

Award details

  • The funds granted will be up to $60,000 USD and are intended to support the advancement of the professor’s research during the academic year in which the award is provided.
  • Awards are disbursed as unrestricted gifts to the university and are not intended for overhead or indirect costs.

See the FAQ for details on the proposal format.

Eligibility criteria

  • Open to professors (assistant, associate, etc) at a university or degree-granting research institution.
  • Applicant may only serve as Principal Investigator (PI) or co-PI on one proposal per round. There can be a maximum of 2 PIs per proposal.
  • Proposals must be related to computing or technology.
  • Proposed research must impact users from historically marginalized groups. The definition of who is historically marginalized is responsive to a specific region, context, and its nuances; the proposal should define the users from historically marginalized groups the research aims to impact, and how the research will address their needs.

Strong proposals demonstrate a clear understanding of the users from historically marginalized groups the research aims to impact, such as direct collaboration with the users in the research process, describing the relationship of the PI(s) to the users/research, and describing the motivation to pursue the research.

Review criteria

  • Faculty merit: What is your prior research work? Are you qualified through your prior research experience to conduct the proposed research? Have you done preliminary research to show your investment in this space?
  • Broader impact & research merit: What is the impact of this research work being done successfully? Is it innovative? Could it change the academic landscape if successful? Do you have resources to conduct the research at hand?
  • Proposal quality: Is the proposal clear, focused and follows guidelines? Is it easy to navigate and how you plan to approach the research problem? Do you provide further documentation as needed?

Frequently asked questions

Learn more about our programs and outreach efforts on our FAQ page.