Arena Academic Partnerships (Up to $50K/Project)
Source: https://arena.ai/blog/academic-partnerships-program
Expires: 2026-03-31
Description
Create account to comment on specific lines or Sign in
+ 1 Arena (formerly LMArena, the team behind Chatbot Arena / LMSYS) funds independent academic research in AI evaluation, rankings, and measurement. The program provides up to $50,000 per project plus access to Arena datasets. Arena raised $150M at a $1.7B valuation and is investing in advancing the scientific foundations of AI evaluation through independent academic work. This is a research grant, not a startup program -- it is designed for tenure-track faculty at U.S. universities.
No comments on this line yet.
+ 2
No comments on this line yet.
+
3
No comments on this line yet.
+ 4
No comments on this line yet.
+ 6
No comments on this line yet.
+ 7 1. Review eligibility: You must be a tenure-track faculty member at a U.S.-based university or research institution
No comments on this line yet.
+ 8 2. Prepare your proposal covering one or more of the supported research areas (evaluation methodology, measurement validity, human preference learning, safety and alignment)
No comments on this line yet.
+ 9 3. Submit via the Google Form at forms.gle/ASE5irwpRWgWLKMu5
No comments on this line yet.
+ 10 4. Limit: One proposal per Principal Investigator (PI)
No comments on this line yet.
+ 11 5. Wait for review: Proposals are reviewed quarterly. Authors of accepted proposals are notified approximately 8 weeks after each submission deadline
No comments on this line yet.
+ 12 6. First deadline: March 31, 2026 (Q1 submission window)
No comments on this line yet.
+ 13
No comments on this line yet.
+
14
No comments on this line yet.
+ 15
No comments on this line yet.
+ 17
No comments on this line yet.
+ 18 • Research funding: Up to $50,000 per project
No comments on this line yet.
+ 19 • Arena datasets: Selected projects may receive access to Arena's evaluation datasets (user votes, model comparisons, preference data) under appropriate data protection agreements
No comments on this line yet.
+ 20 • Research amplification: Arena may help amplify research findings to broader audiences in coordination with the researcher
No comments on this line yet.
+ 21 • Full independence: Arena explicitly states their goal is to "support -- not direct" academic research. Funded projects retain full independence and publish through standard academic channels
No comments on this line yet.
+ 22
No comments on this line yet.
+ 24
No comments on this line yet.
+ 25 • Evaluation and ranking methodology -- new approaches to comparing and ranking AI models
No comments on this line yet.
+ 26 • Measurement and validity -- statistical foundations of AI evaluation, reliability of benchmarks
No comments on this line yet.
+ 27 • Learning from human preference -- how to better capture and use human feedback for model assessment
No comments on this line yet.
+ 28 • Safety and alignment -- evaluation methods for AI safety properties
No comments on this line yet.
+ 29 • Other topics that deepen understanding, propose new methods, or critically examine existing approaches to AI evaluation
No comments on this line yet.
+ 30
No comments on this line yet.
+
31
No comments on this line yet.
+ 32
No comments on this line yet.
+ 34
No comments on this line yet.
+ 35 • Who qualifies: Tenure-track faculty at U.S.-based universities and research institutions
No comments on this line yet.
+ 36 • Not open to: Students, postdocs, industry researchers, or faculty outside the U.S. (as of the initial program launch)
No comments on this line yet.
+ 37 • One proposal per PI -- no multi-submission from the same researcher
No comments on this line yet.
+ 38 • Review process: Quarterly review by Arena's team, with notifications sent approximately 8 weeks after each deadline
No comments on this line yet.
+ 39 • Quarterly deadlines: The program operates on a rolling quarterly cycle. Q1 2026 deadline is March 31, 2026
No comments on this line yet.
+ 40
No comments on this line yet.
+
41
No comments on this line yet.
+ 42
No comments on this line yet.
+ 44
No comments on this line yet.
+ 45 • This is a competitive grant with limited slots. Make your proposal specific and actionable. Arena is looking for research that advances the science of AI evaluation, not general ML research
No comments on this line yet.
+ 46 • Arena's unique dataset (millions of human preference votes from Chatbot Arena) is a major draw. If your research can leverage this data, highlight that in your proposal
No comments on this line yet.
+ 47 • The program launched February 10, 2026, so it is brand new. Early applicants may have an advantage as the review process is being established
No comments on this line yet.
+ 48 • For students and postdocs: While you cannot apply directly, you could be part of a funded project led by an eligible faculty PI. Talk to your advisor about submitting a proposal
No comments on this line yet.
+ 49 • Arena context: Arena (formerly LMArena/LMSYS Chatbot Arena) is the most widely used open platform for AI model evaluation, with over 3 million user votes. Their datasets are highly valued in the research community
No comments on this line yet.
+ 50 • Related programs: If you are not eligible for this program, consider Google Cloud Research Credits, NVIDIA Academic Hardware Grant, or Microsoft Research grants as alternative academic funding sources
No comments on this line yet.
+ 51 • Publication freedom: Arena explicitly supports open publication through standard academic channels. There are no restrictions on where or how you publish your findings
No comments on this line yet.
+ 52
No comments on this line yet.
+
53
No comments on this line yet.
+ 54
No comments on this line yet.
+ 55 Sources:
No comments on this line yet.
+ 56 • Arena Academic Partnerships -- Blog Post
No comments on this line yet.
+ 57 • Arena Academic Partnerships -- PR Newswire
No comments on this line yet.
+ 58 • Application Form (Google Forms)
No comments on this line yet.
+ 59 • Arena Series A Announcement
No comments on this line yet.
+ 60 • LMArena is now Arena
No comments on this line yet.