Supporting Independent Research in AI Evaluation

Arena’s mission is to measure and advance the frontier of AI through open, rigorous, and community-driven evaluation. As evaluation and rankings play an increasingly visible role in how models are developed and deployed, the need for strong, independent research in this area has never been greater.

Many of the most important contributions to evaluation methodology, measurement, and ranking design come from the academic research community. Through the Arena Academic Partnerships Program, we aim to support that work directly by enabling researchers to pursue high-quality, independent research that advances the scientific foundations of AI evaluation.

The program provides research funding of up to $50,000 per project. In addition to funding, Arena may support selected projects with access to Arena datasets. Dataset access will be provided under appropriate agreements, explicitly scoped conditions, and in alignment with applicable data protection standards.

The program is currently open to tenure-track faculty at U.S.-based universities and institutions.

We welcome proposals across a broad range of topics related to AI evaluation, including (but not limited to):

• Evaluation and ranking methodology
• Measurement and validity
• Learning from human preference
• Safety and alignment

Arena’s goal is to support—not direct—academic research. Funded projects are conducted independently by default, and researchers are encouraged to share their work through standard academic channels, consistent with institutional practices. Collaboration with Arena researchers may be possible in some cases.

Where helpful and appropriate, Arena may amplify or help contextualize funded research for broader audiences, always in coordination with the researchers involved.

Proposals will be reviewed on a quarterly basis, with responses typically sent within 8 weeks of each submission deadline. The deadline for Q1 submissions is March 31, 2026.

👉 Learn more about Arena’s Academic Partnerships Program, including eligibility and application details, .