Introduction

The Amazon Research Awards Program 2026 supports academic research through unrestricted funding, AWS Promotional Credits, and access to research contacts. The program welcomes eligible researchers from around the world whose proposals address its research priorities. Its Fall 2026 call covers nine research areas, with opportunities to submit work focused on theory, practical applications, or new techniques.

This is a research award rather than a scholarship for individual degree enrolment. Cash awards are made to the Principal Investigator’s academic institution or organization as a one-time unrestricted gift. Funding can support research personnel and expenses, including graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, conference travel, and equipment.

Scholarship Overview

The Amazon Research Awards, also known as ARA, support academic research and related contributions to open-source projects. The opportunity is described as partially funded, and selected projects may receive cash funding, AWS Promotional Credits, or both. Amazon evaluates proposals according to their scientific quality, creativity, and potential to produce impact at scale.

Each proposal must have one Primary Principal Investigator, and each Primary PI may submit only one proposal per call. An eligible co-Principal Investigator may also be included. Awards cannot be extended, although researchers may submit new proposals in subsequent ARA calls.

Host Institution or Organization

Amazon organizes the research awards program. Funded projects receive an Amazon research contact after selection, allowing recipients to discuss research progress and ongoing projects. Applicants do not need to establish an Amazon contact before submitting their proposal.

Available Fields of Study

The Fall 2026 call identifies nine research areas. Applicants should select the specific Call for Proposals, or CFP, that corresponds to their proposed research. The listed areas are:

• Agentic AI
• AI for Information Security
• Amazon Security
• Automated Reasoning
• AWS Cryptography
• Build on Trainium: Agentic, Recursive Improvement of Kernels and Frameworks
• Multilingual and Contextual AI Evaluation
• On-Device Multimodal Perception
• Synthetic Data Generation for Multimodal Perception

The program’s broader research coverage also includes machine learning, computer vision, natural language processing, robotics, sustainability, and fairness in artificial intelligence. Proposals may address theoretical questions, practical research problems, or novel methods. Applicants should follow the instructions attached to their chosen CFP when defining the project’s scope.

Scholarship Benefits

Selected researchers can receive unrestricted cash funding, AWS Promotional Credits, or both. Cash support is provided to the PI’s institution or organization rather than as a renewable award. The funding can support one to two graduate students or a postdoctoral researcher for one year, alongside other research-related costs.

A proposed budget may include conference travel and equipment expenses. Researchers requesting AWS Promotional Credits must state the requested amount and provide a short justification. They should also identify the AWS products and public datasets they intend to use.

Recipients gain access to research training resources in addition to financial or cloud support. These resources include AWS tutorials and hands-on sessions with Amazon scientists and engineers. The assigned Amazon research contact also provides a channel for communication about the funded research.

Eligibility Criteria

The Principal Investigator must be a full-time faculty member at an accredited academic institution or a permanent researcher at an eligible non-governmental organization. Applicants must have reached the age of majority in their jurisdiction of residence when applying. A PI cannot be a paid employee of a government entity unless employed at an accredited academic institution.

• Applicants must not be subject to US export controls or sanctions.
• The PI must not have worked as an Amazon director, officer, employee, intern, or contractor during the 12 months before submission.
• Amazon employees, including AWS employees, are ineligible.
• Applicants must not be immediate family members or household members of ineligible Amazon personnel.
• The PI must not have participated in, or held decision-making authority over, cloud infrastructure procurements involving Amazon.
• Any co-PI must meet the ARA eligibility requirements.

The program is unavailable in Cuba, Iran, Syria, and North Korea. It is also unavailable in the Crimea, Luhansk, and Donetsk regions of Ukraine, or wherever participation is prohibited by law. Researchers should check these restrictions before preparing a submission.

Required Documents

The application requires a research proposal containing original work or an update to the applicant’s original work. Applicants must ensure that their submission does not knowingly violate third-party patent or intellectual property rights. The proposal must not contain confidential information, and no portion should be labelled confidential.

The proposed cash budget should itemize expected costs in US dollars. Requests for AWS Promotional Credits should include the amount sought, a brief explanation, and the intended AWS products and public datasets. The proposal must identify a single Primary PI and may include one eligible co-PI.

Application Process

Apply through Amazon’s official website and select the ARA CFP that matches your research area. Read that call’s application instructions before preparing the proposal. Submit the research proposal according to those instructions and the program’s stated requirements.

Before submission, check the budget, PI details, and any request for AWS Promotional Credits. Remove confidential information and confirm that the Primary PI is submitting only one proposal during the call. An Amazon research contact is assigned to funded projects after selection, so arranging one beforehand is unnecessary.

Important Dates and Deadline

The Fall 2026 call for proposals opens on October 1, 2026. The submission deadline is November 4, 2026, at 11:59 PM Pacific Time. Amazon expects to communicate application decisions approximately three months after the deadline.

Tips for Applicants

As general preparation advice, review eligibility before investing time in a detailed proposal. Check institutional status, employment history, geographic restrictions, and any relevant procurement involvement. If including a co-PI, review that researcher’s eligibility as well.

Plan your submission around the stated Pacific Time deadline rather than assuming it matches your local time. Allow time for a final review of the proposal and budget before submitting. Keeping a personal checklist can help you track the selected CFP’s instructions without overlooking important details.

How to Prepare a Strong Application

As general proposal-writing guidance, explain the research question, proposed approach, and intended contribution clearly. Since Amazon considers scientific quality, creativity, and potential impact at scale, make those aspects easy to identify. Distinguish the project’s new contribution from any earlier work being updated.

Connect the budget to the activities described in the proposal. Explain how requested personnel support, equipment, travel, or cloud resources relate to the research plan. Finally, review the entire submission for consistency and ensure that the description remains informative without disclosing confidential material.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can graduate students apply as the Primary PI?

The Primary PI must meet the faculty or permanent-researcher eligibility requirement. Graduate-student status alone does not meet that condition. However, award funding can support graduate students working on the research.

Does every award include cash and AWS credits?

Selected projects may receive cash funding, AWS Promotional Credits, or both. Both forms of support are not guaranteed for every award. Applicants requesting credits should explain the amount and intended use.

Can an existing award be extended?

The award is a one-time unrestricted gift and cannot be extended. Researchers may submit new proposals in future ARA calls. Each Primary PI remains limited to one proposal per call.

Conclusion

The Amazon Research Awards Program 2026 offers financial and technical support for eligible academic researchers. Applicants should match their proposal to a relevant CFP, present original research, and prepare a clear budget. Complete submissions must reach Amazon by November 4, 2026, at 11:59 PM Pacific Time.