On Tuesday, the NSF announced the Responsible Design, Development, & Deployment of Technologies (ReDDDot) program, which aims to ensure both ethical and legal considerations from community and societal standpoints are established in the technology pipeline, from inception to deployment. This $16 million program will be a collaborative effort between the NSF and five philanthropic partners: the Ford Foundation, the Patrick J. McGovern Foundation, Pivotal Ventures, Siegel Family Endowment, and the Eric and Wendy Schmidt Fund for Strategic Innovation.

Below is more information from the program’s public announcement:

Who Can Submit Proposals: Multidisciplinary, multi-sector teams that demonstrate the principles, methodologies, and impacts associated with responsible design, development and deployment of technologies, especially those specified in the “CHIPS and Science Act of 2022”.

Goals of ReDDDoT: 

• Stimulating activity and filling gaps in research, innovation and capacity building in the responsible design, development and deployment of technologies.
  
• Creating broad and inclusive communities of interest that bring together key stakeholders to better inform practices for the design, development and deployment of technologies.
  
• Educating and training the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics workforce on approaches to responsible design, development, and deployment of technologies.
  
• Accelerating pathways to societal and economic benefits while developing strategies to avoid or mitigate societal and economic harms.
  
• Empowering communities, including economically disadvantaged and marginalized populations, to participate in all stages of technology development, including the earliest stages of ideation and design.
  

The ReDDDoT program will host an informational webinar on February 9th, 2024 at 2:00 pm ET, which you can register for here. For more information about the program, visit the ReDDDoT program website.