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We give out $5M in grants each year to increase the chances that our future with advanced AI goes well. Now we are updating this program ā moving away from general applications and instead requesting specific work we deem especially important.
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We are seeking projects across 39 areas, in four main categories, including:
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Security technologies: automated red-teaming, formal verification, and decentralized cryptographic tools
Automating research and forecasting: open-source assistants, continuous modeling systems, and infrastructure for collaborative forecasting
Safe multi-agent scenarios: using AI to prevent collusion and improving group coordination
Neurotechnology to integrated with, or compete against, AGI: brain-computer interfaces, lo-fi brain emulations, and brain-aligned AI models
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We review applications quarterly, with the next deadline on June 30th. Apply yourself or share with a colleague who might benefit!
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We give out fast grants in longevity biotechnology and molecular nanotechnology every quarter. These are smaller grants of around $10,000, with short review times, designed to quickly test promising ideas. The next application deadline is coming up on June 30th. Areas we fund include, but are not limited to:
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Longevity biotech: exosomes, replacement, healthcare 3.0, extracellular matrix, and research automation.
Molecular nanotech: design and simulation, construction and assembly, actuation and control, analysis of near-term profitability, and research automation.
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Get your Early Bird tickets for our next Vision Weekend! This is our annual flagship event, gathering visionary researchers, entrepreneurs, funders, and policymakers to plan for flourishing futures. Join for talks on the frontiers of science and technology, office hours with leading experts, curated 1-1s, tech demos, unconference discussions, mentorship hours, a $10k project pitch contest, lab tours, biohacking sessions, a cyberpunk party, and much more.
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Ed Boyden (MIT), Laura Deming (Longevity Fund), Viren Jain (Google) & Andrew Trask (OpenMined)
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Get your Early Bird tickets before prices increase on July 1st.
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General AttendanceĀ (Main Event)
Early Bird price: $400 (then: $600)
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All Access PassĀ (Main Event + VIP Gatherings)
Early Bird price: $750 (then: $1,500)
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Subsidized AttendanceĀ (Main Event, available at an application basis for junior researchers)
Early Bird price: $200 (then $250)
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Breakthroughs in frontier neurotechnology ā such as brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) and whole brain emulations (WBEs) ā could offer numerous benefits, from life-saving medical applications to insights into consciousness and human flourishing. It may also offer promising approaches to tackle the threat of artificial general intelligence (AGI), by providing tools for humans to better collaborate with, or compete against, AI systems, or by offering insights into how to build more human-like AGI.
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We are inviting those advancing frontier neurotechnology for a two-day workshop to create common knowledge about capabilities in the field, align on goals, and coordinate on solving outstanding bottlenecks. Participants include a tightly curated set of 60 leading scientists, builders, programmers, funders, and institutional allies.
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Agenda
Short talks by selected speakers
Working group sessions to come up with promising projects
Presentations of projects ā eligible for funding byĀ our grants, and may also be consider by other funders at the event
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Together withĀ VitalismĀ andĀ Longevity Biotech Fellowship, we gathered 180 scientists, entrepreneurs, engineers, and funders to explore how AI can accelerate longevity research! Highlights included:
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Presentations on the current state of longevity and its biggest bottlenecks, with insights from experts like Morgan Levine (Altos Labs), Sam Rodriques (FutureHouse), and Joe Betts-LaCroix (Retro Biosciences).
A Fireside Chat with Jaan Tallinn.
Working groups where participants came up with promising projects at the intersection between AI and biology. The winners ā Kris Ganjam, Ben Moskowitz, and Logan Collins ā were awarded a $10,000 grant to work on the project!
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Kris Ganjam, Ben Moskowitz & Logan Collins
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Ganjam, Moskowitz, and Collins will develop an AI model to map cellular differentiation trajectories and predict transcriptomic cell state from cellular morphology. By doing so, they expect to be able to predict how gene expression drives cellular differentiation. If successful, this model will be a powerful tool for driving progress in tissue engineering, cell biology, and cell therapy.
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The talks from the workshop will be uploaded to ourĀ Youtube channel.
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We have hosted Bio and Neuro Salons, featuring:
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What we can learn about longevity from long-living animals, by Ashley Zehnder (Fauna Bio).
Michael Andregg,Ā Eon Systems, shared updates from their work developing brain emulation technology.
Group discussions on topics like neurotech for mental health, and whole brain emulation for longevity.
Christian Schroeder de Witt
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Multi-Agent Security Review | Christian Schroeder de Witt | University of Oxford
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Christian Schroeder de WittĀ hasĀ published a reviewĀ of open challenges in multi-agent security, including a taxonomy of possible threats. He isĀ interested to hearĀ from people who would be interested in collaborating on the next version of the review.
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The Foresight FellowshipĀ is a one-year program designed to support scientists, engineers, and innovators to advance their work and become leaders of their fields. Each month, we share updates from our Fellows!
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SecureBio, whereĀ Jasper GƶttingĀ is a Research Scientist, hasĀ released a new biosecurity LLM benchmarkĀ together withĀ Center for AI Safety. They found that leading models outperform human expert virologists in providing (visual) troubleshooting guidance on complex, real-world wet lab scenarios.
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Akash KulgodĀ presented a poster at the annual conference by the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO). The poster is of a dataset from Kulgodās startupĀ Dognosis, which uses dogsā sense of smell and brain-computer interfaces to detect diseases. This dataset contains results from a test to detect cancer early based on breath. The poster shares early clinical validation of Dognosis’ canine-powered neuroAI olfactory system in an on-going Phase-2 study.
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Apply to become a Fellow in our 2026 cohort! Deadline: July 31st.
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Eric Gilliam studies how organizations like Bell Labs, early MIT, and the Rockefeller Foundation helped drive scientific progress, and what made them unusually effective. In this conversation, we explore how those models worked, why many of them disappeared, and what it would take to bring them back. Eric explains why fast-moving, engineering-driven labs likeĀ BBNĀ ā a research and development company which built the first nodes of the internet ā may be essential to accelerating progress in fields like AI and biotech.
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Most plausible short AGI timeline scenarios lean toward centralized or āunipolarā scenarios ā either via AI labs closely collaborating with, or being nationalized by, the government in a “positive” scenario, or through an uncontrollable breakout of an AGI singleton in a “negative” scenario. Our CEO Allison Duettmann has writtenĀ a postĀ exploring alternative scenarios, which are decentralized or āmultipolarā. She discusses advantages and disadvantages of unipolar vs. multipolar AI scenarios, technology seeds that could move us closer to a multipolar scenario, and factors to take into account when considering the likelihood of each outcome. She argues that these multipolar scenarios are under-explored and warrant more attention.
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Watch the latest presentations from our seminar groups! ApplyĀ hereĀ to join the discussions live next time.
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TheĀ Foresight FellowshipĀ is a year-long program for early-career talents who work to advance technologies for the benefit of life. We provide Fellows with a strong network and opportunities to present their work in influential forums.Ā Apply July 31st latest.
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Our $10,000Ā Norm Hardy PrizeĀ in computer science awards important work in usable security ā making the secure way the easy way. We accept both academic and practical work.Ā Application deadline: July 31st.
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The Feynman PrizesĀ recognize exceptional contributions to nanotechnology, and come in three categories: Theory ($5,000), Experiment ($5,000) and Student ($1,000).Ā Nominate July 31st latest.
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What should 2035 with AI look like? OurĀ online courseĀ provides tools for thinking about, and shaping, our future with advanced AI. Share your ideas from the course ā the āBest Overall Worldā wins $1,000. We also give out four $500 prizes for āBest Institutionā and āBest Image or Videoā.Ā Submit June 30th latest.
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Explore events, open roles and other opportunities from our community!
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Fellowship on AI for Human Reasoning | Future of Life Foundation | Deadline: June 9th
Future of Life FoundationĀ has announced aĀ Fellowship on AI for Human Reasoning. Itās for researchers and builders who want to work on tools to help people make sense of complex situations and coordinate to face challenges, especially the many hazards we face in navigating the future of AI. The Fellowship runs for 12 weeks, offers a $25,000-50,000 stipend, mentorship, and potentially future funding.Ā Apply.
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Da Vinci Fellowship | Deadline: June 30th
The Da Vinci FellowshipĀ is for builders under 26, to jumpstart generational companies in Europe. Fellows are offered a ā¬150,000 grant and will live together for 6 months in a hacker house in Paris.Ā Apply.
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Manifest 2025 | Berkeley, California | June 6-8
Manifest ā a festival for forecasts, markets, and novel ideas ā takes place in Berkeley, June 6-8.Ā Get tickets.
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Modular Worlds Hackathon | Protocol Labs | Starting June 5
āThe next internet will be composable, sovereign, and openāsource ā and we want you to help build itā. This hackathon by ProtocolāÆLabs offers $250,000+ in prizes and access to the FoundersāāÆForge accelerator ā where selected teams gain access to a network of industry veterans, investors, and ongoing developer resources to scale their solutions.Ā Register.
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E11 BioĀ ā working to unlock connectomics at the scale of whole mammalian brains ā is hiring for multiple positions:
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$100,000 Challenge in NeuroscienceĀ | Aspirational Neuroscience
Aspirational NeuroscienceĀ awards $100,000 to the first team to decode a non-trivial memory from a static map of synaptic connectivity.Ā Read more.
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We are saddened to share the passing ofĀ James Lewis, a long-time researcher and writer dedicated to advancing the field of nanotechnology. James has worked for the Foresight Institute in various capacities, and was a valued voice in our community. He also served as a researcher and writer at Nanofactory CBN, where he continued to explore the promise and challenges of molecular nanotechnology. He will be remembered with deep appreciation.
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