Call for Applications: Longevity Bio & Molecular Nano Fast Grants Program

Through their Fast Grants program, they provide small fast-grants to visionary scientists and entrepreneurs working on groundbreaking innovations in biotechnology and nanotechnology. These grants are designed to quickly support and launch new ideas and projects, acting as a financial launchpad that de-risks early-stage projects often overlooked by legacy funders.

Focus Areas

• Longevity Biotechnology:
  • Areas they fund include but are not limited to:
    • AI R&D: Accelerating scientific discovery, research, and lab work through the application of AI and automation tools
    • Healthcare 3.0: Advancing biomarker analysis and scalable personal longevity approaches
    • Reversible Biostasis: Pioneering new approaches to reversible biological preservation
    • Replacement: Developing organ, brain, and whole body replacement approaches
    • ECM: Maintaining or improving extra cellular matrix health for healthy aging
    • Exosomes: Exosomes for tissue repair, drug delivery, and other longevity interventions
• Molecular Nanotechnology:
  • Areas they fund include but are not limited to:
    • AI R&D: Accelerating scientific discovery, research, and lab work through the application of AI and automation tools
    • Design and Simulation: Developing cutting-edge modeling software for molecular systems
    • Construction and Assembly: Paths for integrating various DNA, protein, STM/AFM or other approaches toward molecular functional nanomachines or molecular 3D printers
    • Actuation and Control: Approaches for generating motion and controlling functional nanomachines
    • Toward Near-term profitability: Analysis of promising near-term applications in climate, energy, health, materials, etc that pave a financially viable way for acceleration progress on long-term progress

Why Fast Grants?

• Traditional funding mechanisms often overlook early-stage, high-potential projects. They’re inspired by the Fast Grants model pioneered by Impetus Grants to change this reality:
  • High funding demand: An increasing number of projects within the Foresight community are seeking funding, making individualized matchmaking with funders less sustainable.
  • Low launch costs: Many projects require as little as $10,000 to begin, yet often fall outside the strict topical and operational criteria of traditional funders.
  • Need for rapid unblocking: Timely action is crucial to beginning new projects, yet many grant application processes are delayed by lengthy procedures and bureaucracy.

Evaluation Process

• Projects are evaluated by Foresight staff and, when appropriate, external advisors. They focus on initiatives where a small grant of around $10,000 can effectively derisk an idea, kickstart a project, or explore a new path to impact.
• They typically encourage open sharing of results, unless confidentiality is required. Their focus is on high-risk, high-reward projects that, while speculative, hold the potential to make significant advancements. They are also interested in proposals that map and scope novel, undervalued opportunities within a given field.

For more information, visit Foresight Institute.