Our next Vision Weekend is less than three weeks away! Get ready for adventure as we expand to the beautiful streets of Old San Juan, Puerto Rico. Join leading minds in science and tech for groundbreaking explorations on advancing technological progress, as well as a solarpunk rooftop soiree, beach picnic, and island excursions. Find the full program here.
We are incredibly excited to announce our new fast grants in bio- and nanotechnology! Running quarterly, these smaller grants of around $10,000 are designed to quickly test and de-risk promising ideas. Our focus is on high-risk, high-reward projects that, while speculative, hold the potential to make significant advancements. We will do the first round of evaluations after the application deadline March 31st.
Our Feynman Prizes award outstanding work in nanotechnology. Previous winners include Nobel laureates Sir J. Fraser Stoddart and David Baker. The prizes come in three categories – Theory, Experiment and Student. The winners of 2024 were announced during our Vision Weekend US in December. Congratulations to Prof Dr Klaus-Robert Müller (Theory), Saw Wai Hla, PhD (Experiment), and Gabriella Gagliano (Student).
Everyone agrees data security is important, but how do we actually make it happen? This is the focus of our Norm Hardy Prize, which awards work that makes security easier and more practical. Watch the recent seminar with Serge Egelman, part of the 2024 winning team, as he presents their research. The team explores how commitment nudges and reminders can make users take important security actions like changing compromised passwords. The team's work demonstrates that offering the option to delay security tasks, combined with well-timed reminders, significantly increases compliance.
Upcoming Event
Join us for an in-person event with Naomi Brockwell in San Francisco on February 12th, exploring what privacy tools we need to ensure a great future.
The recordings from Vision Weekend US are now available! Explore over 60 presentations covering the frontiers of AI, longevity, space, nano-bio-and neurotechnology and more.
Our CEO Allison Duettmann joined Liv Boeree’s Win-Win Podcast – a show about game theory and coordination problems – to discuss strategies for decentralized cooperation and designing resilient systems.
AI Safety Grantee Update: Report on Human Brain Emulation
Our AI Safety Grants Program fund four under-explored areas for reducing existential risks from AI. One of these is neurotechnology. Our grantee Maximillian Schons is now working together with Isaak Freeman and Niccolò Zanichelli to create a report on human brain emulation. They will compile current research, present a roadmap forward and highlight the potential of the field, aiming to increase engagement, talent and funding in this promising area.
The next application deadline for our AI Safety grants is March 31st.
We are excited to announce our fellows for 2025! Our Fellowship program runs for a year and supports exceptional talent to become future leaders in their fields. They are introduced to senior scientists and mentors, and invited to our events to present their work.
Watch the latest presentations from our seminar groups. Do you want to participate live and join the discussions next time? Read more here.
Existential Hope Podcast: Ada Palmer
In the latest episode of the Existential Hope Podcast, we talk with Historian and Science Fiction author Ada Palmer about how we can harness lessons from history and fiction to reimagine what’s possible for humanity.
Community Updates
The Global Synthetic Biology Conference | San Jose, California | May 5-8, 2025
SynBioBeta is organizing a synthetic biology conference this spring. Connect with the pioneers who are reprogramming biology for faster drug discovery, designing enzyme-driven industrial processes, and deploying climate-positive solutions at scale. The code "foresight" gives you $200 off a Conference or Exhibit Hall Pass. Register here.
Open Positions
Open Lunar Foundation is hiring a COO/ Director of Operations and a Co-Executive Director
Apollo Research is hiring Research Scientists, Research Engineers and Software Engineers
Future of Life Institute Grant (short deadline – Feb 4th)
FLI has announced a major new grant – up to $5 million in total funding – to support education and engagement on AI safety.
Longevity Biotech Fellowship
Longevity Biotech Fellowship now accepts applications for their next cohort. Join this ambitious group on their mission to solve aging.
In Memory of Sir J. Fraser Stoddart (1942-2024)
Sir J. Fraser Stoddart won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2016, and our Feynman Prize in 2007.
Thanks for reading Foresight Institute’s newsletter! This post is public, so feel free to share it.
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Jan, 2025: New Bio & Nano Grants, Vision Weekend & Feynman Prizes Winners
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Vision Weekend Puerto Rico
Our next Vision Weekend is less than three weeks away! Get ready for adventure as we expand to the beautiful streets of Old San Juan, Puerto Rico. Join leading minds in science and tech for groundbreaking explorations on advancing technological progress, as well as a solarpunk rooftop soiree, beach picnic, and island excursions. Find the full program here.
Get Tickets
Launch: Fast Grants in Bio- & Nanotechnology
We are incredibly excited to announce our new fast grants in bio- and nanotechnology! Running quarterly, these smaller grants of around $10,000 are designed to quickly test and de-risk promising ideas. Our focus is on high-risk, high-reward projects that, while speculative, hold the potential to make significant advancements. We will do the first round of evaluations after the application deadline March 31st.
Learn More & Apply
Feynman Prizes Winners
Our Feynman Prizes award outstanding work in nanotechnology. Previous winners include Nobel laureates Sir J. Fraser Stoddart and David Baker. The prizes come in three categories – Theory, Experiment and Student. The winners of 2024 were announced during our Vision Weekend US in December. Congratulations to Prof Dr Klaus-Robert Müller (Theory), Saw Wai Hla, PhD (Experiment), and Gabriella Gagliano (Student).
Read More
Norm Hardy Prize Seminar
Everyone agrees data security is important, but how do we actually make it happen? This is the focus of our Norm Hardy Prize, which awards work that makes security easier and more practical. Watch the recent seminar with Serge Egelman, part of the 2024 winning team, as he presents their research. The team explores how commitment nudges and reminders can make users take important security actions like changing compromised passwords. The team's work demonstrates that offering the option to delay security tasks, combined with well-timed reminders, significantly increases compliance.
Upcoming Event
Join us for an in-person event with Naomi Brockwell in San Francisco on February 12th, exploring what privacy tools we need to ensure a great future.
Sign Up
Find all upcoming in-person and virtual events in Luma.
Recordings From Vision Weekend US
The recordings from Vision Weekend US are now available! Explore over 60 presentations covering the frontiers of AI, longevity, space, nano-bio-and neurotechnology and more.
Watch
Allison Duettmann on the Win-Win Podcast
Our CEO Allison Duettmann joined Liv Boeree’s Win-Win Podcast – a show about game theory and coordination problems – to discuss strategies for decentralized cooperation and designing resilient systems.
AI Safety Grantee Update: Report on Human Brain Emulation
Our AI Safety Grants Program fund four under-explored areas for reducing existential risks from AI. One of these is neurotechnology. Our grantee Maximillian Schons is now working together with Isaak Freeman and Niccolò Zanichelli to create a report on human brain emulation. They will compile current research, present a roadmap forward and highlight the potential of the field, aiming to increase engagement, talent and funding in this promising area.
The next application deadline for our AI Safety grants is March 31st.
Read More & Apply
Foresight Fellows 2025
We are excited to announce our fellows for 2025! Our Fellowship program runs for a year and supports exceptional talent to become future leaders in their fields. They are introduced to senior scientists and mentors, and invited to our events to present their work.
Updates from our Fellowship community:
Fellow Abhinav Singh has launched an online course on AI Security.
Fellow Angadh Nanjangud has written an article about how to achieve Elon Musk’s vision of using rockets for long-distance travel.
Fellow Alumni Rico Meinl (Retro Biosciences) was one of the lead developers for OpenAI’s new AI model for longevity research.
Foresight's Fellowship Program
Seminars
Watch the latest presentations from our seminar groups. Do you want to participate live and join the discussions next time? Read more here.
Existential Hope Podcast: Ada Palmer
In the latest episode of the Existential Hope Podcast, we talk with Historian and Science Fiction author Ada Palmer about how we can harness lessons from history and fiction to reimagine what’s possible for humanity.
Community Updates
The Global Synthetic Biology Conference | San Jose, California | May 5-8, 2025
SynBioBeta is organizing a synthetic biology conference this spring. Connect with the pioneers who are reprogramming biology for faster drug discovery, designing enzyme-driven industrial processes, and deploying climate-positive solutions at scale. The code "foresight" gives you $200 off a Conference or Exhibit Hall Pass. Register here.
Open Positions
Open Lunar Foundation is hiring a COO/ Director of Operations and a Co-Executive Director
Apollo Research is hiring Research Scientists, Research Engineers and Software Engineers
Future of Life Institute Grant (short deadline – Feb 4th)
FLI has announced a major new grant – up to $5 million in total funding – to support education and engagement on AI safety.
Longevity Biotech Fellowship
Longevity Biotech Fellowship now accepts applications for their next cohort. Join this ambitious group on their mission to solve aging.
In Memory of Sir J. Fraser Stoddart (1942-2024)
Sir J. Fraser Stoddart won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2016, and our Feynman Prize in 2007.
Thanks for reading Foresight Institute’s newsletter! This post is public, so feel free to share it.
Share