Guest Post: Things I learned talking to the new breed of scientific institution

This article would not be possible without the hours of discussion/editing help I’ve had with several people from these institutions, and a few outside of them. Huge shout-out to all of them! Arcadia Science, Speculative Technologies, FutureHouse, Arc, and Convergent. All of these are a new form of scientific institute. Most are funded entirely by a few billionaires. Most are non-profits. Most of them focus on the life-sciences. Most of them have sprung up in just the last few years. They do all also have one common thread: a grand statement. We are an experiment in a new way to do science. And they are! Traditionally, research is conducted in academic or private industry labs — dependent on NIH grants in the former and markets in the latter. Given the (often singular) sources of no-strings-attached funding, these new institutions need not satisfy either the NIH or the markets, allowing them to conduct research in a unique fashion. In one sense, the experimental aspect of these institu

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• Jonny Hsu