Now in its third year, the Pioneering Research programme wants “science fiction” ideas that are too radical for other funders
Photo credits: NBC Television / Wikimedia Commons
Germany’s biggest private, not-for-profit research funder is now in the third year of funding “science fiction” research proposals that other funders won’t touch.
The Pioneering Research – Exploring the Unknown Unknown programme offers up to €1.3 million over three to five years for ideas that could create whole new scientific fields, but have a high chance of failure.
So far, the Volkswagen Foundation, which is independent of the car manufacturer, has used the programme to back research into whether depression can be cured using blood transfusion, and whether life can exist on other planets without sunlight.
The foundation is after project ideas that are “science fiction” but not “fantasy,” explained Pavel Dutow, a programme director at the foundation. “Fantasy is actually not possible, but science fiction is…
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