Support for basic research
New fellowship aims to change how science is funded
The next frontiers of scientific discovery will be pioneered by researchers who have the inspiration and ability to transcend the traditional boundaries of science. We need new interdisciplinary thinkers, people with the capacity to cut across multiple fields to tackle the types of challenges that will define the next century — from confronting climate change, to mitigating global epidemics, to delivering clean food and clean water to people everywhere.
Unfortunately, the way that much scientific research is conducted and funded today works against the kinds of collaborative interdisciplinary study that will underpin this new era of discovery.
There is a kind of market failure in how we support early-stage scientists, driven by a preference for work that is already established, safe and easy to categorize. And we underinvest in the next generation of researchers, who are often best positioned to undertake interdisciplinary research into fundamental systems, and who need to build leadership skills to collaborate and take research beyond the laboratory.
Think of the successful effort to sequence the human genome. Major contributions were needed from biology and genetics. But for the effort to succeed, expertise was needed from across engineering, mathematics and computer science as well. The difficulty of the problem made everyone involved push the limits of their own fields and pioneer new ones. Those involved applied their leadership skills and fresh thoughts to areas of sciences that were entirely new to them.
Sadly, this type of effort is the exception rather than the rule. How come?
1) Research that doesn’t have an immediately obvious practical application or publishable result is risky. Private industry funds the majority of research and development today, but businesses tend not to pursue the critical work of basic research because there may be no clear commercial outcomes. Rather, much of the most important scientific research is enabled by government agencies and universities, and forms the basis for ideas that ultimately ripple out to industry and beyond.
2) Scientists are pressured to specialize. Most grants, fellowships and professorships are earmarked for specific fields, and tightly defined projects feel safer to grant makers. But selecting for focused activity runs contrary to enabling the interdisciplinary thinking that can drive breakthrough innovations. At the same time, we do not generally give scientists the training needed to be leaders of major institutions, because our model is aimed at encouraging them to innovate in their current fields.
3) We tend to place big funding bets on people with track records. Scientists must regularly and frequently apply for grants, and as research has become costlier (think how much more it takes to equip a lab today than it did 50 years ago), grant makers have become increasingly conservative and reduced risk on their investments.
Individually, these are rational decisions. But taken together, they carry a heavy cost. We should be encouraging lateral thinking. We should set aside some risk capital to fund uncertain but potentially rewarding basic research. We should ensure that we are training researchers to lead the institutions that will take on systemic challenges.
That is why we have decided to create the Schmidt Science Fellows. In partnership with the Rhodes Trust, home of the Rhodes Scholarships, this program is designed to address market failures around basic research, interdisciplinary thinking, support for up-and-coming scientists, and leadership training.
The first class of the Schmidt Science Fellows will welcome around 15 exceptional postdoctoral scholars in the natural sciences, engineering, mathematics and computing, beginning in the fall of 2018. These fellows will receive support to undertake cutting-edge research in an area other than their main field of study: a physicist might work on artificial intelligence, a mathematician on cybersecurity, a biomechanical engineer on genomics. The fellows will also participate in five weeks of immersive teaching at some of the world’s leading academic institutions, helping them develop the skills necessary to become future scientific leaders.
The program will grow over time, welcoming more fellows and building a community of future leaders. Through our initial commitment of $25 million for the first three years, this initiative is a first step in a broader $100 million effort to spur scientific leadership and drive interdisciplinary breakthroughs that will truly matter.
We want to help younger scientists by committing to them earlier, encouraging their creativity, broadening their scientific horizons, and enabling them to engage with bigger questions of policy and purpose. If we as individuals and groups are to flourish, we need the best people doing the most groundbreaking work, in the most inspired way. We look forward to seeing what they accomplish and the ways their work will stimulate new approaches to old problems.
Eric Schmidt is the executive chairman of Alphabet Inc. Wendy Schmidt is the president of the Schmidt Family Foundation and co-founder of the Schmidt Ocean Institute.