Leaders.com
  • Business
  • Leadership
  • Wealth
  • Master Classes
  • Business
    • Entrepreneurs
    • Executives
    • Marketing and Sales
    • Social Media
    • Innovation
    • Women in Business
  • Leadership
    • Personal Growth
    • Company Culture
    • Public Speaking
    • Productivity
    • Hiring
    • Social Issues
    • Leaders
  • Wealth
    • Investing
    • Cryptocurrency
    • Retirement
    • Venture Capital
    • Loans and Borrowing
    • Taxes
    • Markets
    • Real Estate
  • Master Classes
Innovation Researchers

Billionaires support under supported research efforts (Lesley Martin/PA Images via Getty Images)

By Tyler Hummel Leaders Staff

Tyler Hummel

Tyler Hummel

Tyler Hummel is a news writer for Leaders Media. He was the Fall 2021 College Fix Fellow and Health Care...

Full bio


Learn about our editorial policy

Mar 20, 2023

Billionaires Support Unsupported Research

Eric Schmidt and Ken Griffin are taking the lead in financing new scientific research that is not being done by the academy or business world. 

Key Details

  • Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt and Citadel CEO Ken Griffin are creating Focused Research Organizations (FRO) opportunities through their non-profit Convergent Research. 
  • Schmidt tells Forbes that his goal is to “unlock major bottlenecks holding back the progress of an entire research field.”
  • On Wednesday, the non-profit committed $50 million to research. It has already sponsored two biotech companies: E11 Bio and Cultivarium. 
  • Two additional biochemistry companies—Eve Bio and Parallel 2 Technology Institution—are preparing to get started as well.

Why It’s Important 

FROs are projects too large for academic research but too small for large scientific organizations to focus on—often due to a lack of specific applicability to the market. This creates a grey area in scientific research where knowledge and research bottlenecks until the business world can find a way to profit off of specific scientific advancements. This is the problem Schmidt and Griffin are hoping to solve. 

As we reported in November, Schmidt argues that the U.S. will fall behind the rest of the world in tech innovation and science if the country does not invest in research and education now.

Convergent is already considering applications for more than 300 FRO proposals, but the first two approved projects focus on brain mapping and synthetic biology applications. The next two proposals preparing to begin work are Eve Bio and Parallel2 Technology Institute, which are respectively studying the interaction between FDA-approved drugs and human cells and protein analysis that can aid in Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s research, Forbes reports. 

Notable Quotes 

“We aim to support an ecosystem of small-to-mid scale projects that fall between the cracks of what startups, academia, and other organizations do,” says Convergent CEO Adam Marblestone. 

“We should be using every tool at our disposal to advance breakthrough discoveries. And new research models can bring together the right teams and resources to drive progress in science and medicine that will impact lives at scale.” Griffin tells Forbes. 

Home / News / Billionaires Support Unsupported Research
Share
FacebookTweetEmailLinkedIn

Related Stories

Wall Street Makes $100 Billion Bet on Weight Loss Pills

by PJ Howland Leaders Staff
Investing

Oct 25, 2023

Ozempic

Investor optimism around a potential blockbuster obesity drug by Structure Therapeutics led to soaring share prices across the weight-loss pharma sector.

Key Details

  • Structure Therapeutics' stock jumped 35% after reporting positive results from early clinical trials of a once-daily weight-loss pill.
  • The experimental drug helped participants lose about 5% of their body weight over one month without side effects, although there are concerns with Ozempic.
  • Analysts predict the global anti-obesity medication market could reach sales of $100 billion by 2030, up from $71 billion currently.
  • With promising growth prospects, investors are betting on companies developing new weight loss drugs like Structure, Eli Lilly, Novo Nordisk, and Pfizer.

Go deeper

FacebookTweetEmailLinkedIn

Parent’s Wealth Tip The Scales In SAT Scores and College Admissions

by PJ Howland Leaders Staff
Wealth

Oct 25, 2023

Parent's wealth tips the scales for SAT numbers

New data shows a strong correlation between family income and SAT scores, indicating the exam may act as a “wealth test” that advantages higher-income students.

Key Details

  • Students from wealthier families tend to score higher on the SAT than lower-income peers due to advantages like well-funded schools, tutors, and extracurricular activities.
  • The pandemic has exacerbated SAT score disparities, with average scores dropping the most among disadvantaged groups.
  • Addressing the gap requires increased funding for lower-income school districts and expanding access to test prep resources.
  • Children from the top 1% of families are twice as likely to attend an Ivy-Plus college (Ivy League, Stanford, MIT, Duke, and Chicago) compared to middle-class families with similar SAT/ACT scores.

Go deeper

FacebookTweetEmailLinkedIn

Seattle Takes The Crown For Advanced Tech Talent

by PJ Howland Leaders Staff
Tech

Oct 24, 2023

Seattle tech talent

Seattle has emerged as the metro area with the most advanced tech talent, beating out tech hubs like San Francisco and Silicon Valley.

Key Details

  • According to a new ranking by the Burning Glass Institute, Seattle has the highest proportion of advanced tech workers compared to other cities with similarly sized tech workforces.
  • The ranking evaluated 60 million high-paying, in-demand tech job postings and histories to identify cities with cutting-edge roles like AI and cybersecurity rather than legacy tech positions.
  • With tech giants Amazon and Microsoft headquartered in Seattle, the city edged out the San Francisco Bay Area, Boston, Austin, and Raleigh on the list.
  • The report found that demand for software developers and IT support specialists has declined over the past five years as companies seek more specialized tech talent.

Go deeper

FacebookTweetEmailLinkedIn
car loans, used cars
Loans and Borrowing

Oct 23, 2023

More Americans Can’t Keep Up With Car Payments

by Colin Baker Leaders Staff
Chevron Gas Deal
Markets

Oct 23, 2023

Chevron Makes $53 Billion Deal Amid Surging Gas Prices

by PJ Howland Leaders Staff
nike logo
Company Culture

Oct 20, 2023

Nike to Require More In-Office Days From Employees

by Colin Baker Leaders Staff

Recent Articles

Hiring

Nov 1, 2023

Learn the Winning Answers to the Most Common Phone Interview Questions

Come to your next phone interview fully prepared

Personal Growth

Oct 30, 2023

85 Quotes on Self-Love to Boost Your Self-Esteem

Don’t fall into the trap of harsh self-criticism

Company Culture

Oct 27, 2023

What is a Sabbatical? Your Ticket to Restful Growth and Meaning

Sabbaticals can benefits both employees and businesses

  • Business
  • Leadership
  • Wealth
Join the Leaders Community

Get exclusive tools and resources you need to grow as a leader and scale a purpose-driven business.

Subscribing indicates your consent to our Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy

Leaders.com
  • Privacy Policy
  • About
  • Careers
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms
  • Disclosures
  • Editorial Policy
  • Member Login

© 2025 Leaders.com - All rights reserved.

Search Leaders.com