I hereby announce the beginning of the 2010 round of FQXi's Large Grants Program!
We now invite proposals for research on foundational questions in physics and cosmology. The focus for this round is "Time and Foundations".
As the name implies, we wish to especially encourage projects targeted on the Nature of Time. To quote from the Request for Proposals, "The topic of Time is of both deep and broad interest for research in foundational questions in physics and cosmology. Science, and particularly physics, has produced dramatic insights into the nature of time...Careful consideration of time has likewise caused revolutions in physics, and may again do so."
We will also consider more general proposals of exceptional quality, including suitable outreach projects. All proposed projects should qualify as foundational and unconventional. You can get a sense of the range of supported work by checking out the funded projects from the previous grant rounds.
Application works the same as previous years, with a two-step, online process, and an external panel of expert reviewers. The only major change takes place behind the scenes, since we now direct grants through a Donor Advised Fund, which issues the grants based on our advisement. Grantees, however, will continue to interact directly with FQXi just as before (c.f. grant reports).
To view full instructions on submitting a proposal, including the official Request for Proposals documentation, click here. Initial Proposals are due June 14, 2010, and funds for approved applications will be available soon after January 1, 2011.
If you have questions, feel free to post them here.
Let me finish by adding that all of FQXi's programs, grants and otherwise, survive on donations from individuals and organizations. If you or an organization you know would like to support foundational research but don't know how to actually get the money to the researchers, please contact us. We can work with you to identify areas where your support can make maximal impact.