How We Make a Difference
At FQxI, we are committed to supporting scientific revolution, not just evolution. FQxI funds high-risk, high-reward projects that challenge the status quo. Our interest is in science as an end in itself. Before technological advances and lucrative spin-offs comes curiosity and a desire for knowledge in its own right.
Through FQxI’s grantmaking programs, we are able to support scientists working at the forefront of their disciplines. Those who challenge the ideas that others take for granted. Those who are able to dream big and then roll up their sleeves to test their ideas.
FQxI runs grant programs to support research endeavors varying from large-scale support of laboratory work to mini-grants awarded to create workshops where great ideas can be exchanged between colleagues. To date, we have provided over US$29 million in funding across ten RFPs and 28 mini-grant (now Fulcrum Grant) rounds, generated thousands of scientific papers, hosted six international conferences, and supported a large number of meetings and workshops.
the foundational questions institute in numbers
Founded 2006 BY MAX TEGMARK and Anthony aguirre
US$28 million AWARDED in Grants
10 RFPs and 28 Mini-grant rounds
6 International Conferences
OVER 350 Members
4 Nobel LaureaTEs
10 FUNDING THEMES
Over 1,000 research papers
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PressRelease: Shining a light on the roots of plant “intelligence”
All living organisms emit a low level of light radiation, but the origin and function of these ‘biophotons’ are not yet fully understood. An international team of physicists, funded by the Foundational Questions Institute, FQxI, has proposed a new approach for investigating this phenomenon based on statistical analyses of this emission. Their aim is to test whether biophotons can play a role in the transport of information within and between living organisms, and whether monitoring biophotons could contribute to the development of medical techniques for the early diagnosis of various diseases. Their analyses of the measurements of the faint glow emitted by lentil seeds support models for the emergence of a kind of plant ‘intelligence,’ in which the biophotonic emission carries information and may thus be used by plants as a means to communicate. The team reported this and reviewed the history of biophotons in an article in the journal Applied Sciences in June 2024.