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: Precision experiment puts pressure on quantum collapse theories
Quantum mechanics, the theory governing the microscopic world, is famously counterintuitive. A particle can exist in a superposition of multiple states, such as different positions, until a measurement is performed. At that point, the wavefunction describing that particle appears to ‘collapse’ to a single outcome. This puzzle lies at the heart of the measurement problem, famously illustrated by Schrödinger’s cat, suspended between life and death until observed. The XENONnT detector, which was designed to be sensitive to rare physics events, has tightened constraints on one family of possible solutions to the measurement problem, known as ‘collapse theories.’ The work, which was partially funded by FQxI, was reported in Physical Review Letters in March 2026. Image credit: XENON Collaboration.