“What sets Arc Institute apart from other research groups isn’t its goal but rather its philosophy of freeing researchers from the red tape that clogs the pipeline of conventional research: lengthy grant applications, long lags between submission and receiving funding, high competition, and award systems that stifle creative ideas.
Like politicians on the fundraising trail, researchers spend tons of time seeking money for their projects, with more than 90% agreeing the total time spent on this is too much. Some researchers report having to spend half or more of their time on writing grant proposals…
Instead of researchers scraping together their own grants, Arc Institute gives researchers no-strings-attached funding for eight years (with renewable terms), fosters collaboration with scientists in other fields, and provides access to cutting-edge technology in their labs.
The strategy is to accelerate research that would have a hard time getting funded through conventional means — and do so quickly. Rather than innovative ideas waiting a year to get funding, Hsu says Arc Institute’s model is: ‘Tomorrow.'”
From Freethink.