Advanced Research & Invention Agency: Nature Computes Better - Opportunity seed funding call

Overview

They want to find bold ideas within the Nature Computes Better opportunity space, where Programme Director Suraj Bramhavar is asking how we can redefine the way computers process information by exploiting principles found ubiquitously in nature.

They’re looking for bold ideas that could challenge assumptions, open up new research paths, or provide steps towards new capabilities. If you have an important idea you’re obsessed with, but you don’t currently have the resources or support to take it forward, they’d like to hear from you.

Ideas could come from anywhere, so they welcome applications from individuals and teams who are early in their career or who have atypical backgrounds. They care more about your idea and your intrinsic motivation than they do about your CV.

Scope

Beyond this scope and their evaluation criteria, they don’t have preconceptions about what ideas you might send their way. You don’t need to contort your project to fit their goals: they want to hear what you really want to do.

In scope:

+ Ideas that sit within the ‘Nature Computes Better’ opportunity space. By this, they mean your proposal should show how your idea either aligns with or challenges the assumptions of the Summary, Beliefs, or Observations in the opportunity space document.

+ Ideas that could change the conversation about what is possible or valuable.

+ Ideas that range from early stage curiosity-driven research through to pre-commercial science and technology.

Out of scope:

+ Ideas that are within scope of Suraj Bramhavar’s programme ‘Scaling Compute - AI at 1/1000th the Cost’, as these should be submitted to his programme funding call. If you are unsure whether your idea is in scope of the programme, ask them by sending an email to clarifications@aria.org.uk.

+ Ideas that are undifferentiated or that are likely to happen without ARIA support.

+ Commercial or close-to-commercial stage products.

Budget and length of projects:

They provide funding from between £10k and £500k, inclusive of VAT (where applicable) and all associated costs (both direct and indirect).

There is no minimum length for a proposed project; the maximum length is three years.

Who can apply:

They welcome applications from across the R&D ecosystem, including individuals (including those not affiliated with an organisation), universities (including proposals from students, postdocs and staff), research institutions, small, medium and large companies, charities and public sector research organisations.

If you are an overseas applicant you should note that their primary focus will be on funding those who are based in the UK or those willing to conduct all or part of the project from the UK. However, funding will be available to applicants outside the UK if they believe the proposed project can significantly benefit the UK.

Proposal Evaluation Criteria

In evaluating your proposal, they’ll consider the following criteria:

a) Importance and vision of the proposal. They’re looking for ambitious and/or consensus-shifting ideas that have the potential to change the conversation about what’s possible or valuable. So they want to understand: if your idea worked out (and they know it might not), would you learn or demonstrate something important? Might it provide a step towards unlocking an important scientific or technical capability? If initial results are promising, would they be compelled to double down on the bet with additional funding or support?

b) Their confidence that the individual or team can deliver on the proposal. This doesn’t mean your CV or credentials. Instead, they’ll be looking for whether you can demonstrate deep problem knowledge, a well-considered plan, and intrinsic motivation to work on the idea.

c) Relevance to ARIA. They’re looking to support ideas that would be unlikely to happen without them; for example, because they are particularly speculative or are underserved by other funders. They also want to enrich the opportunity space, so they will consider the proposal’s potential to diversify skill sets and backgrounds that can contribute to the space.

As part of their evaluation, they will also consider:

• Whether the proposed plan or experimental design is likely to deliver on the goals of the proposal. The reasonableness and realism of the proposed budget and timeline, to the extent appropriate.
• If you’re not currently operating in the UK they’ll also assess the extent to which the proposed work will benefit the UK.