Foundational Questions Institute

The Foundational Questions Institute, styled FQXi, is an organization that provides grants to "catalyze, support, and disseminate research on questions at the foundations of physics and cosmology."[1] It was founded in 2005 by cosmologists Max Tegmark and Anthony Aguirre,[2] who hold the positions of Scientific Directors. It has run four worldwide grant competitions (in 2006, 2008, 2010, and 2013), the first of which provided US$2M to 30 projects.[3] It also runs yearly essay contests open to the general public with $40,000 in prizes awarded by a jury panel and the best texts published in book format.[4]

FQXi is an independent, philanthropically funded non-profit organization, run by scientists for scientists, with a Scientific Advisory Board including John Barrow, Nick Bostrom, Gregory Chaitin, David Chalmers, Alan Guth, Martin Rees, Eva Silverstein, Lee Smolin, and Frank Wilczek.[5]

The $6.2 million seed funding was donated by the John Templeton Foundation, whose goal is to reconcile science and religion. Tegmark has stated that the money came with "no strings attached"; The Boston Globe stated FQXi is run by "two well-respected researchers who say they are not religious. The institute's scientific advisory board is also filled with top scientists."[6] Critics of the John Templeton Foundation such as Sean Carroll have also stated they were satisfied that the FQXi is independent.[7][8]