What we're working on

Every Programme Director joins ARIA with a vision for what the future could look like. But to fully shape that vision, and take it from impossible to inevitable, we need your inspiration and input.

This starts with an opportunity space – an area that we believe is likely to yield breakthroughs. We’ll publish our progress, solicit your feedback, push version updates, and highlight live funding opportunities here.

Our opportunity spaces are designed as an open invitation for researchers from across disciplines and institutions to learn with us and contribute. Even if you are new to a topic, we urge you to dive in – a variety of perspectives are just what we need to change what’s possible.

Programmable Plants

Scalable Neural Interfaces

Scoping Our Planet

Nature Computes Better

Mathematics for Safe AI

Future Proofing Our Climate and Weather

Smarter Robot Bodies

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Programmable Plants

The opportunity – Plants have paved the way for human existence and hold tremendous potential to solve some of our most pressing challenges such as food insecurity, climate change and environmental degradation. Programmable plants can secure our future on earth – providing not just food, but a sustainable and thriving biosphere for future generations.

What’s next – Applications for our Synthetic Plants programme are now closed. We’ll be launching opportunity seed funding within Programmable Plants in 2025.

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Future Proofing Our Climate and Weather

The opportunity – If an abrupt alteration in a climate system were to unfold, we would have no tools to mitigate the effects. Through research, we could understand the science behind how we might intervene to responsibly manage the climate and weather. Read more in this Q&A with Mark and ARIA CEO Ilan Gur.

What’s next – We are now accepting full proposals for our Exploring Climate Cooling programme.

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Scalable Neural Interfaces

The opportunity – Neurological and neuropsychiatric disorders are the cause of an overwhelming societal and economic impact. We need to build highly targeted, minimally invasive technologies that enable us to interface, at scale, with the human brain.

What’s next – Applications for our Precision Neurotechnologies programme are now closed. We’ll select and announce Creators for the programme soon.

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Nature Computes Better

The opportunity – We can redefine the way computers process information by exploiting principles found ubiquitously in nature. In doing so, we can better understand how the natural world around us performs computation and build dramatically more efficient computers.

What’s next – We have announced our first Creators in Nature Computes Better – further information on the recipients of funding in this opportunity space are coming soon.

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Scoping Our Planet

The opportunity – Current Earth system measurements have serious gaps that lead to uncertainties in weather forecasting and climate predictions. By harnessing the power of optics we can fill these gaps, equipping society to respond confidently to the climate crisis.

What’s next – Applications for our Forecasting Tipping Points programme are now closed.

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Mathematics for Safe AI

The opportunity – We don’t yet have known technical solutions to ensure that powerful AI systems interact as intended with real-world systems and populations. A combination of scientific world-models and mathematical proofs may be the answer to ensuring AI provides transformational benefit without harm.

What’s next – The third solicitation for our Safeguarded AI programme (TA1.4) is now open – apply by 2 January 2025 [12:00 GMT].

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Smarter Robot Bodies

The opportunity – Throughout history, humans have used tools and machines to reduce the burden of physical labour. We are entering a new era with robots smart enough to act independently in complex and dynamic environments. But smart machines with dumb bodies will only get us so far.

What’s next – Applications for our Robot Dexterity programme are now closed. We’ll select and announce respective Creators for the programme and opportunity seeds soon. We’ll also put out a second call for opportunity seed funding within Smarter Robot Bodies midway through 2025.