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http://pesn.com/2011/12/10/9601981_Breakout_Labs_Offers_Grants_for_Radical_Ideas/
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10, 2011 |
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Breakout Labs Offers Grants for Radical Ideas
The Thiel Fellowship has announced the opening of Breakout Labs, an organization that offers grants to individuals with radical ideas for game changing technologies. Will applications requesting funding for the development of exotic energy technologies be accepted?
by Hank Mills
Pure Energy Systems News
Many inventors have great ideas, but do not have the financial resources to develop their discovery, and bring it to the market place. To address this issue, the Thiel Foundation has announced a new program called
Breakout Labs, which will offer grants to individuals and early stage companies with ideas for radical technologies. In fact, the program says they are looking for ideas that fit the concept of, "audacious scientific exploration."
To provide some background, the Thiel Foundation
was started by Peter Thiel, who is perhaps best known as being the co-founder of PayPal. The foundation has started other programs in the past, including one called the Thiel "Fellowship" that pays young people -- selected through an application process -- to not attend college, and to instead pursue their own ideas, projects, and self-education. Breakout Labs is the latest program of the Thiel Foundation, that attempts to promote the advancement of science.
Breakout Labs is unique, in that they are not specifically seeking to invest in individuals with proven technologies and intellectual property. There are many venture capital firms who are ready to invest in technologies that are almost ready for the market place. Instead, Breakout Labs seeks to help individuals who may only have an idea for a technology, even if significant research and development is still needed. In fact, a guarantee of success is not required to obtain a grant, but applicants are recommended to have a, "road map to success."
Their website describes the grants as filling a funding gap that can prevent early stage technologies from being developed. There is not always an abundance of financial resources for inventors with unproven, early stage concepts. Basically, there is a financial risk being taken by the issuing of these grants. However, the Thiel Foundation seems confident that the potential rewards from supporting radical ideas are greater than the risks involved.
The typical grant being offered is between $50,000 and $350,000 dollars, depending on the project's needs and potential. An entire project can be supported by such a grant, or just a portion of a project.
In exchange for the grant, a revenue sharing agreement must be made. According to the website, there are two types of revenue sharing agreements. In the first, the funded company or individual retains the intellectual property, and pays a "modest" royalty stream to Breakout Labs. In the second, the funded company gives the intellectual property to Breakout Labs, in exchange for a substantial royalty stream. Either way, the money that goes back to Breakout Labs will fund additional projects and keep the program operational.
Anyone who would like to do so can send an application for a grant. Guidelines and other information are on the Breakout Labs website. There are no application deadlines, and there is no set limit on how many grants will be issued.
Perhaps the only "string" that comes attached to these grants -- other than revenue sharing -- seems to be that the technology must be shared. The website states...
"Applicants are required to deposit data generated by the project in appropriate repositories and to pursue open-access publication options. These requirements should not compromise intellectual property."
I find this to be a good "string", because it means that if a major breakthrough is made it cannot be kept secret. This is not quite an open source model, but it seems to be much better than allowing technologies to be kept confidential.
What interests me the most about Breakout Labs, is their focus on funding projects that could have difficulty obtaining support from governments, or the academic world. Obviously, researchers of exotic energy technologies (such as cold fusion) have had extreme difficulty acquiring funding from such entities. I'm very curious if Breakout Labs would issue a grant to an individual or company that was developing an exotic source of energy. For example, a cold fusion reactor, free energy magnet motor, solid state electrical generator, or a device that tapped energy from the aether in a style similar to Nikola Tesla.
I realize not all claims of exotic energy technologies are valid. However, many of them have merit, and deserve funding. Even a single exotic energy technology making it to the market place could be worth billions of dollars. I hope that Breakout Labs recognizes this, and will take seriously applications requesting funding for free energy research.
Do you have an exotic energy technology or other idea that deserves funding? Perhaps you should consider applying for a grant from Breakout Labs.
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Page composed by Sterling
D. Allan
Last updated December 17, 2011
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