Reforming Science Funding through better Grants Programs | Ben Reinhardt

Welcome to another episode of the DeSci Podcast! Today, we were joined by Ben Reinhardt, founder of Speculative Technologies, a nonprofit research organization that runs coordinated research programs to unlock groundbreaking innovations.

In this episode, we explore the qualities that make funders exceptional and the key factors that contribute to successful startup grants. We also shed light on the social and financial asymmetries between grantor and grantee, highlighting their negative impact on the funding process.

Other topics we discussed are the differences between small and large grants, limitations of grant-making programs, common misconceptions between the public and private sector and many more.

Feel free to navigate through any of the topics discussed in the Podcast using the timestamps below.

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⭐ Timestamps:

0:00 Intro

1:46 Characteristics of good funders

6:39 Key factors for successful startup grants

13:02 Asymmetries in grantor-grantee relationships

16:20 Small and large grants

19:09 Coordination in research

26:50 Pros and cons of grants

30:28 Limitations and drawbacks of grant-making programs

36:10 Common misconceptions between the public and private sector

38:07 Contentious issues within your field

42:42 Reforming science funding

44:20 How do you approach research management?

46:52 Topics Ben wants to write about

52:04 Outro

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If you want to join us on the show as a speaker or have guest ideas, please shoot us a mail at podcast@molecule.to

Special thanks to:

Lea Degen (host): https://twitter.com/lealeata

Ben Reinhardt: https://twitter.com/Ben_Reinhardt

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