The internet, mRNA vaccines, self-driving cars, GPS. These technologies didn’t emerge from incremental progress in industry or academia. They were the result of DARPA-style, coordinated research programs— they were run by a deeply technical program manager with a high degree of autonomy, aligning labs and companies around a shared, ambitious goal beyond business-as-usual R&D. We need more such efforts and that’s why we created the Big if True Science Accelerator (BiTS) to supports scientists, engineers, and entrepreneurs in transforming bold concepts into actionable program designs.
The program is built around 15 weeks of remote 1-on-1 mentorship sessions walking you through everything you need to design a viable coordinated research program. It is wrapped by an in-person kick-off day, and a demo day where you get to pitch to our philanthropic and government partners.
Learn how to take a step back from your imediate work and think about what is really going to transform a field and broader economy and society. Take a high-level idea, test it, and iterate to a concrete plan to execute in 3-5 years.
As a scientist or entrepreneur, you talk mostly with peers in your narrow field. Great programs often combine multiple disciplines, some of which you won't be expert at. To be a great program manager, you need to learn to be great at gathering information from many different sources.
Learn what to prepare for in terms of program execution, learning about project management, budgeting, risk mitigation, and how to engineer successful programs.
Backward-chaining from real-world outcomes is essential for program success. Work with potential funders and transition partners from the beginning to ensure their research can be scaled and implemented.
Fellows are connected to experienced leaders of coordinated research programs, like ARIA Programme Directors and ARPA Program Managers, and a diverse network of creators, performers, peers, mentors, and transition partners to ensure their programs' success.
The program culminates in a Demo Day, where fellows showcase their program theses and strategic plans to influential organizations, including government moonshot agencies and philanthropic foundations, positioning them for future success.
Joshua Elliott and JP Chretien, both former Program Managers at DARPA, have collectively led nearly $1B in high-risk, high-reward research programs. Joshua oversaw $600M in initiatives over six years, shaping strategies for breakthrough innovation. JP led over $300M in programs at DARPA’s Biological Technologies Office, spearheading the agency’s first biomedical Grand Challenge and advancing cutting-edge research with top institutions. Together, they bring over a decade of experience driving transformative scientific and technological advancements.
In late 2022, after speaking with leaders from ARPA-like organizations (ARIA, NCADE, ARPA-H) and pioneers of new non-profit models (FROs), Joshua identified a significant challenge: how to source and train effective program leaders without the long-established history and momentum of DARPA.
Joshua mentored potential ARPA-H program managers through Actuate, helping them shift from traditional academic thinking to the high-risk, high-reward mindset that defines DARPA PMs. This experience demonstrated the potential to train future leaders and led him to design the Breakthrough Research Accelerator for Innovative Non-profit Science (Brains Initiative).
Joshua partnered with Ben Reinhardt and Speculative Technologies to build out the Brains concept, demonstrating the program with the first cohort of ARIA PDs and with an open cohort of scientists in Spring 2024.
Building on lessons from Brains, BiTS (Big if True Science) was designed as a core program of Renaissance Philanthropy to catalyze more ambitious coordinated research programs in both government and philanthropy. In particular, the program focuses on  leveraging lessons from DARPA’s successes and failures, including the creation of a "Playbook for ARPA-PMs”.
Our leadership team has years of experience managing nearly $1B of research programs at institutions like DARPA and ARPA-H, and they are committed to helping the next generation of science leaders succeed.
CEO, Renaissance Philanthropy
ED, innovative genomics at Berkeley
Program Director, Schmidt Family Foundation (former ARPA-E)
Former Head of Rapid Evaluation, Google X (general tech, science, neuroscience)
Chief Technologist, Intellectual Ventures (former DARPA DSO DD, chemistry++)
Director of UK NSSIF
Our partners include Deep Science Ventures, Horizon Institute for Public Service, Open Philanthropy, Convergent Research, Activate and ARIA, all of whom share our vision of fostering breakthrough innovations in science and technology.
Whether you’re a potential fellow, a funder, or simply curious about our work, we’re here to answer your questions.
For inquiries, reach out to: bits@renphil.org
Created by
Aileen
•
Chloe
