Big if True Science (BiTS) Acceleratora Program of Renaissance Philanthropy

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A talent accelerator for scientists to design and execute coordinated research programs to unlock transformative technologies for humanity's future.

Welcome to the Big If True Science Accelerator (BiTS)

The Big if True Science (BiTS) Accelerator, supports scientists, engineers, and entrepreneurs in transforming bold concepts into actionable program designs. It equips them with the skills, networks, and strategic insight needed to secure institutional backing and bring their visionary programs to life.

Learn how BiTS is empowering researchers to drive the next wave of transformative initiatives and pioneering institutions.

Introduction

The internet and GPS didn’t emerge from incremental progress in industry or academia. They were the result of DARPA-style, coordinated research programs—aligning labs and companies around a shared, ambitious goal beyond business-as-usual R&D. DARPA pioneered coordinated research programs in the United States, but organizations around the world, like ARIA (UK), SPRIND (Germany), and the Moonshot Research and Development Program (Japan), among others, are developing their own unique models of coordinated research programs. We need more such efforts and that’s why we created BiTS.

A program of Renaissance Philanthropy

About

At BiTS, we empower the next generation of scientific visionaries to develop bold, transformative ideas that could reshape the future.

Our 15-week accelerator identifies, mentors, and trains ambitious scientists to design and lead large-scale research programs, harnessing new philanthropic and public funding opportunities to create real-world impact.

•the challenge

Some of the most significant advancements in science require long-term, coordinated research efforts that don’t fit within academia or private sector budgets or timelines. Yet, existing institutional models and incentives generally do not encourage scientists to dream up ideas at this level of ambition and train them to manage large-scale coordinated efforts.

At BiTS, we recognize this gap in the talent pipeline and the challenge it poses for those who want to conceive and execute bold scientific ideas with potential for breakthroughs.

•OUR GOALS

By equipping ambitious individuals with the training and support to target and achieve moonshot goals via coordinated research programs, we can drive breakthrough scientific and technological advancements that will shape the future and benefit humanity at scale. This is Big (if true).

BiTs strives to nurture the next generation of visionaries—leaders equipped to design and execute high-impact programs across philanthropy and government, analogous to the societally impactful ARPA-style programs.

BiTS prepares them to step into key roles, whether as ARIA Programme Directors, ARPA-style Program Managers, philanthropic leaders, or founders of frontier R&D organizations like FROs or BBN-model institutions. Through BiTS, they gain the training, network, and playbook to turn bold ideas into transformative programs.

The Program

BiTS identifies and nurtures scientists with groundbreaking ideas. Our 15-week accelerator offers a comprehensive, hands-on program designed to equip fellows with the tools, skills, and connections they need to to transform ambitious concepts into actionable, well-designed programs.

Participants gain the strategic, operational, and fundraising skills to navigate institutional landscapes and bring their visions to life.

Accelerator - Building blocks

Program Design and Development:

Fellows learn how to develop large-scale, translational research programs that can secure substantial philanthropic and public funding.

Field Exploration and Idea Refinement:

Through exploration and mapping, fellows identify current research gaps, engage with experts in their fields, and refine their program ideas to maximize impact.

Practical Program Execution:

Fellows gain hands-on experience in program execution, learning about project management, budgeting, risk mitigation, and how to engineer successful programs.

Technical Transition:

Our program places a strong emphasis on transitioning technologies into real-world applications. Fellows work with potential funders and transition partners to ensure their research can be scaled and implemented.

Networking and Mentorship:

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.

Demo Day:

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.

The BiTS curriculum will be open sourced soon.

Our Fellows

In each cycle, we select a cohort of exceptional scientists, innovators, and thinkers.

We recruit ambitious scientists from academia and industry and support them to create high-impact coordinated research programs that can change the world by providing them with expert training and mentorship, and connecting them with key partners and funders.

coming in 2025‍

These fellows are supported through our structured mentorship and training programs, helping them refine their ideas, create impactful programs, and develop strategies to secure long-term support for their work.

Powered by Renaissance Philanthropy’s partnership with the UK’s Advanced Research + Intervention Agency (ARIA), BiTS will launch its:

First cohort in Spring 2025 with a focus on supporting the incoming set of ARIA Programme Directors.
Second cohort which will kick off in August 2025 with a focus of sourcing science visionaries in the UK, Europe, and Africa. Applications will open in June.

With support from Open Philanthropy, BiTS will launch a North, Central, and South America focused cohort in Fall 2025. To be notified about when applications open for upcoming cohorts, please submit a form here.

Our Roots

• The Team's DARPA Experience

2017-2024

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.

• Identifying a Critical Challenge

Late 2022

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.

• Mentoring Future Leaders

2022-2023

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).

• Building the Brains Initiative

2023-2024

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.

• Launching BiTS

2024 - Present

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”.

At BiTS, we are led by experts with a deep understanding of the science and technology landscape.

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.

Our Advisors

Tom Kalil

CEO, Renaissance Philanthropy

Brad Ringeisen

ED, innovative genomics at Berkeley

Pat McGrath

Program Director, Schmidt Sciences (former ARPA-E)

Hemai Parthasarathy

Former Head of Rapid Evaluation, Google X (general tech, science, neuroscience)

Anne Fischer

Chief Technologist, Intellectual Ventures (former DARPA DSO DD, chemistry++)

Andy Bamford

Director of UK NSSIF

Our Team

Work with us

Check out our team's full bios here.

Jean-Paul Chretien

Director, BiTS

Joshua Elliott

Chief Scientist, Renaissance Philanthropy

Eric Gilliam

Associate

Aleš Flídr

UK Coordinator, BiTS

Partners

We are proud to collaborate with some of the most forward-thinking organizations in science and philanthropy.

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.

Interested in Learning More?

We'd love to hear from you.

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

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