FUNDING BREAKDOWN
Grants Available for
New Research Projects
The total available funding of up to $1 million will be divided among at least 16 projects. Up to $50,000 will be awarded to 12 projects and up to $100,000 will be awarded to a further 4 projects. BICS reserves the right to determine the value of each project and the final amount awarded.
BICS hopes that results from the first Challenge are going to be so productive and fascinating that we could expand greatly on future projects. There is potentially a lot more at stake.
Robert T. Bigelow
The Beginning
The 2023 BICS grants program, “The Challenge,” is the largest funding program in the field of survival research.
It is not intended to be a one-off program and, if the 2023 phase is successful, will build upon it and grow.
The Challenge
The 2023-2024 funding cycle will see up to $1 million being awarded to projects within the remit.
And Beyond
If the Challenge produces sufficiently compelling results, then there is the capacity and willingness to expand the program.
What Type of Project Will Be Considered?
The Challenge
Who Can Apply?
Anyone who has experience, expertise and qualifications in the field of the survival of consciousness, including communication with consciousness, after physical death may apply for funding.
How to Apply for Funding
In the first instance, applicants should submit a budgeted preliminary proposal with professional bio, or bios of all team members, including photograph(s), and showing their qualifications and experience in this field (“the survival of human consciousness after death”).
The Project
Outline the proposed project. Explain why it is important and novel. Describe the experimental design and controls.
The Budget
Estimate the overall cost of the project and the number of payment instalments required, with deliverables tied to these milestones.
The People
Professional bio or bios of all team members, with photograph(s), showing expertise and qualifications for the proposed project.
Grant Application Timeline
Preliminary Proposals
Submit your preliminary proposal from this date.
End of Preliminary Phase
All preliminary proposals must be in by this date to be considered for funding.
Full Proposals
Selected applicants will be invited to submit a full proposal.
Full Proposal Deadline
Full proposals must be submitted by this date.
Grantees Announced
Projects to be funded will be announced.
Final Reports Due
Grantees must submit their final reports by this date.
Due to the unprecedented number of applications there may be some delay in replying to all applicants. Your patience is appreciated.
FAQs
If you have any questions, explore these answers first:
No. Only those projects that solely focus on contact/communication and “wisdom acquisition” from post-mortem/discarnate consciousness (the “Other Side”) will be considered for funding.
Wisdom acquisition is a term used in this research field to mean the reception of higher order information of value to humankind. As a guide, historical examples of such contact and communication with “the afterlife” have included: Emanuel Swedenborg; Allan Kardec; William Stainton Moses; Edgar Cayce; and Jane Roberts.
As part of wisdom acquisition, BICS is interested in exploring and researching information obtained from authenticated sources on the “Other Side” pertaining to addressing the future viability or non-viability of humankind over the next twenty to thirty years.
Applicants are free to decide on their approach, but as a guide methods used have been wide-ranging, including, but not limited to, automatic writing, dreams, lucid dreaming, visions, veridical hallucination, trance, hypnosis, hypnotic regression, direct voice, mental mediumship, physical mediumship, so-called spirit boards, etc.
Contact and communication with the “Other Side” is the exclusive focus of the program; however, this does not entail contacting deceased relatives for the purposes of receiving messages of personal comfort. The objective is to be understood as contact/communication with post-mortem/discarnate consciousness to obtain information that can be classed as “wisdom.”
No. Funding will be distributed in instalments across the duration of the project. Applicants must detail and justify how many such instalments will be needed and when, with project deliverables tied to each of these milestones.
If your application does not meet these criteria it will be rejected:
You must also include a bio with photo for all researchers.
The Preliminary Proposal Phase has Closed
The preliminary proposal phase has closed and suitable applications are now being selected for the full proposal phase. If you have not been successful in this round, please note that, due to the number of applications received, BICS cannot enter into individual discussion of any decisions made.
Bigelow Institute for Consciousness Studies
The Bigelow Institute for Consciousness Studies (BICS) was founded in 2020 by aerospace entrepreneur Robert T. Bigelow to support research into the survival of human consciousness after physical death and, following from that, the nature of “the afterlife.”