Field builder · Science policy · Cambridge, MA · Est. 2021
Convergent Research (a 501(c)(3) nonprofit) is an organization that “maps what’s missing” in science and technology—then incubates and launches subsidiary nonprofit “Focused Research Organizations” (FROs) to build public scientific infrastructure that is difficult for universities, startups, or traditional government labs to deliver. Convergent describes FROs as time-bound, technically ambitious efforts that run like startups (with full-time teams and milestone-driven delivery), producing public goods such as tools, datasets, and scientific infrastructure intended to unblock progress across entire fields.
Publications are not yet indexed for this organization. Read them on convergentresearch.org ↗.
Convergent announced a collaboration with ARIA to launch Focused Research Organizations in the UK, including an open call for FRO proposals and a Founder-in-Residence program to develop concepts for launch.
Roadmap: Towards ubiquitous metagenomic sequencing (clinical metagenomic sequencing roadmap)Convergent published a dated roadmap focused on what it would take for clinical metagenomic sequencing to become competitive with PCR as a diagnostic tool, including target specifications. The post states the work was done in collaboration with Open Philanthropy and links to the resulting roadmap.
Convergent’s “Essential Technology” Substack launchConvergent announced the launch of its Substack “Essential Technology,” framing it around missing tools, datasets, and platforms that Convergent argues are bottlenecks across scientific disciplines.