| Formation | 2024 |
|---|---|
| Founders | Eric Schmidt, Wendy Schmidt |
| Type | Nonprofit organization |
| Purpose | Funding unconventional research in science and technology |
Region served | Worldwide |
Parent organization | Schmidt Futures |
| Affiliations | Schmidt Ocean Institute |
| Remarks | Supports AI2050 fellowship, Ocean Biogeochemistry Virtual Institute (OBVI), and AI science safety research |
Schmidt Sciences is a philanthropic organization established in 2024 to fund unconventional research in science and technology. [1] [2] Founded by Eric Schmidt and Wendy Schmidt, the nonprofit is a spin-off of Schmidt Futures. [3] Schmidt Sciences awards the AI2050 academic fellowship which asks scholars to imagine a future in which AI has benefited society. [4] The Schmidts have committed $125 million to the AI2050 program over five years. [4] [5] The organization also partners with Schmidt Ocean Institute to support the Ocean Biogeochemistry Virtual Institute (OBVI). [6]
In 2025, Schmidt Sciences announced a new $10 million venture to fund scientific research into safety problems in AI. [2] [7] The AI science safety program includes 27 projects. [7] Awardees announced in February 2025 included computer scientist Yoshua Bengio, who is developing AI risk mitigation technology, and Zico Kolter, an OpenAI board member, exploring AI attacks. [7]
In January 2026, Schmidt Sciences announced four astronomical projects: a private space telescope, Lazuli, with a proposed launch date in 2028; the Argus Array, an array of 1,200 telescopes that can "mimic the effect of an 8 meter optical telescope" (likely in Texas); Deep Synoptic Array radio telescope of 1,600 dishes in Nevada; and LFAST, an instrument for large aperture spectroscopy intended for biosignature search (likely in Arizona). [8]