FAQs:
GENERAL:
1. What is the goal of this site?
Eliminate the stifling effect of money on scientific progress. And then bring forth new cures, heal the planet, travel to new worlds, and forward humanity.
2. How is this crowdfunding site different?
Fund of Science (FOS) accepts projects that specifically seek to answer a scientific question, unlike crowdfunding sites like KickStarter, IndieGoGo, GoFundMe. It can be a gadget, invention, or model, provided an original scientific question is posed. Please feel free to contact us if you are not sure of your project's suitability.
3. What areas of science are covered?
All areas are welcome. Biology, Medicine, Computational Sciences, Engineering, Materials Science, Ecology, Humanities, Social Science, Philosophy, Economics, to name just a few. If it is a science question, share it !
4. Is this an all-or-nothing funding?
No. Since science research can be completed over time and donations can help complete important portions of a larger project, we are offering a partial funding model. To also ensure that reasonable research activity is accomplished, funds will be transferred to a campaigner as long as an amount equal to or greater than 30% of the requested amount has been funded by the end of the campaign.
HOWEVER, campaigners are encouraged NOT to undercut their budgets, since a popular project may lose its opportunity to be fully funded.
5. Is a funder rewards model being used?
The decision of the offer of any reward will be left up to the researcher/scientist. In some fields tangible rewards are possible while in others they are not, and students may not be capable of doing so. For this reason, we urge funders not to judge projects by this criterion.
FOR SCIENTISTS/RESEARCHERS:
1. Who is a Scientist/Researcher?
NOTE: Students do not strictly fall under this category although for purposes of general use they are referred to as such. Please see Especially For Students
2. How will the research project be funded?
4. How will the research project be reviewed?
The basic review process is conducted by the Fund Of Science team. The primary review criteria are:
1. The accreditation of the scientist/researcher. Is the scientist from a research-accredited institution and is competent to carry out the research?
2. The science content of the project. Is there a central scientific question being asked?
3. The resource support available to the scientist. Are the necessary technical resources available or have been budgeted for by the scientist?
4. The size of the project vs money hope to be raised. Is the project going to fit the budget? We will also request scientists not to over-budget their projects - please be careful about asking for monies in large excess of your needs. Keep in mind that if you show success with a smaller project, the likelihood of a continuation project is greatly increased.
While FOS has knowledgeable scientists with several years of research experience and of the traditional grant funding process, we do not expect to recreate the peer-review process nor to critically examine the validity of any one hypothesis. The final proof will lie in the results in the public domain of your peers. Fund Of Science hopes to reduce the strain of grant funding, allowing scientists to concentrate on true science, and thus, we expect that scientists will be cognizant of the facts of their research and self-police. Comments by other scientists are welcome.
5. What about intellectual property (IP) and rights protections?
Fund Of Science will NOT claim any ownership or intellectual property rights from any project posted on the website. All rights and ownerships are 100% that of the project submitters and IP considerations and regulations from their administrating institutions will apply. Any claims from anyone otherwise are false.
1. Do not specify details in your project that you wish to protect as IP. For example, refer to your gene as "gene X" or your algorithm as 'the algorithm" etc.
2. Excercise the same diligence that you would in publishing your data. We recommend submitting data for publication and IP application before sharing on FUND OF SCIENCE.
By the same token, please be aware FUND OF SCIENCE cannot be responsible for the protection of these rights, as this is a Public Domain website.6. How will funds be provided and what about indirect costs?
To assist the easy provision of funds, please provide FOS with details from your Instution/Facility about where and how to disburse these funds.
Fund Of Science promotes the concept of "Open Access', and sees data sharing as fundamental to the ethos of scientific progress. We encourage researchers to share updates or final results whenever possible, so your funders can see that the bargain is being kept. This is not a requirement, but a request.
FOR FUNDERS/DONORS:
Anybody willing to make the minimum donation requested. You are the noble engine that will power future science. Please note that this a gift/donation and you are not making any purchase, nor expecting commercial gain or return. Your kind gesture will help science projects that are of interest to you. If you are below 18 years of age, please seek an adult's help.
2. Are anonymous donations allowed?
Yes. Your identity will not be displayed if you so wish, but it will be recorded securely by FOS to ensure that payment processing is accurate and if refunds need to be made.
There is no limit to your contribution. And every donation is valuable, however small it may be. As a donor who is touched by a scientific cause, your amount is less important as the number of people you can motivate. The power of the crowd will magnify all donations.
Your donation is part of the pool of funds raised by a project. All of the funds raised will be used only by the researcher/scientist team you supported to help complete their research proposed. The money will be administered by the researcher/scientists' Institution/Facility, to whom the money will be sent under the researcher/scientists' names. The money will be designated as a gift/donation by FOS on behalf of the donors. A 10% "indirect costs" will be allowed to basically help with the cost of administrative duties, utility bills, etc. that an Institution faces on a daily basis - costs not directly involved with the research activity per se. This will also
5. Can funds be raised beyond the goal set?
Yes, of course. The donations window will be open until the project deadline is reached.
6. What if projects fall short of their expected funds goal?
This also can happen. However, most science projects can be broken into multiple parts, and so we are allowing partial funding with a cutoff of 30%. That is, projects that reach >30% of their goal will get all the funds pledged after their fundraising period is over. Researchers/Scientists can use this money to advance aspects of their projects and reapply to FOS.
7. What kind of payment options do I have? Is it safe?
You can send money using PayPal, or directly via you credit card on FOS. FOS uses the trusted credit card processing company Stripe. With Stripe, your credit card information will not touch our servers. NOTE: Credit Card transactions are charged a 3% (0.30c per $10.00 donated) processing fee by all credit card companies (including PayPal) and is unavoidable. Please do not let that deter you from making a contribution. It counts in the long run.