Get paid to do your own ML research (Cat's grant)
Summary
Cat's Grant offers funding for independent machine learning research, allowing researchers to retain IP rights while providing minimal reporting requirements.
Why It Matters
This initiative is significant as it empowers researchers to pursue their own interests in machine learning without bureaucratic constraints, fostering innovation and creativity in the field. By providing financial support and flexibility, it encourages diverse research topics, which could lead to breakthroughs in AI.
Key Takeaways
- Researchers can apply for grants of $10k, $50k, or $100k for a duration of 10 months.
- The grant allows researchers to retain ownership of their intellectual property.
- Minimal reporting requirements include weekly updates and a monthly research discussion.
- Applications are open until June 9, with a straightforward three-step selection process.
- Focus areas include LLMs, mechanistic interpretability, and probabilistic programming.
Hacker Newsnew | past | comments | ask | show | jobs | submitloginGet paid to do your own ML research (Cat's grant)8 points by notacat on May 13, 2024 | hide | past | favoriteI'm launching an experimental research grant that I call Cat's grant (I'll find a better name later).tldr: - you get paid to do your own research and report to me - you keep IP/ownership rights - 10 months duration - choose a grant size of $10k, $50k or $100k total (paid in monthly chunks) - Apply by sending an email to not_a_cat@fastmail.comHow it works: You specify the grant size when applying: 10k, 50k and 100k. This total amount will be distributed over a period of 10 months. I will review each application within 1 week. The deadline to apply is June 9. The start date is flexible and can be the start of June, July, August or September. The total budget I will allocate to this is around 100-200k I haven't yet made a proper contract reviewed by lawyers. If interest is strong enough, I will do it and try hard to keep the spirit of what is said here. The contract will be under Swiss law.Rationale: I get to meet cool people, promote and follow cool research. You get to do the research you want with little red tape (I'll be the sole decision maker for applications. Paperwork will be done with the help of other people).Application process: You choose the grant size you apply for. You can apply to multiple ones at the same time. Then, you may be accepted for one grant option or rejected for all. The proce...
