Top Sites for Crowdfunding Scientific Research

Like niche crowdfunding sites for real estate or crowdfunding sites for charities and non profits, crowdfunding has made its way to science. A handful of quality crowdfunding sites have emerged to help fund impactful scientific research that may otherwise not receive backing.

According to the website TechCrunch, startups are a part of a new revolution that has the "potential to offer us new ways to seek knowledge and build future innovation." But in terms of scientific research, there still remains a disconnect between the startup culture and that of university researchers. University research and academia is still very much interested in status, which according to TechCrunch, "tends to emphasize very specific arenas of competition like funding grants and publication records that can make it difficult for a nascent startup to find footing." But that seems to be changing.

Crowdfunding Sites for Science and Research

Sites like Experiment.com and Petridish.org are helping pair scientists doing cutting-edge research with individuals interested in backing their important work, which means that funding is less about status as it is about capturing the minds and hearts of hundreds of donating individuals.

Even though it's still early in its evolution, crowdfunding for scientific research may significantly change the way science happens in the future. Here are four crowdfunding sites that are already a part of this change.

1
Experiment.com

Focused college student studying at computer — Hero Images/Getty Images

Experiment.com bills itself as a platform for enabling new scientific discoveries: "If it helps unlock new knowledge, then we can fund it. We have the technology."

Researchers post scientific projects that require funding, share their projects to fundraise and spread awareness, and if the projects hit their goals, backers are rewarded with seeing science unfold in front of them. Experiment.com has backed projects in economics, physics, biology, medicine and more.

Previously known as Microryza, in February 2014, Experiment.com took an investment from top Venture Capital firms, Andreessen Horowitz and Index Ventures. More

2
Petridish.org

Colleagues discussing plan in tech start-up office — Gary Burchell/Stone/Getty Images

Petridish.org is a crowdfunding site for scientific research aimed at supporting projects that might not successfully raise money from the government or other scientific backers. Backers don't receive equity in the company doing the research, but may be acknowledged in various ways or offered opportunities to visit research labs.

Petridish was co-founded by Matt Salzberg, previously a venture capitalist at Bessemer.

3
USEED

College student studying with digital tablet in library — Hero Images/Getty Images

USEED works with institutions of higher education to help redesign philanthropy for research. USEED specifically funds "experiential learning" projects which range from taking part in international volunteer programs to launching a company to starting an on-campus club. Fundable projects are approved by individual universities which then share information about donation opportunities with alumni. The donations are made to the university rather than to individuals. More

4
Consano

Focused engineer assembling circuit board — Hero Images/Getty Images

Consano lists a variety of research projects on its site and makes them available to patients and other conscientious backers to donate to projects they find compelling.

According to TechCrunch, Consano was founded by Molly Lindquist, who herself is a cancer survivor. She wanted to provide researchers with alternatives to very large non-profits which tend to fund general research. Her particular interest is in providing direct support to innovative researchers. More

Crowdfunding Scientific Research

Crowdfunding sites like Experiment.com and Petridish.org are changing the way science is funded. Crowdfunding is inclusive of patients and individuals to get total support from a community of individuals who are passionate about funding specific research.