Do you have an idea to tackle a critical bottleneck in science and technology that cannot be addressed through current institutional structures?
Convergent Research, in partnership with the Advanced Research and Invention Agency (ARIA), will be having a 2027 open call for Focused Research Organizations (FROs) in the United Kingdom (UK) that could unlock transformative progress in
ARIA’s opportunity spaces. These are focused, fast-moving team projects designed to solve some of today’s most significant scientific and technological challenges.
We are looking for ambitious scientists, engineers, and other technical leaders who want to build transformative technologies that overcome scientific bottlenecks. Selected teams will be invited to develop their ideas through a
FRO Founder Residency, a six month programme run by experienced FRO builders and operators designed to turn promising concepts into fundable, launch-ready FRO proposals. These proposals will then be considered for UK FRO funding.
This programme builds on the first UK FRO Founder Residency in 2025, which resulted in three funded projects:
Meridial, ECHO Labs, and
Earth Compress.
To learn more,
attend one of our UK events (below) and subscribe
here for updates
:- Glasgow | Wednesday, Oct 28
- Afternoon workshop
- Evening reception
- Edinburgh | Thursday, Oct 29
- Afternoon workshop
- Evening reception
- Oxford | Wednesday, November 4
- Afternoon workshop
- Evening reception
- Manchester | Thursday, November 5
- Afternoon workshop
- Evening reception
About FROs
Focused Research Organizations (FROs) are specialized entities designed to tackle clearly defined science and technology challenges that require dedicated teamwork over a fixed period (typically ~3 - 5 years). FROs are structured similarly to series ~A deep tech startups. They have a dedicated leadership team and are milestone-driven, focusing on high-risk, high-reward projects that create transformative public goods, often ones that themselves advance research and development. As FROs near completion, they actively disseminate these public goods through various channels (e.g., open-sourcing, spin-outs, partnerships).
Since pioneering the FRO model in 2021, Convergent Research has launched 14 public FROs,
including two in the UK after our inaugural 2025 FRO Founder Residency program. These FROs, for example, are making brain connectivity mapping radically faster, cheaper, and more accessible, scaling up single-cell proteomics to unprecedented levels, and creating open source tools to expand access to novel microbes. Our FROs are enabling DeepMind’s AlphaProof and co-developing ultra-sound based neurotechnology with leading health tech companies.
What we are looking for
We are looking for transformative FRO ideas that are:
- Relevant to ARIA’s opportunity spaces
- Focused on solving significant scientific or technological bottleneck
- Capable of producing a valuable public good or shared capability
- Counterfactual—unlikely to happen, or unlikely to succeed, through traditional academic, venture-backed, or industry pathways
- Ambitious but sufficiently well-defined to develop into an actionable multi-year plan
- Supported by a credible route to adoption, dissemination, or long-term use
- High impact for the UK
Who should apply?
We are looking for individuals, or preferably teams, with a passion for tackling ambitious, high-impact scientific and technological challenges. You may be a strong fit if you:
- Are passionate about solving a critical bottleneck in science or technology whose solution would unlock transformative progress
- Want to build and lead a mission-driven organization to tackle it
- Bring scientific or technical expertise to ground the research direction and execution
- Can recruit, coordinate, and lead a team, and turn the vision into a well-run institution
- Have the judgment and communication skills to engage partners, users, funders, and other stakeholders
Proposals that will be considered for funding through the ARIA-Convergent partnership at the end of the residency should:
- Be able to reach a substantial technical inflection point with a budget of up to £14M over 2 - 5 years. Proposals with larger budgets are welcome, but the FRO should be able to make substantial progress with this amount and leadership should have a feasible and well-considered plan for how you would raise the remaining funds.
- Be led by a highly qualified, full time team predominantly based in the UK
- Launch in the UK in Q2 2028 as a Convergent UK FRO (see more information about the relationship between Convergent and FROs)
ARIA programme directors may elect to fund a proposal independently through programmatic funding. This is up to the individual programme directors and the timing and circumstances of their funding programmes. Programme-funded FROs could be Convergent UK FROs or independent.
About the FRO Founder Residency
“...the biggest parts for me have been around agency, networking and organisation building. It's been super amazing to be introduced to a new way of working with a different mental model for what is possible.” - 2025 participant
The FRO Founder Residency is a 6-month programme designed to help you develop a technical and operational plan for creating a purpose-built organization dedicated to delivering high-impact public goods. You can read more about the 2025 residency
here.The residency offers a dedicated period of time to build your idea into a proposal and develop the skills and network to make it a reality through a combination of training workshops, mentorship, and events with the cohort.
By the end of the residency, each team is expected to have run a technical roadmapping workshop and developed a high-quality funder-ready proposal for an impactful, counterfactual focused research program with a detailed technical and operational roadmap.
What the Residency provides
Programming: Workshops, training, and mentoring to help founders to flesh out the technical, operational, and strategic details of a FRO proposal and develop leadership skills.
Feedback: Structured feedback on key components of your proposal from Convergent Research, ARIA, and external experts.
Network: Founders will organize a roadmapping workshop to foster dialogue and community-wide brainstorming to survey their field as they refine their FRO concept. We’ll also facilitate network building through community events.
Community: You’ll take this journey alongside fellow founding teams, sharing what you know and celebrating each other’s victories.
Financial Support: Participants are eligible to receive a stipend of £20,000 for the 6 month period. Each team will also have a team budget of ~£30K for eligible project-related expenses and travel.
What participation entails
During the residency, teams must be able to commit to:
- 10+ hours/ week of work developing the technical and operational plan for their FRO, organizing their roadmapping workshop, and other activities
- ~2 hours of virtual Residency programming/ week during UK working hours
- ~2 virtual workshops/ month during UK working hours
- 4+ in-person events in the UK including a kick-off event, 2 workshops, and an end of residency symposium
The residency is designed to accommodate individuals with ongoing but flexible employment. It is nevertheless a significant commitment, and participants must be able to travel to the UK for in-person events.
Teams are encouraged to arrange additional in-person time together as they develop their proposal.
Application Process
We anticipate announcing the call for proposals and application details in December, with written proposals due in Q1 2027. Please subscribe
here for updates.
About Us
Convergent Research
Convergent Research, known for pioneering the Focused Research Organization (FRO) model, builds nonprofit “scientific startups” that remove bottlenecks to breakthrough scientific research. FROs are a new operating model for science that enables a high level of team science and systems engineering for public goods creation. We have launched 14 FROs to date, with 2 in the UK.
ARIA
ARIA is an R&D funding agency created to unlock technological breakthroughs that benefit everyone. Created by an Act of Parliament, and sponsored by the Department for Science, Innovation, and Technology, ARIA funds teams of scientists and engineers to pursue research at the edge of what is scientifically and technologically possible.