Huzzah!  I’ve been looking forward to this.

SciFund is now live.  YOU can help to fund science projects.  Yup, that’s right.  You.  Not some funding agency.

How does it work?  Well, it’s kinda like KickStartr (or NZ’s version, PledgeMe), but for science.  Very simply: scientists can put up a project, and then ask people for money to help fund it.  Makes an awful lot of sense.   Crowdfunding, in other words.

And _unlike_ Kickstartr (and PledgeMe), which say that if a project doesn’t raise its target amount, all monies donated have to be returned to the donaters, the scientists can keep whatever they raise.  Well, kinda - after fees etc, which go up if a project doesn’t raise its target amount.  It’s a business model I’ve seen used for initiatives such as Indiegogo, and I think it makes an awful lot more sense (people are more likely to submit projects AND donate, I reckon!).

But yeah.  Go have a look.  Get involved in science.  Be a part of something new and brilliant.

And if you want to know more, there’s a blog.  Apparently, 240 scientists signed up for this adventure.  Excellent stuff, and I really hope it succeeds!