Big if True Science Accelerator (BiTS): Biosecurity Cohort

Applications are currently open for the biosecurity of the Big if True Science Accelerator (BiTS) supported by Coefficient Giving. Apply here by September 20. Sign up for updates here.

Scope

This cohort is focused on defending against catastrophe-scale risks from engineered pathogens, with a primary emphasis on deliberate misuse. Programs aimed at naturally emerging pandemics, agricultural threats, or non-transmissible pathogens are less likely to be a fit, though we will consider exceptional cases where the approach opens a door to broader resilience. 

We also prioritize technologies and interventions that are scalable and place a premium on programs whose impact can materialize in a few years, rather than decades.

Below is a non-exhaustive list of priority areas:

  • Transmission suppression, e.g. next-generation and stockpilable PPE, air disinfection (germicidal UV, glycol vapors, air-cleaning technologies), scalable DIY interventions, mucosal interventions such as drug-free nasal sprays.

  • AIxBio safeguards, e.g. red-teaming of AI models, rigorous dangerous-capability evaluations and uplift studies, robust misuse classifiers and safeguards on AI systems, data governance, managed access and KYC.

  • Engineering chokepoints, such as nucleic acid synthesis screening, benchtop synthesis security, viral cell lines, managed access and KYC.

  • Pathogen-agnostic detection and diagnostics, such as metagenomic sequencing or mass spectrometry.

  • Intelligence, attribution, e.g. OSINT and microbial forensics.

  • Agricultural resilience and food stockpiling.

  • Pathogen-agnostic day-zero medical countermeasures, e.g. innate immune vaccines, decoy receptors etc.

  • Market shaping approaches to any of the above.

Please do not get discouraged if your area is not listed and feel free to reach out to bits@renphil.org for quick feedback on whether your idea is in scope.

These resources can give you a better sense of our priority areas:

Who we're looking for

We’re looking for a broad range of backgrounds. A great candidate can be an R&D leader from another domain who wants to contribute to the challenge of making humanity robust to engineered pathogens, someone who has worked in the biosecurity field for a while and is considering scaling their ambition in the new funding environment or an entrepreneurial PhD student who sees an underrated opportunity in one of the priority areas.

This program could be a fit if at least some of these apply to you:

  • You are motivated by the mission of making humanity resilient to engineered pandemics.

  • You're a systems thinker. When asked how you'd spend $50M on a problem, you can think beyond a very large grant for your lab. You can think creatively about what you could achieve if you had the world's best labs and companies behind your goal.

  • You have a scout mindset. You don't get too attached to a pet technical idea and are willing to pivot when you learn new evidence.

  • You are entrepreneurial and don't get daunted by big, hairy problems.

  • You are more interested in a scalable and economical solution than a technically impressive one.

  • You are thoughtful about the dual-use potential of the technologies you are developing.

  • You see a problem that should be solved and you see multiple pathways towards solving that goal, none of which clearly dominates.

Key dates

  • 8 August 2026: Applications open

  • 9 September 2026: Informational webinar

  • 20 September 2026: Applications close

  • Week of 29 September 2026: Interviews for shortlisted applicants

  • 9 October 2026: Offers sent

  • 26 to 28 October 2026: In-person kick-off

  • February 2027: Demo day (ExhiBiTS)

General FAQs

  • The weekly activities in the BiTS program evolve over its duration. The beginning of the program focuses on field strategy, which involves extensive data collection through conversations with experts to refine the initial idea. This is followed by a period of idea refinement, where fellows work on structuring their program, often using a framework of questions to clarify their concept. As the program progresses, the focus shifts towards producing and iterating on deliverables, such as a concise three-page program description and a 15-minute pitch deck for the program’s Demo Day. Throughout the program, fellows participate in weekly one-on-one mentoring sessions and small group meetings with other fellows.

  • Mentors in the BiTS program are primarily former program managers from ARPA agencies like DARPA and ARPA-E. They are selected for their experience in managing advanced R&D. While efforts are made to align mentors with the fellow's technical area, the primary value of the mentorship is in guiding the process of program development and fostering an ambitious mindset. Mentors also provide valuable networking opportunities by connecting fellows with their contacts.

  • Most of the 10 hours per week are exploratory calls with experts, reading, and writing, which can all be scheduled on your own time. Mentor sessions are 30-60 minutes per week, scheduled to suit your and your mentor’s schedules. Small group sessions will be allocated partly based on schedule preferences. Weekly office hours and guest lectures are optional and will be recorded for participant access.

  • We expect the cohort to be a mix of experienced industry professionals, professors and post-docs, entrepreneurs, and talented individuals in earlier stages of their careers. Experience from more than one sector is a plus but not a must. A typical applicant will have at least graduate-level experience or equivalent industry experience. However, if you believe you are a strong fit and do not meet these requirements, we still encourage you to apply

  • BiTS seeks to support projects that are either too large and/or complex for academia or unsuitable for commercial funding on a venture capital timeline. If an idea is mature enough to attract venture capital, it likely doesn't need the kind of high-risk, pre-commercial investment that philanthropists or ARPA-like organizations provide. BiTS is not designed to prepare individuals to found or manage start-ups.  

  • There is no cost to participate, and we will reimburse travel and lodging expenses for kick-off and demo day. 

  • Success for a BiTS fellow involves translating their ambitious idea into a concrete and fundable program. This can manifest in several ways, including:

    • Securing a position at an organization like ARIA, SPRIND, or US ARPAs.

    • Launching a Focused Research Organization (FRO) with philanthropic funding.

    • Leading a thesis-driven philanthropic fund.

    • Obtaining a role in a traditional philanthropy to deploy large-scale capital.

    • Building their program within a large, well-funded research institute.

    The program culminates in a "demo day" wherein fellows present their program plans to a variety of potential funders, including ARPAs, philanthropists, and impact investors.

  • The BiTS program focuses on ideas that fall into a specific gap. If a problem can be addressed through a traditional academic grant within a single lab, it may not require the large-scale, coordinated effort that BiTS aims to enable. Similarly, if an idea is mature enough to attract venture capital, it likely doesn't need the kind of high-risk, pre-commercial investment that ARPA-like organizations or philanthropic funders provide. BiTS seeks to support projects that are too large, risky, and/or complex for academia or unsuitable for commercial funding on a venture capital timeline.

  • Item descriptionWhile the ARPA program manager model centers on a single individual, the BiTS program is open to applications from pairs. In such cases, one individual must be designated as the primary fellow responsible for the program. The possibility of another team member joining mentorship sessions or other parts of the program can be discussed on a case-by-case basis.

Application-Specific FAQs

  • No. The binding constraint on this work is rarely domain knowledge; it is judgement, entrepreneurial drive, and the will to carry a hard project through to completion. We would rather back someone with those qualities and a half-formed idea than a deep specialist wedded to a single technical bet. If you can learn a new field quickly and reason seriously about how it could go wrong, a biology CV is optional.

  • Yes. In this cohort especially, we expect many strong fellows to be selected for their trajectory and open-mindedness rather than a finished proposal, and to pivot substantially during the program. We have adapted the application to reflect this: you can apply with a fully-formed idea or by answering a couple of questions about how you would go about finding the right one to focus on.

  • We look for systems thinkers who can align many teams behind a vision others cannot yet see, rather than founders in the venture sense building a single product. In many cases, our fellows conclude that the best thing to advance their vision is to start and lead. We do not fix a ratio in advance.

  • There is no strict cutoff. We expect a mix of mid-career candidates, exceptional people early in their careers, and senior leaders, including former ARPA program managers, who have not yet turned to catastrophic biological risk but could get excited about it. Experience spanning more than one of academia, industry, government, and investment is a plus but not a strict requirement.

  • We accept applications from anywhere on Earth. During the cohort, you will need to take calls in US working hours.