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Exploring the frontiers of bioscience

The Paul G. Allen Frontiers Group works to fulfill our founder’s lifelong quest to push the limits of science and to reshape our understanding of human biology.

We do this by identifying and supporting researchers engaged in cutting-edge science at its very earliest stages around the world–visionaries in all areas of bioscience, willing to take on big problems with bold, innovative solutions.

We seek pioneers who are willing to ask big questions, take risks, and have curiosity to help change the face of biology.

Headshot of Kathy Richmond, Ph.D., M.B.A.

Our Approach 

  • We take a landscape perspective. Great ideas come from established leaders and rising stars. We want diverse perspectives that inspire us to think creatively, finding surprising connections between fields and pursuing new directions that are often overlooked.
  • We find and advance new ideas. Our commitment to investigators who are gamechangers in their respective fields leads to new discoveries. We encourage new approaches to answer important scientific questions, questions that may never have been posed before.
  • We foster connections. Often, ideas in one area of bioscience can spark new approaches in another. We provide forums for building connections around new ideas, encouraging creative thinking across disciplines. Our awardees become part of our network that supports and challenges one another to keep tackling the biggest questions in bioscience.
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Accelerating Frontier Science

The Paul G. Allen Frontiers Group, a division of the Allen Institute, seeks pioneers and explorers willing to make big advancements, take risks, ask questions, be tenacious, and have curiosity to change the face of biology.

Exploring New Frontiers 

Allen Distinguished Investigators

The Allen Distinguished Investigator program provides three-year grants between $1M and $1.5M to individuals and teams at the early stages of research that have the potential to shift scientific paradigms in their respective fields.

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Allen Discovery Centers

Allen Discovery Centers are leadership- and purpose-driven research centers, often created in partnership with major research organizations and universities.

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Partnerships

We grow our impact by partnering with other philanthropic organizations that invest in scientific and biomedical research.

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For award and awardee-related ethical concern reporting, access the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation (PGAFF) ethics reporting portal. View PGAFF’s contact page under ‘Ethics Reporting.’

Image from Allen Distinguished Investigator Andre Nadler

Learn more about our other Scientific Divisions.

Allen Institute for Neural Dynamics

The Allen Institute for Neural Dynamics explores the brain’s activity, at the level of individual neurons and the whole brain, to reveal how we interpret our environments to make decisions.

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Allen Institute for Cell Science

The Allen Institute for Cell Science is focused on exploring and understanding human cells — the incredibly complex building blocks of our bodies.

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