Humanity faces complicated challenges that governments and private organizations can’t solve alone. Crises like the Covid-19 pandemic and climate change remind us that we all share the same home: Earth.
In his short book Eureka Manifesto: The Mission for Our Civilization, Yuri Milner makes the case for a shared mission for humanity. Global collaboration, especially in the realm of science, could help ensure our civilization thrives far into the future.
The Impact of Scientific Collaboration Through the Ages
Think of the people responsible for the discoveries that have deepened our understanding of the Universe. A few key figures may come to mind: geniuses like Archimedes and Albert Einstein.
However, these original thinkers didn’t arise in a vacuum. They were products of cultures that prized science and rational thinking, like those of ancient Syracuse and 20th-century Germany before the rise of Nazi ideology.
As Milner notes in Eureka Manifesto, cultures build “a shared store of knowledge.” By spreading this knowledge across continents and over generations, we create “a deeper and richer picture of the world than has ever existed before on the planet.”
Many leading organizations today recognize the power of scientific collaboration to navigate humanity’s critical issues. One of the most striking examples of successful scientific cooperation is the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN).
Based in Switzerland, CERN’s laboratories have hosted scientists, engineers, and students from the organization’s member states and numerous scholars from other countries.
Milner recently committed $2.5 million to support a new outreach center at CERN. Here are three more examples of his support of global scientific collaboration.
1. The Breakthrough Prize
Milner’s Breakthrough Foundation helps fund and organize the Breakthrough Prize, a prestigious global award. Milner co-founded the Breakthrough Prize in 2012. It recognizes exceptional researchers who have made pioneering discoveries in the life sciences, fundamental physics, and mathematics.
The Breakthrough Prize celebrates individual brilliance and the spirit of scientific collaboration. Every year, multiple individuals and teams of researchers each receive $3 million in prizes. One of the 2024 Life Sciences prizes went to three researchers who worked together to invent the first effective drugs to address the root cause of cystic fibrosis.
2. The Breakthrough Initiatives
Scientific collaboration is also a key aspect of the Breakthrough Initiatives. Milner launched the space science programs in 2015, and he funds them via his Breakthrough Foundation.
The Breakthrough Initiatives collaborate with several leading teams to investigate the mysteries of life in the Universe, including those at:
- The Green Bank Telescope.
- The University of Sydney.
- The University of Manchester.
In October 2023, one of the Breakthrough Initiatives, Listen, announced a new partnership with the University of Oxford’s Department of Physics. Oxford now serves as the international headquarters for Listen, which is conducting the largest-ever search for extraterrestrial technosignatures.
3. Support For Ukrainian Scientists
Through his Breakthrough Foundation, Milner has donated $6 million to the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) to support Ukrainian science and scientists. The funding has helped finance several Ukrainian-led research initiatives and support a “high-level, international coordinating group of scientific organizations.”
- Pete Worden, executive chairman of the Breakthrough Foundation, says: “The international science community has a responsibility to support displaced Ukrainian scientists to keep thinking, experimenting, and contributing to global knowledge.”
Read about how advancing global knowledge can benefit humanity in Eureka Manifesto.
About Yuri Milner’s Breakthrough Foundation
Yuri Milner established the Breakthrough Foundation over a decade ago to help realize his Giving Pledge promise. The philanthropic organization mainly organizes and sponsors projects that advance scientific research, celebrate scientists, and promote scientific ideas. These projects include the Breakthrough Junior Challenge and Tech For Refugees.
The Breakthrough Junior Challenge offers young innovators the chance to showcase their passion for science and win big prizes. The global competition invites students to create dynamic videos that make complex scientific ideas easy to understand. The 2024 Challenge champion, Sia Godika, won with a captivating video explaining the Yamanaka factors.
Tech For Refugees is a non-profit that supports the refugee relief efforts of innovative tech organizations like Flexport.org and Uber. Milner and his wife Julia established Tech For Refugees in 2022 in response to the emergency in Ukraine. The non-profit has since expanded its scope to other regions.
