AI alignment research focuses on ensuring that advanced artificial intelligence systems behave as intended and avoid catastrophic outcomes. Currently, this critical field faces challenges like limited funding, difficulty attracting top talent, and fragmentation across institutions, which slows progress on what may be one of humanity's most pressing challenges.

Funding the Unfunded

One approach to accelerate progress could involve creating a specialized grant program targeting researchers who currently fall through the cracks of existing funding systems. This might focus on:

• Independent researchers outside academic institutions
• Early-career scientists transitioning into alignment work
• Experienced researchers pursuing high-risk directions

Such a program could offer flexible funding ranging from small stipends for proof-of-concept work to multi-year support for established teams, with particular attention to those developing novel approaches that don't fit traditional funding models.

Building a Stronger Ecosystem

Beyond direct funding, this approach might include components designed to strengthen the entire field:

• Shared research infrastructure (datasets, compute resources)
• Regular workshops and conferences to share knowledge
• Mentorship programs connecting junior and senior researchers
• Career development support for those entering the field

Key to this would be maintaining a lightweight application process while ensuring funded work remains closely tied to alignment goals through technical review and regular check-ins.

Distinguishing Features

While several existing programs fund AI safety research, this approach could fill gaps by:

1. Supporting researchers who don't fit traditional academic or corporate pathways

2. Offering funding amounts between small one-off grants and large institutional fellowships

3. Providing more structured community-building than isolated grants typically allow

4. Maintaining faster decision cycles than conventional academic funding while keeping rigorous technical review

By specifically targeting underfunded segments of the alignment research community and creating connections between them, this approach could potentially accelerate progress while avoiding duplication with existing efforts.