Emergent Ventures, the grant-making initiative founded by economist Tyler Cowen at George Mason University's Mercatus Center, has announced the recipients of its 57th cohort. The program, which has distinguished itself by funding individuals rather than institutions, awards grants to people pursuing ambitious projects across technology, science, policy, and other fields. Its lightweight application process and emphasis on backing unconventional talent—often before traditional funders would recognize it—has made it a notable player in the landscape of early-stage research and venture support. This latest cohort spans multiple countries and includes recipients ranging in age from 14 to adults, working on topics from AI safety to longevity research.

Several projects in this cohort cluster around AI agents—both building governance for them and defending against them—reflecting a broader surge of concern as autonomous AI systems move from research demos toward deployment.

Oisin O'Gorman, 15, from Dublin, Ireland, received a grant for work on misinformation and fakes. His deepfake-detection project previously earned recognition at the Stripe Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition, where it received an Engineers Ireland award at the Castleknock school exhibition.

Karsen Lee Wahal, a student at Stanford University, was selected for research examining whether AI is undermining the internet, as well as methods for measuring media slant. More information about his work is available at karsenleewahal.com.

Davy Deng, working with Claire Wang (a previous Emergent Ventures winner), is pursuing whole brain emulation at MIT.

Enej Grmek, 16, from Ljubljana, Slovenia, received funding for projects related to privacy.

Vladimir Shmelev, from Ukraine, was awarded a grant to support Ukrainian children by organizing relief trips to Montenegro.

Nik Verma, based in Chicago, is developing a legal framework for AI agents.

Emirhan Demir and Çınar Yıldırım, both 19 and from the Istanbul area, are working on protections against AI agents.

Midhat Doruk, 14, from Ankara, Turkey, is researching longevity, biology, and skin cosmetics.

Burak Yilmaz, 17, from Diyarbakır, Turkey, is working on browser-native authentication.

Lloyd Strickland, based in London, received a grant to publish the remaining papers of Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, including those on computation. Strickland is a philosopher and historian of science known for his extensive work on Leibniz's writings. Leibniz, who in the seventeenth century sketched designs for a mechanical calculating machine and envisioned a universal logical language, is often cited as a foundational thinker in the prehistory of computing.

Abdul Quyum, 15, from Perth, Australia, was selected for a project focused on organizing information and data.

Catharine Young received funding for a podcast on women in science, under a science communication tranche, based between Cambridge and Washington, D.C.

The full announcement was published on Marginal Revolution.