Great question, Michael. Short answer: there are bound to be lots of valuable research projects after these three; so, we’d hold the funds until we found a lab that’s willing and able to take on a sufficiently impactful project. One long-term goal is to support the many foundational research projects that need to be done on insect welfare. When we consider the sheer number of species (1M described; probably 5.5M in total) and the range of ways humans affect insects, it’s clear that we need a wide set of validated welfare indicators to make judgments about how best to help these animals.
After these three projects, what would you do with further funding? Or would you turn away further funding?
Great question, Michael. Short answer: there are bound to be lots of valuable research projects after these three; so, we’d hold the funds until we found a lab that’s willing and able to take on a sufficiently impactful project. One long-term goal is to support the many foundational research projects that need to be done on insect welfare. When we consider the sheer number of species (1M described; probably 5.5M in total) and the range of ways humans affect insects, it’s clear that we need a wide set of validated welfare indicators to make judgments about how best to help these animals.