It is our responsibility
to engage society
Breakthroughs in biotech could change the world for the better, yet raise important ethical questions that can’t be answered by scientists and investors alone. Rather than shy away from these tough questions, we believe it is our responsibility to confront them head on.
To this end, we collaborate with partners worldwide to engage others in industry, academia, leaders, and civil society in this critical dialogue.
“How can we ensure that our most cherished
values guide the application of our most powerful technologies?”
Jamie Metzl, author of Hacking Darwin
A neutral space
for critical engagement
Leaps.org is a not-for-profit initiative that publishes award-winning journalism, popularizes scientific progress on social media, and hosts events about innovation, ethics, and the future of humanity. Their mission is to rebuild public trust in science as a force for good and to foster dialogue about the ethical implications of new breakthroughs. Leaps.org is run by editor-in-chief Kira Peikoff, and is published by GOOD Worldwide, a global social impact company and its subsidiary Upworthy – a purpose-driven media company.
Through accessible and accurate storytelling, Leaps.org counters misinformation and raises awareness about discoveries that could solve humanity's greatest challenges. Since plenty of gray areas exist today regarding how society should handle emerging developments — "leaps" — that catapult us into uncharted territory, Leaps.org encourages robust discussion among experts and the public alike about what constitutes the right path forward.
The organization was founded in 2017 by Leaps by Bayer, motivated by our mission to innovate responsibly. We realized that a separate, journalistic platform would be ideally positioned to combat scientific misinformation and to encourage broad public discussion about how new technologies across the life sciences should be implemented. The initiative was initially called LeapsMag. In 2021, GOOD converted LeapsMag to the non-profit initiative Leaps.org to underscore its commitment to independence and to enable it to fulfill its mission on a larger scale.
According to Kira Peikoff, “Leaps.org articles do not reflect or represent the views of Leaps by Bayer or other sponsors. All editorial decisions, including what stories to cover and which opinions to publish, are mine alone in service to our readers.” Additional funders have included the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, the Rita Allen Foundation, and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.
We are all driven
by something.
Leaps by Bayer was created in 2015 to break boundaries in life sciences investment—in scale, risk, collaboration, and mission. Through our ambitious 10 leaps, we accept that the risk of failure is very high. But in order to push beyond what is considered possible, we need to go beyond industry conventions for inspiration and explore radically new approaches.
Dare to Leap
The passion to push our limits lies within people, not companies. We are inspired by people who take leaps – from the scientists dedicating their lives to potential breakthrough technologies to individuals who defy their physical limits.
In the spirit of collaborating with the brightest minds in the life sciences, we celebrate the stories of people taking leaps, as they speak for all of us.
Diving deeper than before
Free divers take enormous risks every time they dive into the depths of the ocean without air tanks or equipment. That’s why we chose to focus on these risk-takers for ‘Dare to Leap’, a film that embodies why we push limits and refuse to give up.
What would be a leap of faith in science?
When we began the Leaps journey, we collaborated with some of the world’s greatest skaters—Aaron “Jaws” Homoki, Ali Boulala, and Tony Hawk—to tell the story of landing the famed Lyon 25. Their experience serves to remind us that if no one makes the first move, nothing will ever change.
We collaborated with renowned composer and DJ Paul Kalkbrenner to create original film scores for Leap of Faith and Dare to Leap.
Meaningful relationships
to create a sustainable impact
Our collaborations with research institutions, foundations, culture, futurist and innovation festivals both enable and challenge us to make our ambitions actionable and accountable.
SXSW Online 2021
Introducing SXSW Online, a digital experience from March 16–20, 2021 including keynotes, Conference sessions, Music Festival showcases, Film Festival screenings, world-class networking, and the unexpected discoveries that are always a part of SXSW.
The Happiness Research Institute
Leaps by Bayer believes that creating return for the planet should be the starting point of every business undertaking. The Happiness Research Institute focuses its work on the wellbeing and quality of life for citizens. It has expertise in quantifying these factors and will work together with Leaps by Bayer to develop a scientifically backed metric for “Return for Humanity” which can be used by organizations in the future to measure their contributions to the planet.
SynBioBeta:
SynBioBeta is the premier innovation network for biological engineers, investors, innovators and entrepreneurs who share a passion for using biology to build a better, more sustainable universe. We provide our community members with personal and professional development support, as well as valuable opportunities for partnership, collaboration, networking, and education. We host The Global Synthetic Biology Summit in the bay area in October each year, which showcases the cutting-edge developments in synthetic biology that are transforming how we fuel, heal, and feed the world. And we provide ample opportunities to meet and explore with the bright minds building the bioeconomy.
Brilliant Minds
Brilliant Minds feels a deep responsibility to gather leaders from venture capital, impact investment, politics, culture and tech in Stockholm to generate connections that help fostering sustainable value creation. As one of the key sponsors of the 2018 Brilliant Minds conference in Stockholm, Leaps by Bayer is sharing this mission and supports visionaries, great thinkers and entrepreneurs to make an impact on the world.
Big Green
Big Green and Leaps by Bayer share the vision of building a healthier future for our bodies, our farmers, and our planet by utilizing disruptive innovation for more sustainable agriculture. By financing and building outdoor Learning Garden classrooms in low-income schools, Big Green and Leaps by Bayer aim to educate children about real food and its long term health benefits.
TOA
TOA is a community for knowledge exchange and collaboration. Their mission is to help people and organizations become futureproof. TOA connects, grows and inspires technology professionals through media, experiences and educational programs. Technology is transforming the way we work, live and relate. Through knowledge exchange and collaboration everyone can seize the opportunities ahead.
Summit Institute
Summit Institute develops creative solutions to real world challenges and is the non-profit partner of Summit, a multidisciplinary community of leaders from all around the world. Summit’s flagship event in LA in 2017 was the birthplace of Leaps by Bayer. With talks, workshops, culinary experiences, and other adventures, Summit gathers visionaries in a series of invitation-only events. Leaps by Bayer will continue to support this mission in 2018 and 2019, working toward mutual inspiration of the political, artistic, cultural and economic leaders of the 21st century.
