Mercatus Center, George Mason University (USA)

The Mercatus Center at George Mason University is a university-based research center in Arlington, Virginia (USA). While primarily known for market-oriented economic research, Mercatus runs Emergent Ventures — a low-overhead fellowship and grant program for entrepreneurs and thinkers with scalable, 'zero to one' ideas for improving society.

Emergent Ventures Program

Launched in 2018 and administered by economist Tyler Cowen, Emergent Ventures provides grants and fellowships to entrepreneurs, researchers, and innovators globally. The program is deliberately lean, process-light, and open to unconventional ideas.

• Eligibility: Anyone 13 years or older worldwide
• India Track: Dedicated support stream for India-focused projects
• Focus: Projects advancing prosperity, opportunity, liberty, and wellbeing
• Philosophy: Welcomes unusual, unorthodox approaches; no predefined sector restrictions

Other Initiatives

The center also created Fast Grants in April 2020 — a spin-off of Emergent Ventures — to rapidly fund scientists working on COVID-19 vaccines and treatments.