A new charity will direct British scientific talent towards problems in the developing world. Science for Humanity is funded by the London-based National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts and the Sloane Robinson Foundation, which supports educational and research charities.

Launched in London on 4 March, the organization is asking researchers to help tackle issues such as sanitation, energy, agriculture and shelter. It will begin by recruiting members from the United Kingdom, but hopes to extend its reach to scientists in other nations.

“We understand that the problems in developing countries are complex,” says Susan Greenfield, director of the Royal Institution of Great Britain and one of the agency's founders. “That is challenging. But scientists love a challenge.”