Membership, for scientists who intend to lead
Membership is by application. It gives you standing, a room of peers, and real work with your name on it.
Applications open 28 October, Applications close 7 November at midnight, The founding cohort has closed
What you get
The Society does not sell content. It offers standing, room and real work.
Deals with your name on them
Live analyst mandates against Empirical Ventures deal flow, venture studio build roles, scouting briefs, and the chance to appear on Dr Ben Miles's channel.
A published rank
Membership of a named body, a rank that is checked rather than claimed, and a legible path to the next tier.
Peers who build
A chapter near you or the Commons online, a fortnightly dispatch, a monthly livestream, and four convocations a year.
The Society year
Four convocations pinned to the solstices and equinoxes, with the fortnightly dispatch and the monthly livestream in between.
- 21 December 2026 · SolsticeReckoning
The Founding Convocation, livestreamed and public. Founding ranks published, the first chapters chartered, the charter read.
- 20 March 2027 · EquinoxIntake
The year's cohort admitted, ranks published, new chapters chartered.
- 21 June 2027 · SolsticeThe Summit
In person, on the longest day. Two days of speakers and the year's graduations.
- 23 September 2027 · EquinoxDeployment
Analyst mandates, studio roles and scouting briefs assigned for the year ahead.
- Every fortnightThe dispatch
One skill teardown, the opportunities board, and one member in focus.
- Every monthThe livestream
A skill masterclass one month, a live teardown of a real deal the next.
Engineering Serendipity
Luck in science is four terms multiplied together: the surface you present, the story you can carry, the skills you can act on, and the machine that turns options into outcomes. Because they multiply, your smallest term decides the result.
Every member takes the course: four modules, one per term, each ending with your own measured term and one assignment to raise it. For the founding cohort it is included, and built live with them through November and December.
Real work, earned and never sold.
A member takes a live company, writes the technical assessment, and it goes into the investment process with their name on it. Chapters scout the science around them. Studio builds that need a technical co-founder look to the Society first.
Empirical Ventures is the deep-tech fund founded by Dr Ben Miles, who also founded the Society. Mandates and scouting are credited work on your record. Any financial terms for scouting will be published before they apply to anyone.
Four duties
A society with a fee and no obligation is a subscription with a nicer word on it.
- 01Update your rank once a quarter. Honestly.
- 02Make one contribution a quarter: a scouting note, a teardown, a chapter event, a talk, or some teaching.
- 03Attend at least one of the four convocations.
- 04Take at least one call a year from a member ranked below you.
What it costs
Prices are published in full, and there are no sales calls.
£8 a month. Self-declared, with no proof required.
Postdocs, staff scientists, engineers, founders and industry.
The founding cohort keeps its entry rate for life. Chapter Leads pay nothing while they hold the post. Paying the fee never confers rank.
Frequently asked questions
Who is it for?
Scientists and engineers at any stage, from undergraduates to senior industry, who want their work to reach the world and intend to be the ones who take it there. Academic and industry careers are weighted equally in the rank.
Do I need a company or a spin-out?
No. Most members start without one. Members with a live company and high Commercial Thinking and Capital Literacy are routed to the venture track; everyone else starts on the skills track.
How much time does it take?
Membership carries four duties: an honest rank update each quarter, one contribution each quarter, one convocation a year, and one call a year with a member ranked below you. Everything else, from the Commons to your chapter, you can use as much as you like.
What does it cost?
£96 a year for students and pre-doctoral researchers, self-declared with no proof required. £300 a year standard. Chapter Leads pay nothing while they hold the post, and the founding cohort keeps its entry rate for life.
Does membership give me a rank?
No. Tenet 07: standing derives from demonstrated outcome, not from fee, title, tenure or intent. Your rank comes from the diagnostic, published ranks carry evidence, and the top two tiers are verified by the Society.
What is the relationship with Empirical Ventures?
Empirical Ventures is the deep-tech fund founded by Dr Ben Miles, who also founded the Society. Analyst mandates and scouting are credited work on a member's record. Any financial terms for scouting will be published before they apply to anyone.
Where does it happen?
Online in the Commons, in person at chapters and at the June Summit, and at four convocations a year. You can join from anywhere.
When do applications close?
Midnight UK time on 7 November 2026. The close is hard and will be honoured. The next intake after that is the March equinox, on 20 March 2027.
The founding cohort
150 places. Applications open on 28 October and close at midnight on 7 November, and the close will be honoured. The founding cohort keeps its entry rate for life, charters the first chapters, and builds the Society's first course alongside Dr Ben Miles.