The Institute
Who we are
We are a dedicated group of citizen scientists passionate about improving sleep and dreams. Our team includes both experienced sleep researchers and newcomers to the field. By embracing a citizen science approach, we aim to bridge the gap between academic sleep and dream research and everyday users.
Our mission
Our mission is to ensure everyone enjoys the best possible sleep and dream experience. We conduct our own scientific investigations, support external research, educate the public on improving sleep quality, and translate the latest breakthroughs in sleep and dream research into practice.
Why non-profit
Following a non-profit model in the realm of sleep and dream technologies is crucial to placing public well-being at the forefront of innovation. By prioritizing ethical development and accessibility, non-profit initiatives prevent data exploitation and ensure that technological advancements benefit everyone. This approach fosters collaborative research efforts and promotes unbiased exploration in the field. Our commitment to a non-profit ethos is inspired by notable successes such as Wikipedia, underscoring the transformative impact of ethical, community-driven initiatives.
How to get involved
Join us and become a citizen scientist in the field of sleep and dream technologies. Attend our online or offline meetings to engage with the community. Use our app to track and enhance your sleep and dreams. Contribute your skills in coding, writing, research, and more. Write your academic thesis with our support. Participate in our sleep and dream experiments. Fill out the get involved form now →
We are active in four areas
Ideation
Imagining new sleep and dream technologies
Generating ideas about the future sleep and dreaming is step one. The institute participates in conferences and workshops, searches for new sleep and dream technology ideas on the internet, in science fiction books and movies and conducts idea competitions. Ethical considerations are also part of this activity field.
Prototyping
Finding ways to bring the ideas to life
Designing, developing, coding, building tools and methods is the second activity field of the institute, step by step moving closer to the new technologies. Often, seemingly insurmountable challenges exist for which a solution needs to be found somehow. Making the impossible possible, you could say.
Research
Understanding sleep and dreaming better
The new tools and methods, which are developed in the second activity field, are used in scientific studies about sleep and dreaming in order to understand these phenomena better. The institute cooperates with researchers from many other institutions and publishes the study results together with them.
Application
Making the new techs available for everyone
Many scientific sleep and dream experiments take place in sleep laboratories, need expensive equipment and skilled personell. The institute wants to bring the new technologies, which it invents, to the "real world" so that everyone can benefit from them at home. This also includes usability tests of new tools and methods.
Our Impact In Numbers
The Institute was established in 2022 and is operated on a voluntary basis. As a non-profit organization, we are committed to creating long-term impact rather than pursuing financial profit. Our big goal is to turn our current count of achieved moonshots from 0 to 1 over the coming decades. If you value our work, please consider supporting us with a Paypal donation (German IBAN available on request at Email: donation@sd20.org).
Moonshots
Moonshots are ambitious, exploratory projects with the potential to redefine the way we sleep and dream. They are high-risk, high-reward ventures aimed at paradigm-shifting breakthroughs. By our 50th anniversary in 2072, we aim to realize at least one moonshot. Examples include: Dream on demand, No-sleep pill, Dream documentary.
Breakthroughs
Breakthroughs are significant advances that move the field forward—whether through new technologies, methods, or insights. Multiple breakthroughs may one day converge into a moonshot. Our first breakthrough: Interactive Dreaming — conscious interaction with reality from within lucid dreams.
Publications
Our six scientific publications contribute to the growing body of knowledge in sleep and dream research. Topics include interactive dreaming, lucid dream induction, citizen science, and electrophysiology of sleep phenomena.
Collaborations
We’ve partnered with researchers from 20 institutions. These collaborations help us share resources, expand expertise, and spark innovation across the field.
Theses
As part of our educational mission, we support students conducting thesis projects on sleep and dreaming. So far, we’ve supervised five academic theses that have deepened understanding and opened new research avenues.