Mr. Robert Bigelow has initiated and funded several scientific research projects to study the possibility that ETI from a mature civilization has reached Earth in one form or another. In 1998 he sponsored an international essay contest with the three winners each receiving $5000. He is the founder and President of the National Institute for Discovery Science, recognized by the FAA as "the single point of contact for UFO research" in the USA. A Las Vegas entrepreneur, he is also president of Bigelow Aerospace.