We all write about it, some as an incidental forgone conclusion, some as a past event or some of us as core to our plot. This guy has thrown 100mm of his own cash at the problem. What really impressed me as a near future writer is he list of discoveries so far this year all written down in one place!
http://www.rollingstone.com/culture/features/the-100-million-hunt-for-alien-life-20160407