Limited Submission Opportunity: The Huo Family Foundation Special Projects Grant 2025
URL: https://huofamilyfoundation.org/our-grants/special-projects/
OBJECTIVES
The Huo Family Foundation (HFF) invites applications for special projects. These larger and longer-term research awards would allow researchers of all career stages, collaborating as a multi-disciplinary team with different expertise and skills, to take an integrated approach to tackle the more difficult questions in this domain. HFF aims to support multidisciplinary work between teams consisting of several group leaders from one institution, or different institutions in the UK and the US.
HFF is establishing a research portfolio on the Effects of the Usage of Digital Technology on Brain Development, Social Behaviors and Mental Health in Children and Young People. As such, proposals should tackle key questions within the broad topic of the effects of usage of and exposure to digital technologies on brain development and function (including physiological responses), social behavior and interactions, and mental health of children and young people.
For this grant, HFF encourages proposals that:
- Attempt to understand causal pathways and directions
- Focus on children and/or young people within the age range of 7-24 years old
- Use of existing population (epidemiological) cohorts and data sets. We also encourage precision and deep-dive studies within these existing cohorts and data sets
- Adopt randomized approaches to studying the effects of the use of digital technologies on the brain, mind, physiological responses, and behavior of children and young people. This may include the use of Randomized Controlled Trials (RCT) methodology.
- Addresses the scarcity of longitudinal evidence by incorporating follow-up and repeated observations
- Are mechanistic studies of smaller, well-defined participant groups
- Involve and engage young people (children, adolescents and/or young adults) in the study design and during the delivery of the proposal, such as in Public and Community Involvement, Engagement and Participation (PCIEP) studies
Digital technology typically means digital devices, systems, tools and resources that generate, process and store data. For this call, digital technology refers to: devices, systems, tools and services used by children and young people. For example, this would include smart phones, tablets, computers/laptops, gaming consoles, online games, the internet, social media, other digital environments, instant messaging, video-sharing, etc.
FUNDING INFORMATION
Up to $390,000 per year for 4 years beginning January 2026 ($1.56 million total).
Grant funds are not to be used to support the lead applicant’s salary or that of the co-applicants. Apart from the exclusion of the salary of the applicant(s), the grant funds may be used by the applicant(s) for any expense judged supportive of the research project including staffing, lab expenses, equipment and access charges, and professional travel.
For US-based work, up to 12.5% of the total grant is permitted for overhead/indirect costs.
ELIGIBILITY
BU may forward only one application as the lead institution. Only one person can be designated as the lead PI, but there can be multiple collaborators and consultants that do not need to be based in the US or UK.
Applicants should have the following:
- hold a PhD or equivalent degree in a relevant field, which may include but is not limited to neuroscience, psychology, psychiatry, epidemiology, public health, computer science, social science, economics.
- a permanent, open-ended or long-term rolling contract, or the guarantee of one that is not predicated on receiving this grant.
INTERNAL SELECTION
Interested candidates should submit the following materials through InfoReady Review by: 4/9/2025
- Short questions outlined in InfoReady Review application
- Up to 2-page Project Proposal describing the research aims and questions, any background or preliminary work, proposed environment where research will be conducted, and methods used
- Up-to-date CV
A faculty committee drawn from both campuses will review internal proposals and select nominees.
DEADLINES
Internal Materials Due: Wednesday, April 9, 2025 11:59 pm EDT
External Applications Due: Friday, May 23, 2025 11:59 pm (UK)/6:59 pm (EDT)