Francisco J. Varela Research Grant

Francisco J. Varela Research Grant

Status: ACTIVE
Funder: Mind & Life Institute
Amount: Up to US $25,000
Last Updated: July 07, 2025

Summary

The Francisco J. Varela Research Grant, offered by the Mind & Life Institute, supports contemplative research aimed at understanding human experience through various disciplines. Grants up to $25,000 are awarded annually to scientists and scholars who have participated in the Mind & Life Summer Research Institute. This initiative emphasizes personal well-being, compassionate communities, and the human-earth connection, encouraging proposals that integrate contemplative practices with scientific inquiry to foster emotional resilience and societal compassion.

Overview

Francisco J. Varela Research Grant The Mind & Life Institute is seeking applications for the Mind & Life Francisco J. Varela Grants for Contemplative Research (Varela Grants). The Varela Grants are an integral component of Mind & Life’s support of contemplative sciences—a growing field that aims to investigate contemplative practices through research in diverse disciplines ranging from basic and clinical sciences to social sciences and the humanities. Beginning in 2004 and named for one of Mind & Life’s co-founders, neuroscientist Francisco J. Varela (1946–2001), these grants of up to $25,000 (USD) are awarded annually to developing scientists and scholars who have recently attended the Mind & Life Summer Research Institute. Francisco J. Varela believed that contemplative training offers us novel methods for investigating human experience. He also believed that the embodied, phenomenological perspective can best provide insight into the nature of the human mind. In his vision, contemplative training not only provides a new domain for scientific study, but can also help advance scientific theories and models of consciousness, emotion, cognition, and self. For example, empirical examinations of contemplative techniques can be applied to emotion regulation, attention, memory, spontaneous thought, automatic/implicit processing, and associated neural plasticity; such research can greatly contribute to our understanding of these processes and their development. Furthermore, while contemplative practices are being used increasingly in mainstream real-world settings, much remains to be learned regarding the physiological, behavioral, and subjective correlates of these practices, the relationship between the elements of contemplative interventions and desired outcomes, and differences in outcomes across populations and contexts. In all of these areas, contributions from the humanities and social sciences are invaluable in providing contextual grounding for the study of these practices. The Varela Grants fund rigorous examinations of contemplative practices with the ultimate goal that findings derived from such investigations will provide greater insight into contemplative practices and their application for reducing human suffering and promoting flourishing. Mind & Life views the Varela Grants as an essential feature of its overall strategy of building an interdisciplinary understanding of the mind and human behavior. These grants are a key vehicle for increasing the number of exemplary scientists, scholars, and clinicians involved in contemplative research. Strong proposals will meet the highest standards of rigor in the applicant’s field of expertise. Proposals must demonstrate relevance to the mission of the Mind & Life Institute. In addition, we have a special interest in supporting projects related to three broad topic areas: Personal Well-being—Examining the potential of contemplative wisdom and practices in nurturing positive emotions, including love, compassion, gratitude, and forgiveness, and the impact of alleviating negative emotions such as fear, anger, and anxiety in our lives. Compassionate Communities—Examining how the inner workings of the mind influence the formation of the views, behaviors, and social systems that separate us, and the role of contemplative wisdom and practices in creating more compassionate communities. Human-Earth Connection—Investigating how the union of contemplative wisdom and science can lead to greater awareness of the interconnectedness of all life—and action—to support and sustain both individuals and the earth’s living systems. In this context, “contemplative” wisdom and practices are defined in a broad sense—including various forms of meditation, mindfulness, compassion, loving-kindness, gratitude, introspection and awareness of mind-body states, contemplative prayer, and embodied or movement-based practices such as yoga, qi-gong, and other indigenous and traditional practices from various contexts and cultures that may include dancing, drumming, and more. Funding Grants of up to $25,000 (USD) are awarded annually through a competitive application and selection process. Proposed research should be completed within a 2-year period, and annual progress reports are required for grantees to remain in good standing.

Eligibility

You can learn more about this opportunity by visiting the funder's website. To be eligible for a Varela Grant, the applicant must have attended the Mind & Life Summer Research Institute within the last five years. The Varela Grant program is intended as a career development grant, and is open to graduate students and post-doctoral fellows currently affiliated with a research institution, and junior faculty through their fifth year of university appointment.This also includes scholars with up to five cumulative years of experience as an independent investigator, research scientist, or similar.  Mind & Life Grants are open to applicants of any country or citizenship. However, the Mind & Life Institute is a U.S.-based organization; please be aware of your country’s policies regarding acceptance of foreign funds.Applicants to our research grants (Varela, PEACE) need to be affiliated with a research institution (such as a university or other research center) that can provide the necessary infrastructure for the project, including—most importantly—ethical oversight of the way research is conducted on human subjects (via an Institutional Review Board (IRB), or Human Research Ethics Committee, or similar entity). Individuals not affiliated with such an institution should partner with an eligible applicant who can provide access to research resources.

Ineligibility

European Summer Research Institute attendees are not eligible, but may apply for the European Varela Grant offered by Mind & Life Europe.Applicants may not be actively funded through any Mind & Life research grant (i.e., PEACE or Varela grant). If they are, they must submit a final report and budget reconciliation for existing grants before applying for a new grant. Note that we do not allow two separate proposals for the same program in a given cycle from the same applicant, or from different applicants for two aspects of the same project.Varela Grant funds may not be used for PI (or Co-PI) salary, nor for indirect costs or institutional administrative fees. Exceptions to salary restrictions may be made for projects within the humanities (contact us for consideration).