Open request for information from the Templeton World Charity Foundation

The recently announced Templeton World Charity Foundation strategy to support new scientific research on human flourishing invites ideas from across the globe.

They expect to invest about $40 million through a grand challenges program that will prioritize interdisciplinary scientific research on humanity’s cognitive, affective, social, and spiritual well-being.

If you have substantial research experience, are employed full time at an academic or research institution, you can submit your idea through their portal. That portal is open September 14, 2020 through November 11, 2020. The next phase of the process will be the announcement of selected topics in March 2021.

Per their website, the organization is looking for ideas that can spawn multiple grant applications and larger research portfolios on human flourishing.

The key selection criteria are:

• Does the idea fit with the strategic goals of the Foundation?
• What is the potential for new scientific discovery?
• Is the idea clearly articulated?
• Is the idea based on a sound conceptual framework?
• Is the idea supported by rigorous methodologies?
• Is the timeline realistic?
• Is the budget reasonable?

The Foundation is hosting a series of webinars that will review this information as well:

Tuesday, September 29, 2020
2:00 PM British Standard Time / 9:00 AM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

Tuesday, October 13, 2020
9:00 PM British Standard Time / 4:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

Tuesday, October 27, 2020
1:00 PM British Standard Time / 9:00 AM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

Learn more about this opportunity here: https://www.templetonworldcharity.org/rfi

Watch the publicity video here: https://youtu.be/XtcFMQXodBM