5/23/2006

NIH Grants

The US National Institutes of Health is seeking grant proposals investigating the role of religion in children's and adolescents' risky behaviors. Relevant research questions include methodological issues (e.g., definitions and measures of religiosity, measurement of risky behavior) as well as mechanistic issues regarding the development of religious beliefs, motivational influences behind religious beliefs and behaviors, and the role of genetics. Contextual issues, such as family structure, parental religious beliefs & practices, and others also are relevant to the grant.

The grant will fund up to $275,000 in direct costs and is open to public or private institutions as well as for-profit and non-for-profit organizations, governmental agencies, and others.

In my memory grants such as this are relatively rare. It will be interesting to follow this grant and the research it generates -- who will receive the grant? What will they add to the existing body of knowledge?

3 comments:

Ann said...

Are you applying?

Michael Nielsen said...

A fair question! :-) I am thinking about applying but the possibility of having such a large amount of funds to work with is rather mind-boggling to me. Which of the many questions possible are most interesting? Are there other researchers with whom I could collaborate, and not only do a better project but also be more likely to receive the funding? Perhaps the most important question for me is how might this affect the direction I see my research going in the next few years? I've never been one to chase after grant money simply because it is there; I am more interested in pursuing questions that I find fascinating. But as I read the grant info, it seems broad enough that this may be worth the investment of time. It is certainly more attractive to me than any other grant I've come across!

Three Score and Ten or more said...

Quit quibbling and apply.