HABRI is interested in funding a wide range of studies. Areas of interest include, but are not limited to:
- Broadly generalizable human-animal bond studies, impacting large populations in the categories of child health and development, healthy aging, mental health, and physical health.
- The human health impacts of therapy animals in professional practice, volunteer programs, and educational contexts, and research that refines or informs best practices to improve health outcomes and quality of life for the humans and animals involved.
- Studies that are translational in that at least one aim is to produce actionable advice, guidelines, and recommendations for human health practitioners, pet care professionals and/or policymakers.
- How companion animal ownership and/or interaction helps address those impacted by public health and social crises, such as social isolation and loneliness; suicide, addiction, and substance abuse; access to social service and housing; trauma and/or post-traumatic stress; obesity and physical activity; and cardiovascular health.
- The role of pets in supporting the health and wellbeing of people from diverse backgrounds or underrepresented or minoritized populations.
- The role of the human-animal bond in veterinary medicine, including its impact on access to care, compliance and quality of care, and veterinary team wellbeing.
- The bond between humans and understudied pet species, including cats, birds, reptiles, small mammals, and fish.
- International perspectives of the human-animal bond, investigating the health outcomes of pet ownership and/or AAI in countries, communities, and cultures, including those that are under-represented in current literature.
Evaluation will be based on rigor of study design and methods, capabilities of investigators, adequacy of facilities, cost-effective yet realistic budget, potential for significant impact on future practices related to the understanding or treatment of mental and physical health conditions, and for potential impact, contribution to the scientific field of human-animal interaction (HAI), and relevance to HABRI’s mission.
Adherence to the highest standards of human and animal care and welfare is essential, and studies that also measure the welfare of the animals involved are of interest. All funded studies must undergo Institutional Review Board (IRB) and/or Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) review and approval when necessary. No invasive procedures will be funded.
In the interest of further contributing to the scientific field of HAI, HABRI encourages studies that focus on interactions with a variety of pet species, which may include (but are not limited to) dogs, cats, small animals (rabbits, guinea pigs, birds, reptiles and fish) and horses. If you have a question about whether a study involving a particular species would qualify for funding, please contact us.
HABRI does not and shall not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, national origin, disability, military status, age, marital status, or parental status.
Funder: Human Animal Bond Research Institute (HABRI)
URL: https://habri.org/grants/funding-opportunities/
Deadline: February 22, 2024
