Francisco Varela
The Mind & Life Institute Francisco J. Varela Research Awards (Varela Awards) for graduate students and post docs were established in 2004 as a companion program to the Mind and Life Summer Research Institute and have been a critical element in supporting the development of the Contemplative Sciences. Since inception, at least 62 articles have been published in peer-reviewed journals by Varela Awardees, with at least 14 additional articles under review and 46 in preparation. Varela Awardees have also given 52 scientific poster presentations and 123 varied other presentations on the research and findings related to their investigations. Further, the relatively small pilot grants of $10,000 to $15,000 have, to date, stimulated more than $12 million in follow-on funding from federal and private grant sources for the areas of research funded by the Varela Awards.
The Varela Awards solicit research grant proposals that stimulate basic and translational research that evaluate both state and trait effects of contemplative practice and incorporate first-person contemplative methods into cognitive/affective neuroscience research. The Awards emphasize empirical examinations of contemplative techniques with the ultimate goal that findings derived from such investigations will provide greater insight into the mechanisms of contemplative practice and its benefits for reducing human suffering.
Mind and Life wishes to acknowledge and express out deep thanks to the John Templeton Foundation and the Hershey Family Foundation for supporting this important grant program.
Eligibility
In order to apply for the Varela Awards, the applicant and any co-investigator must have attended, as a Research Fellow, the Mind and Life Summer Research Institute within two years of the current application.
