Special Projects – Effects of the Usage of Digital
Technology on Brain Development, Social Behaviours and Mental Health in
Children and Young People
The Huo Family Foundation invites applications for
special projects. These larger and longer-term research awards would allow
researchers of all career stages, collaborating as a multi-disciplinary team
with different expertise and skills, to take an integrated approach to tackle
the more difficult questions in this domain.
Proposals should be tackling key questions within the
broad topic of the effects of usage of and exposure to digital technologies on
brain development and function (including physiological responses), social
behaviour and interactions, and mental health of children and young people.
We are keen to support multi-disciplinary work. These
teams may consist of several group leaders from one institution, or different
institutions in the UK and the US.
Grants are for up to a four-year term.
The grant amount is up to £300,000 / $390,000 per year.
The grant should begin in January 2026. Remit, definitions and expectations
- We are interested in research on the effects of usage of
and exposure to digital technologies on brain development and function
(including physiological responses), social behaviour and interactions, and
mental health of children and young people.
Study designs should attempt to understand causal
pathways and directions.
Digital technology typically means digital devices,
systems, tools and resources that generate, process and store data. For this
call, digital technology refers to devices, systems, tools and services used by
children and young people. For example, this would include smart phones,
tablets, computers/laptops, gaming consoles, online games, the internet, social
media, other digital environments, instant messaging, video-sharing, etc.
The research should focus on children and/or young people
within the age range of 7-24 years old.
We encourage the use of existing population
(epidemiological) cohorts and data sets. We also encourage precision and
deep-dive studies within these existing cohorts and data sets.
We encourage randomised approaches to studying the
effects of the use of digital technologies on the brain, mind, physiological
responses, and behaviour of children and young people. This may include the use
of Randomised Controlled Trials (RCT) methodology.
Given the scarcity of longitudinal evidence, we encourage
work that involves follow-up and repeated observations.
We will consider mechanistic studies of smaller,
well-defined participant groups.
Public and Community Involvement, Engagement and
Participation (PCIEP): proposals are expected to involve and engage young
people (children, adolescents and/or young adults) in the study design and
during the delivery of the proposal.
We are keen to support multi-disciplinary work to help
advance the research and the field of knowledge. Applications are welcome from
researchers from all relevant fields, which may include but is not limited to
neuroscience, psychology, psychiatry, epidemiology, public health, computer
science, social science, economics. We welcome applicants with training in one
or more of these or related disciplines.
We want to support the training of the next generation of
exceptional scientists in this rapidly evolving field.
Studies should produce new knowledge that contributes to
the understanding of the occurrence, distribution, causes, mechanisms and
impacts (e.g. social, behavioural, physiological, health and well-being,
economic) of the effects of the usage of digital technology on children,
adolescents and young adults.
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