Addressing Evidence-Based Health Benefits of Human-Animal Interaction

Overview

The Human Animal Bond Research Institute (HABRI) is issuing a call for research proposals from institutions and organizations across the globe to investigate the health outcomes of pet ownership and/or animal-assisted interventions (AAI), both for the people and the animals involved. Proposals should have a strong theoretical framework and focus on innovative approaches to studying the positive effects of companion animals on human health.

HABRI is interested in funding a wide range of studies focused on the human-animal bond.

Areas of interest include, but are not limited to:
• Studies investigating the vital role of pet ownership for the health and well-being of people, pets, and communities.
• 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 animal-assisted interventions, including 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 policymakers as it relates to supporting pet owners, the human-animal bond and/or human-animal interactions.
• Studies that are translational in that at least one aim is to produce actionable advice, guidelines, and recommendations for veterinarians and other pet care professionals, pet owners and/or those interested in acquiring a pet.
• Studies with clinical implications for human health practitioners or studies with at least one aim to produce actionable advice, guidelines, and recommendations for human health practitioners working with and/or supporting pet owners, the human-animal bond and/or animal-assisted interventions.
• How companion animal ownership and/or interaction helps address those impacted by public health and social crises, such as generalized anxiety and stress; 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. Studies that explore the role of veterinarians and animal health professionals in human-animal bond research are also of interest.
• The bond between humans and a wide variety of pet species which may include (but are not limited to) dogs, cats, birds, reptiles, small mammals, horses 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, potential for significant impact on future practices related to the understanding or treatment of mental and physical health conditions, capabilities of investigators, adequacy of facilities, cost-effective yet realistic budget, and for potential 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 important to HABRI’s mission of supporting the mutual health benefits of the human-animal bond. All funded studies must undergo Institutional Review Board (IRB) and/or Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) review and approval, and all animals participating in funded studies must be under the care of a veterinarian. No invasive procedures will be funded.

HABRI Webinar linked here: https://habri.org/grants/funding-opportunities/#webinar

Award Information: While there is no budget cap, HABRI awards an average of 5-6 projects each year with project costs averaging approximately $49,000 per project and an average duration of about 20 months