The Role of Human-Animal Interaction in Child Health and Development (R03)

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Purpose. This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) solicits Research Project Grant (R03) applications from institutions/ organizations that propose to study the impact of human-animal interaction (HAI) on children's health and development and to test the efficacy of therapeutic uses of HAI with children.In 2008, NICHD and The WALTHAM Centre for Pet Nutrition, a division of Mars, Incorporated, entered into a public-private partnership to explore the interaction between humans and animals. The partnership encourages research on Human-Animal Interaction (HAI), especially as it relates to child development, health, and the therapeutic use of animals with children and adolescents. This shared interest resulted in TheWALTHAM Centre donating funds to NICHD to enhance NICHDs ability to support research in this field.The purpose of this FOA is to build an empirical research base on how children perceive, relate to and think about animals; how pets in the home impact children's social and emotional development and health (e.g., allergies, the immune system, asthma, mitigation of obesity); and whether and under what conditions therapeutic uses of animals are safe and effective.Mechanism of Support. This FOA will utilize the NIH Small Research Grant (R03) award mechanism. Funds Available and Anticipated Number of Awards. The total amount of funding that NIH expects to award through this announcement is $1.3 million per year, with $300,000 from NINR, $1.0 million from NICHD, part of which has been donated by the WALTHAM Centre for Pet Nutrition, a division of Mars, Incorporated, as a part of a public-private partnership with the NICHD.The number of anticipated awards is 9-13. Budget and Project Period. Budgets for direct costs of not more than $50,000 per year and a project duration of up to 2 years may be requested for a maximum of $100,000 in direct costs over a 2-year project period.

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