Center for Open Science Announces Consciousness Research Grant with Support from the Templeton World Charity Foundation

“This initiative is an opportunity not only to support some of the most rigorous research in this burgeoning field,” said David Mellor, COS’s Director of Policy “It is also a chance to introduce better ways of thinking about how research can be done.” 

Calls for increased rigor in methods in consciousness research, combined with a general research culture which incentivizes novelty and innovation over credibility and reproducibility, points to the need for a method of publication that puts bias aside. Registered Reports could be that method. 

Registered Reports is a publishing format that emphasizes the importance of the research question and the quality of methodology by conducting peer review prior to data collection. This format is designed to reward best practices in adhering to the hypothetico-deductive model of the scientific method. 

The goal of this initiative is to spur engagement with behaviors that are valued, but not yet normative, empower consciousness researchers to use open science practices, and develop a body of published research in consciousness that is rigorous and that will generate data for future discoveries. 

"Registered reports are a great way to help us gain confidence in research publications. This is important for complex topics like consciousness because they include so much uncertainty. The stakes are high, so the standards should be as well." said Dawid Potgieter, Director of Programs in Discovery Science at TWCF. As a concept core to understanding the human experience, consciousness research is one of the priorities of the Templeton World Charity Foundation (TWCF). In an attempt to accelerate research in this field, TWCF has promoted adversarial collaborations on the subject and sponsored numerous research projects on consciousness. Their support of this latest initiative demonstrates their enthusiasm to bring open science practices to the consciousness research community.

The Center for Open Science will begin accepting grant applications starting on April 4, 2022. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until the funds are exhausted or until Summer 2023. It is anticipated that 30-75 projects will be funded through this initiative, with grants that range from $15,000 to $20,000 USD (individual cap for exceptional proposals at $50,000 USD). After receiving confirmation of eligibility from the Center for Open Science, projects funded through this initiative will submit at participating journals using the Registered Report model and will engage in other open science practices such as preregistration and open sharing of data, code, and materials. 

Additionally, join COS for the Funding Consciousness Research with Registered Reports informational webinar on April 28, 2022, 10:30am EDT. COS’s David Mellor will give an overview of this new initiative to fund consciousness research through Registered Reports. Zoltan Dienes, Registered Reports Editor at Neuroscience of Consciousness, will discuss the relevance of Registered Reports in consciousness research. The webinar will include application information, eligibility details, timelines, and a question and answer session.

Applicants can learn more about the project, eligibility, and submission criteria at: https://www.cos.io/consciousness.