Francisco J. Varela Research Awards

Neuroscientist, philosopher, and Mind and Life co-founder Francisco Varela (1946-2001) believed that contemplative training offers modern science novel methods for investigating the depth of human experience. In his vision, contemplative training such as meditation not only provides a new domain for scientific study, but it also offers resources for advancing scientific models of consciousness, emotion, and cognitive processing.

The Mind and Life Summer Research Institute and accompanying Francisco J. Varela Awards for Contemplative Research are arguably the most influential programs stimulating new research in the field of contemplative science today. The long-term objective of these programs is to advance the training of a new generation of interdisciplinary scholars interested in exploring the influence of contemplative practice on mind, behavior, brain function, and health, including the potential role of contemplative methods in shaping and enriching human experience and consciousness.

The Summer Research Institute is a week-long annual event to foster collaborative research in behavioral science, neuroscience, clinical science, and the humanities based on a process of inquiry, dialogue, and collaboration with contemplative practitioners and scholars. The Varela Awards are grants of up to $15,000 awarded annually to select graduate students and post-doctoral fellows who have attended the Summer Research Institute. These awards fund scientific and scholarly examinations of contemplative techniques, with the ultimate goal that findings will provide greater insight into the mechanisms of contemplative practice and its application for reducing human suffering.