Below you will find an overview of all active funding opportunities provided by the T. Denny Sanford Institute for Empathy and Compassion. Please see program details for specific qualifications, deadlines, timeframes for each opportunity, as they all vary.
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About the Sanford Institute for Empathy and Compassion at UC San Diego
The Sanford Institute for Empathy and Compassion invites research proposals that aim to advance the understanding, measurement, teaching, and implementation of empathy and compassion. This year, the Institute is placing a special emphasis on research that can strengthen the evidence base for empathy and compassion and help translate that evidence into meaningful improvements in healthcare, education, and other real-world systems.
The Institute is particularly interested in research that advances understanding across the continuum from basic mechanisms to measurement, intervention development, implementation, and systems-level change. Priority will be given to projects that address important gaps in the field, employ rigorous and innovative methods, and have the potential to inform future interventions or scalable approaches.
While all innovative projects that advance empathy and compassion will be considered, proposals that align with one or more of the priority areas below will receive particular consideration. We especially encourage interdisciplinary research that connects scientific understanding with practical application and creates a foundation for future intervention, implementation, or systems-level research.
Priority Areas
Neurobiology and Mechanisms of Empathy and Compassion
Research examining the biological, physiological, cognitive, behavioral, or social mechanisms underlying empathy, compassion, caregiving, and human connection. Areas of interest include neural circuitry, psychophysiology, social cognition, animal models, stress contagion, and the identification of mechanisms or biomarkers that may inform intervention development and evaluation.
Burnout, Mentorship, and Training Ecosystems
Research examining how educational and organizational environments influence empathy, compassion, belonging, well-being, and professional development. Projects may investigate mentorship, organizational culture, institutional structures, training experiences, burnout, resilience, or approaches to designing environments that support learners, faculty, clinicians, and other professionals.
Measurement, Belonging, and Outcomes
Research that advances how empathy, compassion, belonging, burnout, and related constructs are defined and measured. Areas of interest include the development or validation of measurement approaches; integration of self-report, behavioral, physiological, and digital measures; identification of meaningful outcomes; and development of practical or standardized measurement frameworks that can support research across settings and populations.
AI, Technology, and the Future of Empathy
Research examining how artificial intelligence and emerging technologies may support—or potentially undermine—empathy, compassion, and human connection. Projects may explore AI in healthcare or education, digital mental health, affective computing, technology-mediated communication, digital interventions, or approaches to evaluating the effectiveness, risks, and ethical implications of empathy-related technologies.
Culture Change, Implementation, and Scalable Interventions
Research focused on translating evidence about empathy and compassion into interventions that can be implemented, sustained, and scaled in real-world settings. Areas of interest include intervention development and testing, implementation science, organizational and culture change, operationalizing compassion and belonging within systems, identifying barriers to adoption and scale, and developing the infrastructure or partnerships needed to support sustainable impact.
Projects that bridge multiple priority areas are strongly encouraged, particularly those that connect foundational research with measurement, intervention development, or implementation.
Eligibility & Support
- Open to UC San Diego-affiliated faculty and researchers.
- Collaborative and interdisciplinary teams are strongly encouraged.
- Awards of up to $100,000 for one year.
Key Dates & Application Information
- Applications Open: September 3, 2026
- Info Session: September 23, 2026 at 11 a.m. PST
- Stage I (Letter of Intent) Submission Deadline: September 25, 2026 at 11 p.m. PST
- Stage I (Letter of Intent) Acceptance Notification: October 16, 2026
- Stage II (Full Proposal) Submission Deadline: November 27, 2026 at 11 p.m. PST
- Stage II (Acceptance Notification): January 29, 2027
Application Requirements
1. Stage I (Letter of Intent)
Applicants must submit a Letter of Intent that includes the following:
- Project Title
- Principal Investigator(s) and key collaborators
- Brief Summary of the proposed research focus (≤500 words), including its alignment with one or more of the Institute's research priority areas
- Estimated Budget Request
2. Full Application (by invitation only)
Applicants invited to submit a full application must include the following:
- Project Summary/Abstract (½–¾ page)
- Project Narrative (≤250 words)
- Specific Aims (1 page)
- Research Strategy
- Significance i. Innovation ii. Approach iii. Future Directions
- Budget Justification (1 page)
- Study Timeline (1 page, table format)
- Appendix (as needed, e.g., questionnaires or other instruments)
- Biographical Sketches (NIH format, including eRA Commons credentials for key personnel)
Review Criteria
- Scientific Impact: Rigor, originality, and potential to advance the science and/or practice of empathy and compassion.
- Alignment with Research Priorities: Relevance to one or more of the Institute's identified priority areas and potential to address an important gap in the field.
- Significance and Innovation: Importance of the research question and the extent to which the project offers a novel conceptual, methodological, or applied contribution.
- Methodology: Clarity, feasibility, and strength of the research design and analytic approach.
- Investigative Team: Expertise of the research team and, where relevant, strength of interdisciplinary collaboration.
- Translational Potential: Potential for findings to inform future research, measurement, intervention development, implementation, or systems-level change.
- Scalability and Impact: Where applicable, potential for successful approaches to be disseminated, implemented, or scaled across populations, institutions, or systems.
Contact
For questions, contact Research Project Coordinator Cindy Chwa at cchwa@health.ucsd.edu.
No late applications will be accepted.
The T. Denny Sanford Institute for Empathy and Compassion at UC San Diego invites submissions for poster presentations at the Sanford Institute Forum on Empathy and Compassion, taking place at UC San Diego Scripps Seaside Forum in San Diego, California February 10–12, 2027.
We welcome abstracts focused on empathy and compassion. Submissions may include original research, educational innovations, quality improvement initiatives, clinical programs, community-based interventions, or other scholarly work. Projects should align most closely with one of the Forum's three theme tracks:
- Research
- Medical Education
- Healthcare Worker Well-Being
Applicants will be asked to identify the theme track that best reflects their submission.
Submission Information
- Abstracts must be 250 words or less.
- All submissions will undergo blinded peer review.
- Accepted presenters must attend the meeting in person and register for the Forum.
- Applicants must indicate whether their submission is most closely related to Research, Medical Education, or Healthcare Worker Well-Being.
- All abstracts must be submitted through the Submittable platform
Submission Deadline: October 2, 2026, 11:59 PM PDT
Submissions will be reviewed on a rolling basis, and applicants may receive notification of a decision before the submission deadline.
Notification of Acceptance by December 4, 2026
Presenter Policies
- Posters will be presented in-person only.
- Submission of an abstract represents a commitment to present if accepted (discounted rate available for presenters).
- If a presenter can no longer attend, a substitute presenter should be arranged whenever possible.
- Authors may present no more than three abstracts.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) Disclosure
The use of AI tools in research, analysis, or presentation preparation is permitted. Presenters who used AI tools should briefly disclose how AI was used and how the work was reviewed and validated by the authors.
Questions
For questions regarding submissions or presentations, please contact: cchwa@health.ucsd.edu.