Call for Proposals: Social Science Research Grant Program 2024

As part of WADA’s 2020-2024 Social Science Research Strategy – which aims to support WADA’s 2020-2024 Strategic Plan by focusing on impactful research – WADA’s Education Committee oversees the Agency’s Social Science Research for anti-doping, including the work undertaken by WADA’s Social Science Research Expert Advisory Group (SSREAG).

A core aim of the SSRP is to invest in social science research to maintain and increase the understanding of athlete behaviors that they are seeking to reinforce or prevent, alongside the social and environment factors that influence athlete behaviors. Such understanding will improve WADA’s and the global clean sport community’s ability to develop effective policies and programs, enhancing the sporting experience for all.

Levels of Influence and Research Priorities

• Athlete
  • Athlete pathway and experience
  • Clean sport behaviors
• Athlete Support Personnel
  • Role and influence of ASP
  • Experience of ASP in clean sport
• Education Programs
  • People investment in antidoping
  • Effectiveness of antidoping/clean sport
• World Anti-Doping Program
  • WADA Doping Prevention Model
  • Anti-Doping Policy Impact
• Sport Environment
  • Sport Policy
  • Evolution of sport practices
• Society
  • Non-sport influences
  • Horizon scanning

Tiers of Investment

• Tier 1
  • Objective
    • Providing an evidence base to inform international antidoping policy and practice
    • Facilitating international research exchange across academic disciplines
  • Indicative Scope
    • International study
    • Multi/interdisciplinary team
    • Multi-sport
    • Partnership with at least two Anti-Doping Organizations (ADOS)
    • Endorsement of at least two additional ADOs
    • Policy impact investigation
    • Other sources of investment
    • Country/sport/gender and cultural differences as research variables
• Tier 2
  • Objective
    • Contributing to program or intervention development or improvement at national level or within a single sport to support the prevention of doping
  • Indicative Scope
    • National study/multi-sport
    • Single sport study/multinational
    • Multi/interdisciplinary team
    • Partnership with at least one ADO
    • Endorsement of at least one additional ADO
    • Other sources of investment
• Tier 3
  • Objective
    • Investing in smaller scale research projects to pilot or examine the viability of interventions or desk-based research, particularly projects led by early career researchers or targeting under-funded regions
  • Indicative Scope
    • Small scale projects looking at developing and piloting interventions, conducting literature reviews, position papers, desk-based research etc.
    • Piloting an existing program /intervention in an underrepresented sport or region
    • Early career researchers who may be applying as first time Principal Investigators

Funding Information

• Tier 1: 75,000 – 150,000 USD
• Tier 2: 20,000 – 75,000 USD
• Tier 3: < 20,000 USD

Criteria

• Applicants are encouraged to submit ahead of this time, if possible, in order to facilitate a quicker turnaround time for decisions.
• WADA seeks to enhance social science research capability in traditionally under-represented and underfunded regions—namely, Asia, Latin America, and Africa—and encourages researchers from these regions to apply.
• As part of WADA’s 2020-2024 Social Science Research Strategy, to encourage collaboration and integration of social science researchers within the global anti-doping system, WADA will host a Social Science Research (SSR) Symposium on 27 February 2024.

For more information, visit WADA.