Asmodee Group is now accepting applications for their Game In Lab program. The program provides grants for board game-related academic research projects. These grants can offer up to €20,000 for applicants.
The Game In Lab Grant Program
According to a report by Board Game Wire, the Game in Lab program aims to "promote the valorization and recognition of board games as a generator of societal value" with its annual grants. This year's endowment is €45,000 and each project will be eligible to a maximum grant of €20,000.
The program was co-created by 2018 by Asmodee Group and French non-profit Innovation Factory. Since then, the program has funded 29 research projects and three PhDs. According to a post on their Facebook page, applications can be in "all areas in social sciences, psychology, linguistics, the arts, and any relevant discipline in applied or fundamental sciences."
This year's Game in Lab program will give special attention to applications investigating certain subjects. Those subjects include sustainability and justice, 50 years of Dungeons & Dragons, healthy people and/or the planet, and cultural heritage.
Game in Lab has sponsored many talented voices and minds within the industry. They include Asmodee's own Léa Martinez, who researched the effect of board games on cognitive function, and Dr. Phillippe Robert's research into clinical use of board games for neurodivergent people.
This is not the only grant program currently open in the tabletop community. The Game In Lab program is available alongside the GAMA Horizons Fellowship program, which is dedicated to promoting diverse voices in the industry.
Additional recipients include Dr. Jorge Moya Higueras. The grant helped Higueras publish a research paper in September 2023, titled "Just Play Cognitive Modern Board and Card Games, It’s Going to Be Good for Your Executive Functions" which demonstrated the effects of games Jungle Speed and Dixit on the cognitive function of school children.
Those interested in applying for a Game in Lab grant can do so on their official page. Applications are open until September 6.
