As part of its ongoing initiative to highlight the importance of interior design on well-being, the ASID Foundation is accepting proposals for its fourth-annual Transform Grant. Awarded annually, these grants fund applied research in interior design and human behavior.

This year, the Foundation will award $100,000 to one or multiple design related initiatives that address critical gaps in industry knowledge and focus on the growing influence design has on public health and well-being.

"We know the impact interior design has on people's lives,” said Sonya Odell, FASID, RID and ASID Foundation chair. “There is increasing scientific research that ‘good’ design improves a person's well-being and can decrease stress levels and enhance quality of life. Whether it's in their homes, schools or workplaces, these grants provide critical funding for research topics that advance design knowledge and transform the practice of interior design for the benefit of the public."

In years past, the grant has gone to institutions like Drexel University, which is studying the effects of daylight-matching LED luminaire; Texas Tech University, which is creating prototypes for therapeutic living communities for people with intellectual developmental disabilities and autism spectrum disorders who also have Alzheimer’s disease; and Cornell University, which is studying employee interactions to develop best practices for workplace design.

This year’s grant will specifically fund evidence based research on the impact of interior design on physical and psychological well-being. Historically, “wellness” and interior design have been connected primarily through healthcare and health related entities. Recent societal trends, however, have broadened the question regarding the effect design has on well-being and brought it  into the workplace, hospitality realm, and the home, among other countless spaces interior design infiltrates.

With increased globalization, urbanization and advanced technology, built environments have the power to enhance the quality of life for individuals and communities by influencing health, orientation, mobility, mood, sense of privacy and/or self expression.

Because this topic is so pertinent to the marketplace, ASID is looking for projects that can be started and completed within nine months from the award date of Feb. 23, 2015.

A panel of judges comprised of several of the industry’s leaders on health and well-being—including Derek Yack, senior vice president at The Vitality Group; Mark Vargas, associate partner of AEGIS Health Security; Charles Blumberg, architect at the National Institutes of Health; Michael F. Roizen, M.D., chief wellness officer and chair of the Wellness Institute of the Cleveland Clinic; Tama Duffy Day, FASID, FIIDA, LEED BD+C; and Susan S. Szenasy, publisher and editor-in-chief of Metropolis Magazine—will review all submissions.

The deadline for submissions is Monday, Dec. 15. For a complete description of guidelines and additional information, click here.