International call for projects

After a record breaking 2024, Game in Lab’s international call for projects is open once again in 2025, to researchers from all over the world and aims to support the production of scientific knowledge about board games. Game in Lab has already supported more than 20 researchers through previous international calls for projects. 

The 2025 call for projects is open!

The 2025 call for projects is open!

Applications are accepted until September 15, 2025, at noon (Paris time – GMT+2).

Presentation of the international call for projects

The international call for projects welcomes disciplinary and interdisciplinary proposals from any scientific research institution. Research projects lasting up to 24 months are eligible. This year, special attention will be given to projects investigating the following areas of focus: “Sustainability, Justice and inclusion”, “Healthy people and/or planet”, Cultural Heritage” and “Civic engagement, supporting democracy and social competence”. 

This year we will allocate funding across two research tracks:

 

  • Track 1: Fundamental Research. Research that expands knowledge and understanding of games, explores theoretical concepts and underlying principles of games, or develops new frameworks of analyses.
  • Track 2: Applied Research with a social action dimension. This track will fund action research that leverages existing knowledge about games to address social issues and address specific problems or challenges through collaboration with communities, practitioners or other stakeholders. These projects will generate actionable insights and proposals, e.g. for educators, health practicioners, communities, and others contexts in which games can make a difference. Evaluation projects will not be considered.

Financial Support

This year’s endowment is €45,000 for proposals considered in Track 1 and €40 000 for proposals considered in Track 2. Each project will be eligible for a maximum grant of €20,000. 

Expected projects outcomes

The appointed teams are expected to contribute to Game in Lab’s diffusion and scientific popularization actions in the form of articles (scientific or otherwise), published on Game in Lab’s website, or in other journals or media. Project leaders will also be invited to attend events organized or supported by Game in Lab.

Eligibility criteria

  • Applications from public research institutions will receive special attention. They can be associated with other institutions, private or public.
  • Commitment to allocating the entirety of the subvention dedicated to the research actions to the appointed team.
  • Co-financing is encouraged. 

Submit an application

Applications must be submitted online and include all required documents as specified in the detailed call for projects. You can edit a submitted application until the deadline using the link provided in the confirmation email after submission. 

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Learn about the research projects supported by Game in Lab

    • Project
    • Underway


    Collective Role Play as Inclusive Territory (CRIT): Role-playing as and with diverse others to promote gender and sexual orientation social inclusion

    In 2024, Game in Lab selected Dr. Benjamin Le Hénaff’s project to explore how playing characters with different genders and sexual orientations can foster empathy and intergroup interaction. Through a series of experimental studies, this research investigates the potential of role-playing games to reduce prejudice and promote social inclusion among players of the Dungeons & Dragons community. This contributes to a deeper understanding of how games can become spaces for experiencing and transforming gender and sexual norms.
    • Project
    • Underway


    The impact of board games’ materiality on the reception of their environmentalist message

    In 2024, Game in Lab selected Pr. Gabrielle Trépanier-Jobin's project to examine how the materiality of board games influences the reception of their environmentalist messages. This research focuses on games that promote sobriety and degrowth, and investigates whether minimalist or sophisticated production choices affect negatively or positively players’ interpretation of ecological values. The project will contribute both to the advancement of game studies and sustainable design practices.
    • Project
    • Underway


    Play and the city: Investigating the cultural heritage of games of the City of Rome (200 BC-500 AD)

    In 2024, Game in Lab selected Dr. Tim Penn's project to explore the cultural significance and social role of board games in the city of Rome between 200 BC and 500 AD. The project aims to shed light on a lesser-known facet of ancient Roman society. Using a digital approach that ensures the preservation of data for future research, it documents and analyzes archaeological evidence of board games found across Roman sites.