With the Exploring our Common Humanity in Diverse Contexts (ECoH) priority, Templeton World Charity Foundation (TWCF) aims to explore the feasibility of establishing regional Collaborative Research Hubs for the study of human flourishing. The Hubs will provide opportunities for researchers to develop and implement research agendas to advance scientific understanding of topics and outcomes central to human flourishing. In early 2023, TWCF ran an open Request for Proposals to undertake an analysis of the research, leadership, partnership, and capacity-building landscape for human flourishing in different regions worldwide. This project is one of three proposals selected for funding under this competitive process. It seeks to focus on Southeast Asia, and the Middle East and North Africa.

The project team, led by Miguel Silan and Hans Ijzerman of the Annecy Behavioral Sciences Lab, will begin with a systematic review to identify human flourishing researchers and existing local research. This will result in an open access database of “Who’s Doing What in Human Flourishing in Southeast Asia and the Arab Region”. A subsequent review will be used to identify funders and partners. This work will be complemented by key informant interviews and mini focus group discussions to contextualize the insights for each aim. Finally, a scoping survey to assess capacity and training needs will be conducted.

The team has chosen to focus their review on five disciplines of Psychology, Development Economics, Anthropology, Sociology, and Philosophy and Religious Studies. It will focus on five countries from each region as potential locations for establishing Hubs. In Southeast Asia, the focus is expected to include the Philippines, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, and Malaysia. In the Arab Region, the focus will include Sudan, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, and Morocco.