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Like many of you, over the past year I’ve watched as my community struggles with all the painful reminders of inequity and the structural legacies of our society that continue to call us to action. As individuals, we have a role to play, but I also know many leaders of business like myself have looked inward to see if there are things we could be doing as well. We are always very proud of the research we help facilitate. Over 1,000 research studies have used Fitabase, and as I browse through our Research Library, many of them have a positive impact on addressing health equity and address disparities. And so, with our partners, we’ve decided to sponsor that kind of work further.

Today, I’m proud to announce another key initiative Fitabase and Fitbit are launching. We are awarding up to $500,000 worth of devices and services.

The goal of the program is to support underrepresented early career researchers who are actively investigating health disparities while aiming to improve health outcomes in underserved populations.

Over nine years ago we started with a mission to help further research using consumer wearables. I’m always proud of that work, and today I’m incredibly proud to be able to lift up a very important aspect of it even further.

To apply, see the Fitbit Health Equity Research Initiative site.

Key dates

Open Call Program Announcement: Wednesday, April 14, 2021

Informational Webinar: Wednesday, April 28, 2021, 11am PST. You can register to join this webinar here. 

Stage 1 Application: Letter of Intent due date: Friday, May 28, 2021, 5pm PST 

Anticipated Notice of Invitation to Full Application Process: Beginning on Wednesday, June 16, 2021

Stage 2: Full Application due date (invite only): Friday, July 16, 2021, 5pm PST 

Anticipated Award Announcement: Wednesday, August 4, 2021

Anticipated Performance Period: August 2021-December 2022