CAUTION: This message came from outside Imperial. Do not click links or open attachments unless you recognise the sender and were expecting this email.

Hi Franco,

 

What you described is wonderful. We are very happy to give NYU these provisional numbers to satisfy their deadlines, and adjust with you down the line as needed.

 

Would you propose we allocate to trips to Europe per year (one for me and one for Damon)?

Very much looking forward to our continued partnership!

Marie

 

From: Sassi, Franco <f.sassi@imperial.ac.uk>
Date: Wednesday, March 18, 2026 at 5:37 AM
To: Tsai, Krystle <Krystle.Tsai@nyulangone.org>, Bragg, Marie <Marie.Bragg@nyulangone.org>
Cc: zhealth-mgmt <zhealth-mgmt@imperial.ac.uk>
Subject: RE: Possible collaboration on EU call

[EXTERNAL]

Dear Krystle (and including the proposal management team here as well),

 

I understand that the time frame in which grant applications are prepared in US University is not necessarily the same as in Europe. It is very difficult to confirm budget allocations at this stage. What generally happens with EU grants is that applicants are given a hard ceiling for what the whole consortium can request, which means that the budgeting process requires combining a bottom-up approach (which is what you have done) with a top-down approach to ensure the overall envelope is not exceeded and resources are allocated fairly across partners, according to expected contributions. Unfortunately, we have not yet reached the stage at which we will be able to apply the latter (top-down) allocation, because we have yet to finalise the consortium and there is still uncertainty on how many partners will be part of it.

 

However, I do understand that you need to provide inputs to your administration, and I wonder if we could find a compromise (e.g. providing a provisional figure that can be revised later; or buying some more time). Looking at your figures, your estimate of effort is totally reasonable, but we will have to determine whether the project can afford that level of effort throughout its duration (4 years). Presumably, there will be non-staff costs to add to your estimates as well, especially for travel.

 

Please, let me know what you think.

 

Franco

 

 

 

 

From: Tsai, Krystle <Krystle.Tsai@nyulangone.org>
Sent: 17 March 2026 13:47
To: Sassi, Franco <f.sassi@imperial.ac.uk>; Bragg, Marie <Marie.Bragg@nyulangone.org>
Subject: Re: Possible collaboration on EU call

 

CAUTION: This message came from outside Imperial. Do not click links or open attachments unless you recognise the sender and were expecting this email. Add sender to Safe Senders List

 

Hello Franco, 

 

Our grants administrator is finalizing NYU's budget and we wanted to run the proposed effort and total costs by you:

 

  • Marie Bragg - 10% effort
  • Roxanne Dupuis (Research Scientist) - 20% effort
  • Krystle Tsai (Program Manager/Research Coordinator) - 10% effort
  • Damon McCoy - 10% effort

 

This would amount to $113,590 Annual Direct costs, and $47,561 annual Indirect costs. Please let us know if this sounds ok and if we should make any adjustments.

 

Best,

Krystle

From: Sassi, Franco <f.sassi@imperial.ac.uk>
Sent: Tuesday, February 24, 2026 12:28 PM
To: Bragg, Marie <Marie.Bragg@nyulangone.org>; Tsai, Krystle <Krystle.Tsai@nyulangone.org>
Subject: RE: Possible collaboration on EU call

 

[EXTERNAL]

Thank you, Marie. I look forward to receiving more information from Krystle. If we include these interventions in the project’s package, I would definitely include Damon in the team. Franco

 

From: Bragg, Marie <Marie.Bragg@nyulangone.org>
Sent: 24 February 2026 16:25
To: Sassi, Franco <f.sassi@imperial.ac.uk>; Tsai, Krystle <Krystle.Tsai@nyulangone.org>
Subject: Re: Possible collaboration on EU call

 

Hi Franco,

 

I can ask Krystle from my team to share the text of our Aim 1 and 2 from a recent grant we submitted with a computer scientist, where we modify social media apps to reduce exposure to problematic content.

 

I also want to mention that this work that was developed by a computer scientist means it would likely be most appropriate to include that person on the EU Horizon grant. Would there be room to include some effort for him to honor the fact that it's his area of expertise? His name is Damon McCoy and he is also at NYU.

 

Thank you!

Marie

 

 

 

From: Sassi, Franco <f.sassi@imperial.ac.uk>
Date: Thursday, February 19, 2026 at 5:26 PM
To: Bragg, Marie <Marie.Bragg@nyulangone.org>
Subject: Re: Possible collaboration on EU call

[EXTERNAL]

Dear Marie, 

 

We are trying to identify a package of interventions that we can assess in the European project. Ideally, we should be able to intervene on features or behaviours that have an established link with one or more of the conditions we want to focus on (obesity, mental health, addictions). I wonder if you have any materials that you could share about the interventions we have discussed in our recent call, which you have developed in previous projects. Even a brief description would be helpful at this stage. Whatever is easiest for you to send. 

 

Thank you! 

 

Franco 

 

 

From: Bragg, Marie <Marie.Bragg@nyulangone.org>
Sent: Tuesday, January 20, 2026 10:14:10 PM
To: Sassi, Franco <f.sassi@imperial.ac.uk>
Subject: Re: Possible collaboration on EU call

 

Hi Franco,

 

It’s so wonderful to hear from you! I’d welcome a chance to chat about this call for proposals and appreciate the invitation to brainstorm.

 

I’m now a tenured Associate Professor (and just finished a year consulting two days a week for the U.S. Federal Trade Commission on the digital environment) – so I hope those two new additions to my profile might be useful for the application!

 

Looking forward to speaking with you soon,

 

Marie

 

From: Sassi, Franco <f.sassi@imperial.ac.uk>
Date: Tuesday, January 20, 2026 at 8:02 AM
To: Bragg, Marie <Marie.Bragg@nyulangone.org>
Subject: Possible collaboration on EU call

[EXTERNAL]

Dear Marie,

 

How are you? It has been some time since we last spoke. I am contacting you because the European Union has issued a very interesting call for proposals in an area of interest for both of us (behavioural intervention to improve young people’s health). This time, the EU has made clear that participation of US partners is possible, following an agreement that was signed with NIH. The call is available at the following link: https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/opportunities/topic-details/HORIZON-HLTH-2026-01-STAYHLTH-02.

The call has a strong behavioural dimension, and I would like to consider a focus on digital environments and how they affect young people’s behaviours and eventually their health. Please, let me know whether you would be interested in exploring a collaboration on a proposal. If so, I can follow up with more details and maybe we can set up a call.

 

I look forward to hearing from you.

 

Franco

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

______________________________________
This email message, including any attachments, is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain information that is proprietary, confidential, and exempt from disclosure under applicable law. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure, or distribution is prohibited. If you have received this email in error please notify the sender by return email and delete the original message. Please note, the recipient should check this email and any attachments for the presence of viruses. The organization accepts no liability for any damage caused by any virus transmitted by this email.