Vision Research (R01 Equivalent Grants)

Vision Research (R01 Equivalent Grants) is sponsored by National Eye Institute (NEI) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The NEI supports a broad range of basic and clinical research related to the cornea, including investigations into antigenic and anti-angiogenic factors, immunity associated with transplantation, regeneration of corneal endothelial cells, epithelial cell signaling, and tear comp…

National Eye Institute (NEI) | Grants & Funding U.S. Department of Health and Human Services National Institutes of Health National Eye Institute (NEI) ICO Funding Policies and Considerations Additional Information by Funding Category The NEI Mission is to eliminate vision loss and improve quality of life through vision research.

From Genes to Disease Mechanisms: Identify ocular disease genes to develop new strategies, models, and tools for elucidating genetic and environmental interactions at the cellular and systems level; accelerate mechanistic understanding and therapy development.

Biology and Neuroscience of Vision: Investigate corneal nerves, photoreceptors and phototransduction, retinal circuitry, the optic nerve and oculomotor system, and central visual processing. Immune System and Eye Health: Investigate the “immune-privileged” structure that leads to many chronic eye diseases including uveitis, dry eye, age-related macular degeneration, and optic neuritis.

Regenerative Medicine: Accelerate translation of new therapies that fix or replace damaged or diseased tissues previously thought to be irreparable. Data Science: Optimize data management and data sharing while preserving safeguards and ethical protections and maintain leadership in informatics and artificial intelligence.

Individual Quality of Life: Address the needs and perspectives of individuals, including those living with blindness or low vision, to advance their independence and improve quality of life. Public Health: Facilitate basic and clinical advances to improve vision, preserve sight, and provide access for all.

Assistance listings are detailed public descriptions of federal programs used across government agencies that provide grants, loans, scholarships, insurance, and other types of assistance awards. They are maintained in the System for Award Management (SAM) and can be used to search for opportunities in Grants. gov .

View NEI Assistance Listing Numbers Highlighted Topics identify timely or emerging research priorities across one or more NIH Institutes, Centers, or Offices (ICOs). Use Parent Announcements or other broad NIH opportunities to submit investigator-initiated applications on a topic. While Highlighted Topics do not affect referral or review, some include dedicated funding.

See the Highlighted Topic FAQs NEI Grant Funding Opportunity Notices in the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts ICO Funding Policies and Considerations Visit NIH Fiscal Policies for NIH-wide information on appropriations and other budgetary information (salary limits, stipends, tuition/fees) and Funding Decisions to learn about NIH's consistent and unified approach for making funding decisions.

NEI Funding Policies and Considerations builds on that general information. Additional Information by Funding Category Administrative Supplements In addition to our Administrative Supplements overview, consider the following NEI-specific information. Administrative Supplement Interest Areas: The award of an administrative supplement depends on several factors, including alignment with NEI’s priorities and documented needs.

NEI awards administrative supplements on a case-by-case basis. Administrative Supplement Due Dates: NEI accepts and reviews applications on a continuous basis between October 1 and May 31 of each fiscal year. Applications received after May 31 will be considered for funding in the next fiscal year.

Administrative Supplement Contact: In addition to our Conferences and Meetings overview, consider the following NEI-specific information.

Conferences and Meetings Interest Areas: NEI supports high-quality scientific conferences that align with its mission, including those that advance innovative research on the eye and visual system; expand knowledge of visual function in health and disease; promote the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of vision disorders; and improve rehabilitation and quality of life for individuals who are blind or have low vision.

Applications that foster broad, cross-disciplinary collaboration will receive priority consideration. Meaningful inclusion of new early-stage investigators—as co-organizers, speakers, and participants—is strongly encouraged. Conferences and Meetings Budget Considerations: There is no specific budget cap for meeting requests; however, all proposed budgets are carefully evaluated.

NEI generally does not provide salary support (percent effort) under R13 conference grant applications. Conferences and Meetings Project Period Considerations: Project periods may range from 1 to 5 years. Conferences and Meetings Contacts: Individual Career Development In addition to our Individual Career Development , consider the following NEI-specific information.

Individual Career Development Interest Areas: NEI is committed to training the next generation of the biomedical and clinical research workforce in vision health, optometry, and ophthalmology by providing support for fellowship and career development awards. These awards are intended to provide mentored research training, research experiences, and career transition assistance in alignment with NEI’s mission.

NEI is interested in applications from individuals with scientific or clinical expertise in eye and vision health who seek advanced training to further NEI’s mission, including individuals with backgrounds in computer science, epidemiology, artificial intelligence, and engineering.

Career Development (K) Awards, including Clinical Investigator Award (K08) Mentored Patient-Oriented Research Career Development Award (K23) NIH Pathway to Independence Award (K99/R00) Individual Career Development Salary Fringe Benefits: For K99/R00, NEI will provide salary support commensurate with the applicant institution's salary structure for persons of equivalent qualifications, experience, and rank.

For K08 and K23, NEI will provide salary support up to the current legislative cap, plus fringe benefits, per year. The total salary requested must be based on a full-time, 12-month staff appointment for at least 75% effort. Individual Career Development Other Program Related Expenses: For K99, NEI will support up to $25,000 per year for research support.

For K08, NEI will support up to $25,000 per year for research support. For K23, NEI will support usually $25,000, but with sufficient justification can be up to $50,000 per year for research support. Individual Career Development Contacts: In addition to our Individual Fellowships Overview, consider the following NEI-specific information.

Individual Fellowships Interest Areas: NEI is committed to training the next generation of the biomedical workforce in vision health, optometry, and ophthalmology by providing support for individual fellowships.

These fellowships are intended to provide mentored research training, research experiences in alignment with NEI’s mission in biology and diseases of the eye including individuals with backgrounds in neuroscience, data science, computer science, artificial intelligence, engineering, and epidemiology. Ruth L.

Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) Fellowships (including F30 , F31 , and F32 activity codes) Predoctoral to Postdoctoral Transition Awards (F99/K00) Individual Fellowships Budget Considerations: Current NRSA stipends, tuition/fees, and budgetary levels apply.

Individual Fellowships Contacts: Institutional Career Development In addition to our Institutional Career Development , consider the following NEI-specific information. Institutional Career Development Interest Areas: NEI is interested in institutional career development programs aligned with NEI’s mission whose goal is to support the next generation of the biomedical research workforce in vision science, optometry, and ophthalmology.

Creative and innovative institutional research career development programs which will prepare clinically trained vision scientists for independent research careers Candidates that have a health professional doctoral degree, such as the M. D. , M.

D. /PhD; D. O.

, D. O. /PhD; O.

D. ; O. D.

/PhD; D. V. M.

, D. V. M/PhD; or equivalent degree, and a professional clinical license to practice ophthalmology or optometry in the United States.

Institutional Career Development Salary Fringe Benefits: Individuals designing, directing, and implementing the career development program may request salary and fringe benefits appropriate for the person months devoted to the program. Scholar salaries requested may not exceed the levels commensurate with the institution's policy for similar positions and may not exceed the congressionally mandated cap.

Mentoring interactions and other activities with scholars are non-reimbursable from grant funds. Salary support for ancillary personnel is not allowable. Institutional Career Development Other Program Related Expenses: Consultant costs, equipment, supplies, travel for key persons, and other program-related expenses may be included in the proposed budget.

Annual direct costs of up to $30,000 per scholar may be requested for the following types of expenses: consultant costs, research supplies, equipment, and technical personnel; travel to attend research meetings or training; tuition, fees, and books related to didactic courses or career development activities; and statistical services, including personnel and computer time.

Expenses must be justified and must not duplicate items generally available at the applicant institution. Costs may not be pooled and used for advertising, recruitment, or other programs unrelated or indirectly related to the research activities of individual scholars. Institutional Career Development Research Effort Considerations: Scholars are expected to devote a minimum of 9 person-months (75% of full-time professional effort).

Scholars who are ophthalmic surgeons may request between 6 and 9 person-months (50% to 75%) of full-time professional effort. Institutional Career Development Contacts: In addition to our Institutional Training , consider the following NEI-specific information.

Institutional Training Interest Areas: NEI is interested in institutional training programs aligned with NEI’s mission whose goal is to support the next generation of the biomedical research workforce in vision science, optometry, and ophthalmology.

Areas of interest include: Programs whose emphasis is recruiting, retaining, and accelerating the independence of promising biomedical researchers and providing skills necessary to perform basic, clinical, and/or translational research. Programs from ophthalmology, vision science, or optometry departments providing vision-centric training.

Programs combining multi-disciplinary areas of study (such as computer science, artificial intelligence, bioengineering, statistics) with the goal of providing training opportunities that are aligned with NEI’s mission. Programs incorporating opportunities for certifications, credentials, or specific skill development that serve to increase the number of highly qualified individuals in careers relevant to NEI’s mission.

Institutional Training Participants: NEI prioritizes funding for the following trainees: Predoctoral, postdoctoral, and short-term Institutional Training Project Period Considerations: NEI may limit project periods as follows: Institutional NRSA research training grants may be for project periods up to five years in duration and are renewable.

Institutional Training Budget Considerations: Travel for trainees to attend scientific meetings and workshops that the institution determines to be necessary for the individual’s research training experience is an allowable expense for predoctoral and postdoctoral trainees. This includes trainees on short-term appointments.

Trainees must be appointed to the training grant at the time of the actual travel for this to be an allowable cost. Institutional Training Contacts: In addition to our Research Education overview, consider the following NEI-specific information.

Research Education Interest Areas: NEI is committed to training the next generation of the biomedical and clinical research workforce in vision health, optometry, and ophthalmology by providing support for educational activities in alignment with NEI’s mission.

Areas of interest include: Short-term research education programs or skills development courses to improve the knowledge and research skills of biomedical and clinical scientists conducting research in priority scientific, health-related research fields. Mentoring networks that prepare postdoctoral researchers to transition to independent careers.

Integrated research experience and mentoring programs with the goal of developing a highly skilled biomedical research workforce. Mentoring programs may be embedded within collaborative research environments such as clinical trial networks and multi‑site cohort studies.

Research Education Participants: NEI prioritizes funding for participants in the following areas: Research Education Budget Considerations: NEI may limit budgets for specific education activities, as follows: Applicants are encouraged to contact NEI research training program officers to discuss allowable expenses prior to submission. Allowable expenses vary by funding opportunity and associated career stage.

Research Education Personnel, Participant, and Other Program-Related Costs: NEI may limit awarded budgets for personnel, participant, and other costs, as follows: NEI may limit awarded budgets for personnel, participant, and other costs, as follows: Programs that focus on Research Experience Personnel costs generally include salary and consultant direct costs up to $150,000/year Participant costs generally include travel, housing, compensation, tuition, and research expenses up to $12,000 per participant Research Education Funding Instruments: NEI does not award Research Education Cooperative Agreements (UE5) NEI awards Research Education Grant Projects (R25) Research Education Contacts: In addition to our Small Business overview, consider the following NEI-specific information.

Small Business Interest Areas: NEI supports research including, but not limited to, the following: Commercializable research and clinical innovations in ophthalmology and vision sciences Commercializable therapeutics including drugs, biologics, devices, or combination therapeutics that prevent or reduce blindness or improve ocular health Market-ready technologies and diagnostic tools for predicting, identifying, or monitoring eye diseases and vision-related conditions Commercializable devices and services that assist people with blindness or visual impairments to improve quality of life Commercial-grade devices and support services that help individuals with blindness or vision impairments to improve and enhance their daily living experience Market-ready technologies that correct, enhance, or augment human vision Approved Topics for Awards Over Statutory Budget Guidelines: New or improved ophthalmic or surgical instruments for diagnosis and treatment of eye disorders Drug delivery systems; gene therapy, cell-based therapy or regenerative medicine New therapeutic approaches for inflammatory and degenerative diseases and for inhibition of abnormal angiogenesis in the retina and choroid New therapeutic approaches, artificial corneas, and drug delivery methods for the treatment of corneal injury, infection, dry eye, ocular pain, and other ocular surface disorders New approaches in the management of cataracts New therapeutic agents for treatment of glaucoma New or improved devices, systems, or programs that meet the rehabilitative and everyday living needs of blind or visually impaired persons Phase IIB & Commercialization Readiness Pilot (CRP): NEI accepts Phase IIB SBIR projects NEI accepts Commercialization Readiness Pilot (CRP) projects NEI accepts clinical trials through the SBIR programs NEI accepts clinical trials through the STTR programs NEI accepts clinical trials through the Phase IIB SBIR program NEI accepts clinical trials through the Commercialization Readiness Pilot (CRP) National Eye Institute (NEI) For technical issues E-mail OER Webmaster