Fight for Sight offers £1.2 million research grants

Fight for Sight has made available £1.2 million for pioneering eye research, its second grants call for 2017/18.

As part of this, the charity has partnered with the Royal College of Ophthalmologists (RCO) and the Royal Society of Medicine to establish the Primer Fellowship Awards.

The new awards are designed to encourage trainee ophthalmologists and other ophthalmic healthcare professionals to embark on a career in ophthalmic research.

Two joint Fight for Sight and RCO primer awards of up to £60,000 are being made available. These awards are only open to members of the RCO and aim to provide funding for one year for trainee ophthalmologists.

Chair of the academic group of the RCO, said: “The award will give two trainees the opportunity to develop their skills and knowledge and raise the quality of ophthalmic research fellowships now and into the future.”

One Fight for Sight and The Royal Society of Medicine primer award of up to £60,000 is also being made available.

This award is open for trainee ophthalmologists, ophthalmic nurses and allied health professional graduates, including optometrists and orthoptists.

“We want to support novel, original and pioneering ophthalmic research which will ultimately aid in stopping sight loss,” president of the ophthalmology section at the Royal Society of Medicine, Professor Christopher Bentley, said of the Fight for Sight partnership.

Fight for Sight has also issued a call for clinical and non-clinical scientists to undertake research into any one of the charity’s six priority areas.

A project grant provides up to £170,000 for three years, or pro rata for projects of a shorter duration.

“Only by investing in research will we be able to deliver the pioneering breakthroughs to address sight loss. This grants round makes available over £1.2 million specifically aimed to address priorities of those with sight loss and move us closer to ending sight loss forever,” chief executive of Fight for Sight, Michele Acton, explained.  

The closing date for all applications is 5pm on 1 November.

Overall, during 2017/18 the charity aims to commit over £3 million to pioneering eye research.