Moorfields Eye Charity to invest at least £2 million in eye health research

Expressions of interest are open for Moorfields Eye Charity’s new Discovery and Translation Excellence Award – an initiative that will invest at least £2 million in eye health research projects.

The award is part of Moorfields Eye Charity’s new grants strategy for 2026–2031, which includes a £50 million funding commitment to transform the outlook for people living with or at risk of eye disease.

Moorfields Eye Charity chief executive, Robert Dufton, highlighted that the charity’s research funding would increase by two-thirds over the next five years.

“This new strategy provides a great boost to eye health research at a critical time,” he emphasised.

“Supporting a national powerhouse of eye health innovation, we are proud to spark a new era of discovery and deliver life-changing treatments to patients much more quickly,” Dufton added.

The Discovery and Translation Excellence Award aims to support research advancing the understanding of a topic or bringing forward a novel therapeutic approach or diagnostic tool.

Moorfields Eye Charity director of grants and research, Dr Peter Bloomfield, shared that there are two million people with sight loss in the UK – a number that is set to double over the next 30 years.

“Without discovery and translational research, the development of new therapeutics that we desperately need would grind to a halt. Similarly, it is essential to explore pathway design and implementation to enable the delivery of new treatments,” he said.

Further details about the Discovery and Translation Excellence Award are available online. Expressions of interest will be accepted until Autumn 2026, with full applications closing in Spring 2027.