At a glance
The FY26 Vision Investigator-Initiated Research Award funds basic through early translational research on eye injury and visual dysfunction related to military exposure. It can support preclinical studies and clinical research, but not clinical trials, and projects must fit at least one of the program’s focus areas. Eligible applicants include extramural and intramural U.S. Department of War organizations, as well as foreign and domestic for-profit, nonprofit, and public or private organizations; awards are made to organizations, not individuals. The program expects to fund about two Level 1 awards at up to $400,000 each for up to 2 years and about three Level 2 awards at up to $1.2 million each for up to 3 years, with no cost sharing required. Funding Level 2 may include two principal investigators, and the program does not support painful research in domestic cats or dogs except studies related to military or service animals.
What it funds
Official description from grants.gov
Summary: The fiscal year 2026 (FY26) Vision Research Program (VRP) Investigator-Initiated Research Award (IIRA) supports basic through early translational research that will yield highly impactful discoveries or major advancements in the research and/or patient care of eye injury and/or visual dysfunction related to military exposure . The IIRA may be used to support preclinical studies and/or clinical research . Research must align with at least one of the FY26 VRP Focus Areas . The IIRA cannot be used to support clinical trials . Distinctive Features: · The IIRA offers two Funding Levels to support research at different stages and the exploration/development of ideas of different maturity levels. · Funding Level 2 includes a Partnering Principal Investigator (PI) Option (PPIO) for two PIs, an Initiating PI and a Partnering PI. · Scored peer review criteria include Research Idea/Rationale, Research Strategy and Feasibility, Impact, and Personnel. · Programmatic review criteria include adherence to the intent of the IIRA, contribution to the VRP portfolio, relative impact, and relevance to military health. · The VRP may share FY26 IIRA applications and reviews with the National Eye Institute (NEI) for independent funding consideration. https://cdmrp.health.mil/pubs/press/2026/vrppreann
Who can apply
- Unrestricted