Investigator Award Application Process

Applications will be accepted in the following priority areas in adult vision, children’s vision, or eye injury:

• Burden/economic aspects of eye disease/vision loss on society
• Best practices to integrate vision screening/follow up care to system care access
• Vision program effectiveness/evaluation

All research grants need to promote the core mission of Prevent Blindness America – preventing blindness and preserving sight. Basic laboratory science research will not be supported under this program.

Grants are for a one-year period, up to $30,000 and are reviewed by a committee of ARVO members.

The deadline for the ninth annual Prevent Blindness America Investigator Award is March 27 2013.

The application will require the following information:

• Application Form must be completed online in one session
• Application Form must include 2–3 sentences describing in non-technical terms your project’s relevance to the core mission of Prevent Blindness America – preventing blindness and preserving sight
•  Additionally, the following 4 pieces of supporting documentation must be transmitted as PDF attachments emailed to awards@arvo.org:

1.Information about Principal Investigator, and Required Signatures

2.Description of Research Project (no more than 4 pages typed including references) to include:

- Objectives

- Current status (if in progress)

- Review of relevant work in field

- Methodology

- Clinical significance relating toward public health

-Critical references

3.One year Budget (up to $30,000)

4.A signed Letter of Recommendation

The application process opens November 17, 2012.

Online Application Form.

All investigators must be citizens and permanent residents of either the United States or Canada. The applicant must be working in either the United States or Canada. All published materials and positions relative to research and eye-health will be listed on the application. Level of experience and related field work will be taken into consideration by the reviewers. A complete budget and detailed description of the research project will be required. All researchers will be required to remain in the United States or Canada for the duration of the project.

The award funds studies of priority interest for investigators who need assistance to defray costs of personnel, equipment, and consumable supplies as needed for a specific research investigation. Travel costs are generally not supported but may be considered. Indirect costs are not supported by these funds. Grants are awarded for a one-year period, up to $30,000, and commence on July 1. Please note grants are only given to the researching institution, not the individual investigator.

Any source of funding that has already been secured must be declared to Prevent Blindness America upon submission of the application. A list of all monies received and promised for the project must be listed on the application

All applications proposing to conduct research involving human subjects must indicate that approval was obtained from the Institutional Review Board where the research is to be undertaken. Approval date and institution must be indicated on the application

Note: Basic animal research will not be funded through the PBA Investigator Award. Investigators using animals must adhere to the ARVO resolution on the use of animals in research (Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science 31:781, 1990). Approval date, institution, and the approval number from the animal care and use committee at the institution must be included on the application. For complete details, please refer to the Statement for the Use of Animals in Ophthalmic and Visual Research at www.arvo.org.

All materials submitted through the application process are the property of our research department and cannot be returned to you.

Institutions who apply for grants are notified by June 1. A signed letter of acceptance must be returned to Prevent Blindness America prior to the project initialization. Due to limited resources for program administration, critiques of applications are not available.

Funded applications will have a payment schedule included in the acceptance letter.

A project report on the work conducted must be submitted within 60 days of the conclusion of the grant period. Manuscripts are acceptable in lieu of a final report. Also, a brief lay description of results and potential impact is required. A final expenditure report and refund of any unused portion of the award is required with the project report.

All manuscripts, abstracts, reports, and other publications resulting from Prevent Blindness America’s support must acknowledge that the study was funded (in whole or part) by a grant from Prevent Blindness America. If awards are funded through a specific source, the investigator will be advised as to the appropriate acknowledgement. Manuscripts should be forwarded to Prevent Blindness America, upon acceptance, with the name of the journal in which it will be printed. Three reprints of published papers are required.

Time extensions to complete a project are allowed if the investigator cannot provide an adequate report within the allotted time. Commencement dates may be delayed if extenuating circumstances prevent a study from going forward. A written request is required for no-cost time extensions and should included the reason for delay, additional time required, summary of work accomplished to date, and a report indicating expenditures and any unexpended balance.

Rebudgeting is encouraged if required to accomplish the goals of the project. A written request and Prevent Blindness America approval is required to rebudget personnel and equipment categories.

Although funding is limited, renewal support may be provided where significant research results have been obtained.  Award recipients interested in renewal support must submit a progress report along with the standard completed application by the stated deadline.

If circumstances prevent completion of the grant, Prevent Blindness America must be notified immediately. A report on the work conducted to the date of termination is required. Any unused portion of the grant must be returned with a final expenditure report.

Contact Nita Patel, PBA Director of Public Health at 312-363-6019 or npatel@preventblindness.org with any questions.