Funding Opportunities

Translational Team Science Pilot Award Program

The TrEVR Center Translational Team Science Pilot Award is designed to enable novel and innovative investigations of vision and vision-related pathology with high translational potential. Successful applications will leverage the expertise of a diverse team of investigators to explore disease mechanisms, therapeutic strategies, or tools with the potential to impact the diagnosis, management, or treatment of vision-related disease.

Award Period: July 1 - June 30
Funds: $25,000 + matching funds to cover the publication cost of one article in a peer-reviewed journal acknowledging the TrEVR center.

Eligibility

Multi-disciplinary investigative teams with multiple PIs (equal vestment and effort) are required. Additional collaborators/Co-Is beyond the primary multi-PI team can also be included.
Submitting/contact PI must be a TrEVR Center Regular Member.
Novel collaborative projects between TrEVR Center Regular Members are highly desirable.
Diversity within the investigative team (i.e. clinician-scientists, biostatisticians, basic scientists) is highly desirable.

2025 Pilot Awardees

“Development and Validation of Tree Shrew as a model of Alzheimer Disease-Associated Retinal Degeneration”
Principal Investigator: Dr. Marina Gorbatyuk (Biochemistry)
“Evaluation of Electrical Impedance Spectroscopy of Uveal Melanoma in Animal Model”
Principal Investigator: Dr. Mohammad Moghimi (Biomedical Engineering)
“Regenerative Potential of Autologous Urine-Derived Limbal Stem Cells for Corneal Repair”
Principal Investigator: Dr. Yuanyuan Zhang (WFIRM)
“Ophthalmic Biomarkers of Aging and Neuropathology in Vervets”
Principal Investigator: Dr. Atalie Thompson (Ophthalmology)

NEXT DEADLINE: 2027

ARVO Travel Award Program

The TrEVR Center ARVO Travel Award Program is designed to offset the cost for TrEVR Center members-in-training to attend and present research at the annual meeting of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology. Disbursement of funds will consider financial need, presentation modality, and diversity and inclusion of all forms, including department, program, and scientific content.

Funds: $250 - $1,000 per award

Eligibility

Awardee must be a registered TrEVR Center member-in-training.
Primary mentor must be a registered TrEVR Center regular member.
Awardee must be the first and presenting author of the poster or paper presentation.
Members-in-training receiving a travel award from ARVO or with NIH NRSA or similar support are not eligible.