This page has information on funding opportunities and research policies.
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Learn about results from previous competitions.
Past Funding Opportunities
2024 EARLY CAREER RESEARCH GRANT COMPETITION
THIS COMPETITION IS NOW COMPLETE. LEARN ABOUT THE COMPETITION RESULTS.
More details about the competition and application process can be found in the Competition Guide PDF | WORD.
The 2024 Research Grant competition will support exceptional early career researchers with interest in retinal (including optic nerve) degeneration.
The program is open to early career principal investigators from Canadian institutions with a budget of up to $200,000 over two years per award.
Applications from across the spectrum of retinal research are welcome, including but not limited to discovery, translational, clinical and epidemiological research.
The competition is open to all research related to retinal degeneration but may prioritize funding projects with potential to impact individuals with inherited retinal diseases (e.g. retinitis pigmentosa, Usher syndrome, choroideremia), age-related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy or glaucoma.
If you have questions or have trouble submitting, please contact us at research@fightingblindness.ca
2024 CLINICIAN-SCIENTIST EMERGING LEADER AWARD
THIS COMPETITION IS NOW COMPLETE. LEARN ABOUT THE COMPETITION RESULTS.
More details about the competition and application process can be found in the Competition Guide PDF | WORD
Clinician-scientists play an essential role in developing new sight-saving treatments. FBC’s Clinician-Scientist Emerging Leader Award aims to strengthen the community of ophthalmologists and optometrists who incorporate research into their careers.
This award will provide funding for two years for early-career clinician-scientists or clinician-scientists in training. Funding is available at two levels (up to $20,000 or up to $40,000 over two years) dependent on the amount of protected research time the applicant has.
This competition is open to applications on any aspect of vision research with the potential to significantly impact the lives of people living with a blinding eye disease.
If you have questions or have trouble submitting, please contact us at research@fightingblindness.ca
2023 Eye on the cURE aWARD
THIS COMPETITION IS NOW COMPLETE. LEARN ABOUT THE COMPETITION RESULTS.
This competition will inspire Canadians coast to coast and raise funds and awareness for vision research. Up to 5 regional early career vision researchers or teams will be selected as finalists to compete head-to-head for awards to support their research. Winners will be chosen by a panel of judges, an academy of jurors and the voting public. Think Dragon’s Den meets TedTalk!
More details about the competition and application process can be found in the Eye on the Cure Competition and Event Guide.
2023 CIHR REDI EARLY CAREER TRANSITION AWARD
THIS COMPETITION IS NOW COMPLETE.
Fighting Blindness Canada is partnering with CIHR and BrightFocus on an upcoming Research Excellence, Diversity, and Independence (REDI) Early Career Transition Award.
The CIHR REDI Early Career Transition Award is available to post-doctoral researchers, clinicians, and research associates from specific underrepresented groups to help them launch their research faculty careers in Canada. This award has two phases across a maximum of 6 years, with funding of up to $660,000 per award.
This funding opportunity will support approximately 38 awards across a number of research areas, including one (1) dedicated Eye Diseases award funded by Fighting Blindness Canada, BrightFocus and CIHR.
2022/23 TRANSFORMATIVE RESEARCH AWARD: RETINAL DEGENERATION
THIS COMPETITION IS NOW COMPLETE. LEARN ABOUT THE COMPETITION RESULTS.
Fighting Blindness Canada is launching the Transformative Research Award (TRA) program to fund strategic areas of need within vision research.
The 2022/23 competition will fund innovative and ambitious research that will advance the development of new therapies for retinal degenerative diseases. This competition is open to discovery, translational or clinical research.
The program is open to Canadian or international investigators, with a budget of up to $1.25 million over five years per award. This competition has two stages: Letter of Intent and Full Application (by invitation only).
More details about the competition and application process can be found in the Competition Guide.
FBC Policies & Positions
Created and Implemented September 17, 2014
Fighting Blindness Canada (FBC) has implemented a patent rights policy for FBC-funded research. The policy can be downloaded here: PDF
Created March 22, 2010
Stem cell research holds promise for finding treatments for various retinal dystrophies. Fighting Blindness Canada (FBC) is committed to finding treatments for retinal dystrophies and supports stem cell research as per the Assisted Human Reproduction Act (AHRA), which became law in Canada in March 2004. The Act and its framework ensure the consistent and regulated conduct of research, which balances respect for human life and potential for modern science. FBC acknowledges the highly sensitive and ethical issues addressed by the Act concerning embryonic stem cell research, and supports efforts to identify alternative sources for therapeutic applications. FBC respects all points of view on this important topic.
For details about Assisted Human Reproduction in Canada visit www.ahrc-pac.gc.ca.
If you wish not to support embryonic stem cell research, your donation to FBC can be directed to alternative sources for therapeutic applications, such as gene therapy or to education and public awareness.
Created May 2007
Fighting Blindness Canada (FBC) does not provide funds for indirect costs associated with research. While FBC recognizes that these are indeed legitimate expenditures, we believe the funding of such costs is the responsibility of governments and/or research institutions – not donors.
Fighting Blindness Canada is a member in good standing of the Health Charities Coalition of Canada (HCCC). All HCCC members abide by this funding policy. See the HCCC position statement on indirect costs.
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