After last year’s decision to set a new focus in the funding area of ophthalmology, Velux Stiftung releases the first call for proposals.
The ophthalmology program wants to fund projects that leverage the financial support and create sustainable impact. The focus of the call for proposals is on out-of-the-box and interdisciplinary solutions to neglected biomedical knowledge gaps addressing prevention, diagnosis or treatment of eye conditions in LMICs. Another priority of the program is on building up research capacity and competences in LMICs. Calls will be released every year for the next five years.
The call for proposals 2021 at a glance:
Thematic focus: interdisciplinary research projects aiming to develop and assess new diagnostics, prevention or treatment methods for eye diseases adapted to the local LMIC context and environment.
Duration of the projects: 1 to 4 years.
Scale of funding: up to CHF 100’000 per year with at least 50% to be used in LMICs.
Partnership: invited to apply are consortia of research groups with at least one partner based in a LMIC. The involvement of a Swiss partner in the consortium is welcome. A partner in a high-income country is however not mandatory. Most of the research should take place in one or several LMICs. To enhance knowledge transfer at least one PI or co-PI has to be an established (R3) or leading researcher (R4) in ophthalmology according to the European Framework for research careers.
Capacity building for research: every research application should entail some research capacity building in LMICs.
Deadline: 31 May 2021
Final decision: November 2021
Photo Caption: This image was captured in an outreach camp in Ladakh wherein a hand-held slit lamp, indirect ophthalmoscope, and direct ophthalmoscope can be seen amidst a beautiful background. These instruments in true sense are the eyes of every ophthalmologist.
