Macular Degeneration Research Program: Innovative Research Grants

The Macular Degeneration Research Program, funded by the BrightFocus Foundation, offers Innovative Research Grants to support high-risk, high-gain research on age-related macular degeneration. With a total funding of $600,000 over three years, the program encourages innovative ideas from established investigators and those from underrepresented backgrounds in the field. The initiative has awarded nearly $53 million to various projects and aims to foster creativity and diversity in scientific research.

BrightFocus provides research funds for U.S. domestic as well as international researchers pursuing pioneering research leading to greater understanding, prevention, and treatment of Alzheimer’s disease, macular degeneration, and glaucoma.
We strongly encourage applications from individuals who are from groups underrepresented in the field of age-related macular degeneration research.
Through the generosity of our donors, Macular Degeneration Research, a BrightFocus Foundation program, has awarded nearly $53 million to fund research projects on the causes and potential prevention, treatment, and cure of this disease. As of July 2024, Macular Degeneration Research is supporting 49 active research projects worldwide.
The MDR program offers three types of awards: Postdoctoral Fellowship Program, New Investigator Grant Program, and Innovative Research Grants.
Scope:This program is intended to provide support for high-risk/high-gain age-related macular degeneration research. We hope to attract established investigators to apply for this support, but the aims of the application must contain outside-the-box ideas that are novel in the field. Applicants who are experts in another field are encouraged to apply their talents to proposing innovative research in the macular degeneration field.
Proposal Length: Three-page description of the proposed researchAward Amount: $200,000 per year (total value $600,000)Duration: up to 3 years

Eligibility

Specific eligibility criteria include:Candidates must hold an MD, PhD, DVM, DO, OD or equivalent degreeApplicant must serve as the Principal Investigator on the project and have independent laboratory spaceWhile some of the grant can be used to support salary for the PI, the percent requested should be limited to the lesser of 35% of the total grant request, or 35% of the individual’s salary. Co-PI salaries are capped at the lesser of 25% of the total grant request, or 25% of the individual’s salary. Note: Postdoctoral fellows should not be named as Co-PI on Innovative Research awards but should instead apply for the MDR Postdoctoral fellowship.Applicants may currently be working in a non-profit, governmental, academic research institution, or at a for-profit including start-up and biotech institution.