Funder: American Academy of Optometry
Due Dates (Anticipated): April 2027 (Letter of Intent)
Funding Amounts: Up to $100,000 per project, completed within two years; direct costs only
Summary: Supports Academy Fellows conducting clinically meaningful research with potential to improve patient care in optometry.
Key Information: The PI and all clinical investigators must be Academy Fellows in good standing at application.
Description
The American Academy of Optometry’s Clinical Research Award supports clinical research that answers meaningful questions with significant potential to improve optometric patient care. The program promotes collaboration between practicing optometrists and researchers, building clinical and academic partnerships around problems relevant to optometric practice.
The award accommodates principal investigators practicing inside or outside academic institutions, while requiring most additional team members to be optometrists primarily engaged in clinical practice outside academia. For principal investigators outside academia or without substantial research training and experience, an Academic Partner actively supports project completion and dissemination. Proposals should establish a relevant clinical question, scientific aims, and the proposed work’s importance to optometry and patient care.
