ISPB offers unique grant opportunities supporting mentored pre-clinical or clinical research programs designed to foster junior investigator development while advancing clinical care in ophthalmology and optometry. Preference is given to high-quality grant submissions from applicants (PI) that are at the start of their career, including medical students, residents, graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, assistant professors, and other junior faculty in the ophthalmology and optometry fields. Students must be currently enrolled full-time at an accredited Illinois institution of higher education or postdoctoral fellows/residents that are within seven years after receiving their advanced degree (MD, OD, PhD). Students, postdoctoral fellows, and residents are required to have a faculty mentor involved with their research.
The primary mission of ISPB is to reduce preventable causes of blindness by educating the public on the necessity for and the methods of preventing blindness. ISPB annually awards grants to support research in eye and vision health, with priority granted to areas of inquiry with direct clinical relevance (translational research).
The Research Committee, which consists of ISPB board members and other professionals from ophthalmology and optometry, reviews and awards the grants. Applications are evaluated based on several criteria, including study originality, feasibility, scientific rigor, educational environment, and clinical significance.
Please Note: Applications are due on May 1, 2025 by midnight with awards announced in June. Checks are issued once grant recipients provide the final paperwork. Research projects must be completed by June 30th of the following calendar year.
