Retina UK Research Grants Programme Open for Applications

Retina UK has announced a new application round for its research grants programme to support UK researchers and PhD students investigating the causes, potential treatments, and potential cures for all forms of inherited retinal disease.

Retina UK (previously RP Fighting Blindness) is a medical research charity that supports cutting edge research to increase understanding of the causes of inherited retinal dystrophies (IRDs), including Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP) and associated conditions. Its aim is to develop potential treatments or cures for people affected by these conditions.

The Retina UK research grants programme provides funding to support UK researchers conducting projects aligned with its objectives, prioritising research that shows promise for progressing the development of treatment strategies or slowing down the advancement of sight loss. This is the first application round that Retina UK has announced after suspending applications in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Applications are invited from researchers (including funding for PhD candidates) in the UK who have a good track record of obtaining funding from other sources and are recognised amongst their peers for their research.

Projects eligible for support include basic laboratory research to investigate disease mechanisms, preclinical studies in animal models and genotyping and phenotypic investigation of patient populations as a prelude to clinical trials.

The research grants include:

  • Programme Grants: in excess of £200,000 (three to five years)
  • Project Grants: no greater than £200,000 (up to three years)
  • Small Project (innovation) Grants: no greater than £100,000
  • PhD and Postdoctoral Investigation Grants: in excess of £100,000

Retina UK favours projects that attempt to stimulate and trigger new areas of work and will consider pump-priming grants for new areas of research.

Preliminary applications for the 2021/22 application round should be submitted by the deadline on 1 September 2021.