Summary: The fiscal year 2026 (FY26) Vision Research Program (VRP) Investigator-Initiated Research Award (IIRA) supports basic through early translational research that will yield highly impactful discoveries or major advancements in the research and/or patient care of eye injury and/or visual dysfunction related to military exposure. The IIRA may be used to support preclinical studies and/or clinical research. Research must align with at least one of the FY26 VRP Focus Areas. The IIRA cannot be used to support clinical trials.
Distinctive Features:
· The IIRA offers two Funding Levels to support research at different stages and the exploration/development of ideas of different maturity levels.
· Funding Level 2 includes a Partnering Principal Investigator (PI) Option (PPIO) for two PIs, an Initiating PI and a Partnering PI.
· Scored peer review criteria include Research Idea/Rationale, Research Strategy and Feasibility, Impact, and Personnel.
· Programmatic review criteria include adherence to the intent of the IIRA, contribution to the VRP portfolio, relative impact, and relevance to military health.
· The VRP may share FY26 IIRA applications and reviews with the National Eye Institute (NEI) for independent funding consideration.