RPB Stein Innovation Award

The RPB Stein Innovation Award, offered by Research to Prevent Blindness (RPB), aims to fund vision researchers focused on understanding the visual system and the diseases affecting its function. The award provides seed money for high-risk, high-gain vision science research that is innovative and demonstrates out-of-the-box thinking. There are two types of awards available: one for researchers within the department of ophthalmology and another for those outside of it. The award is open to faculty from any U.S. institution of higher education. The purpose of the Stein Innovation Awards is not to serve as venture philanthropy for start-up companies. Instead, the award seeks to catalyze new lines of inquiry that depart from previously funded research. The proposed research should be unconventional and novel, with a clear and rational research plan, compelling preliminary data, and a careful consideration of potential pitfalls. The research should differ substantially from an R01-type research endeavor and should not be a natural extension of the candidate's existing research. Eligibility for the award requires candidates to be MDs, PhDs, or MD/PhDs, or hold an equivalent doctoral degree with an academic position ranging from Associate Professor to full Professor. Candidates must commit at least 5% effort to the proposed research. Department chairs, including interim or acting chairs, can nominate multiple candidates per department, but only one award per department can be approved. The award amount is $300,000, disbursed in two payments of $150,000 each, contingent upon approval of a 14-month substantive progress report. The application process involves two cycles: the spring cycle and the fall cycle. For the spring cycle, the application deadline is January 10, with nomination forms due by December 15. For the fall cycle, the application deadline is July 1, with nomination forms due by June 15. Applications submitted without a prior nomination form will not be accepted. If a deadline falls on a weekend or holiday, it is extended to the next business day. Interested applicants can access the nomination and application forms, along with the guidelines and instructions for the award, through the provided resources. For any questions regarding the RPB Grants Program, applicants can contact MariaClaudia Lora-Montano, RPB's Director of Grants Management, at 646-892-9564 or via email at mlora@rpbusa.org. The main office of Research to Prevent Blindness is located at 360 Lexington Avenue, 22nd Floor, New York, NY 10017, and can be reached by phone at (212) 752-4333.

The proposed research should be unconventional and novel, with a clear and rational research plan, compelling preliminary data, and a careful consideration of potential pitfalls.