DoW Vision, Investigator-Initiated Research Award
Defense Health Agency Contracting Activity - DHACA
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
Deadline
2026-11-12
Who can apply
Open to: Unrestricted (i.e., open to any type of entity above), subject to any clarification in text field entitled "Additional Information on Eligibility".
Sources
Grants.gov. Last updated 2026-10-26.
Always confirm eligibility and deadlines on the funder's own page before applying.