Fiscal Year 2026 Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs Vision Research Program (VRP)

Reference Table of Award Mechanisms and Submission Requirements

Award Mechanism Eligibility Key Mechanism Elements Funding Submission Deadline Clinical Trial Award Go to:

• Program Announcement

• General Application

Instructions

Grants.gov Funding Opportunity Number:

HT942526VRPCTA

Independent investigators affiliated with an eligible organization.

• Supports the rapid implementation of clinical trials of new interventions for service-related eye injury or visual dysfunction.

• For interventions that require Investigational New Drug (IND)/Investigational Device Exemption (IDE) or equivalent regulatory authorizations for clinical testing, the IND/IDE application or equivalent must be submitted to the relevant Regulatory Agency by application submission deadline.

o Applications must provide evidence of IND or IDE approval in order to be considered for funding.

• Applications must demonstrate access to the proposed intervention(s).

• Applications must demonstrate access to the target subject population(s).

• Preproposal submission is required;

application submission is by invitation only.

• The maximum allowable funding for the entire period of performance is $2.6 million (M) for total costs.*

• The maximum period of performance is 3 years.

Pre-Application (Preproposal):

July 28, 2026 5:00 p.m. Eastern time

Application:

November 12, 2026 11:59 p.m. Eastern time

Investigator-Initiated Research Award Go to:

• Program Announcement

• General Application

Instructions

Grants.gov Funding Opportunity Number:

HT942526VRPIIRA

Independent investigators affiliated with an eligible organization.

• It is the responsibility of the applicant to select the level that aligns with the scope of the proposed research. The Funding Level should be selected based on the research scope and not on the amount of the budget.

• The following are general descriptions, although not all inclusive, of the scope of research projects that would be appropriate to propose under each Funding Level:

• Funding Level 1 supports exploratory, high-risk and high-reward research in the earliest stages of development.

o Research must have the potential to yield new avenues of investigation, such as new approaches, research tools or paradigms.

o Application does not require preliminary data but must provide solid rationale of the research idea and demonstrate sufficient expertise on the investigating team.

• Funding Level 2 supports the advancement of research toward clinical translation.

o Applications may include any phase of research from basic through translational.

o Applications must include preliminary data.

o Partnering Principal Investigator

Option**: Supports meaningful and productive partnerships between two investigators, termed the initiating Principal Investigator (PI) and partnering PI, collaborating on a single application, each of whom will be recognized as a PI and receive a separate award.

• Preproposal submission is required;

application submission is by invitation only.

Funding Level 1

• The maximum allowable funding for the entire period of performance is $400,000 for total costs.*

• The maximum period of performance is 2 years.

Funding Level 2

• The maximum allowable funding for the entire period of performance is $1.2M for total costs.*

• The maximum period of performance is 3 years.

Pre-Application (Preproposal):

July 28, 2026 5:00 p.m. Eastern time

Application:

Translational Research Award Go to:

• Program Announcement

• General Application

Instructions

Grants.gov Funding Opportunity Number:

HT942526VRPTRA

Independent investigators affiliated with an eligible organization.

• Supports translational research that that transforms a promising discovery into new drugs, devices or clinical practice guidelines that are ready for definitive testing in clinical trials during or by the end of the period of performance.

• May be used to support preclinical studies, clinical research or a pilot clinical trial, but not a full-scale clinical trial.

• Applications must include preliminary data.

• Partnering Principal Investigator

Option**: Supports meaningful and productive partnerships between two investigators, termed the initiating PI and partnering PI, collaborating on a single application, each of whom will be recognized as a PI and receive a separate award.

• Preproposal submission is required;

application submission is by invitation only.

• The maximum allowable funding for the entire period of performance is $1.6M for total costs.*

• The maximum period of performance is 3 years.

Pre-Application (Preproposal):

July 28, 2026 5:00 p.m. Eastern time

Application:

Mentored Clinical Research Award Go to:

• Program Announcement

• General Application

Instructions

Grants.gov Funding Opportunity Number:

HT942526VRPMCRA

• PI and mentor:

Established clinician or Ph.D.

clinical scientist affiliated with an eligible organization.

• Mentee: Clinician in training (e.g., fellow, resident, junior clinician, clinician in a Ph.D.

program) who has sufficient time remaining in their training program to complete the research proposed

• Supports clinical research (e.g., research conducted with human subjects, samples, or data of human origin) by a clinician in training under an established mentor.

• May not be used to support preclinical research or clinical trials.

• Key personnel must include one established clinician as the mentor and PI, and one clinician in training as the mentee.

o While multiple junior scientists or clinicians may participate in the research, the application may only designate one mentee.

• Applications may include a standalone study of high impact to vision injury care or the generation of clinical research data in preparation for a more expansive study.

• Applications must provide evidence of institutional review board or ethics committee submission by application submission deadline.

o Applications must provide documentation of Institutional Review Board or Ethics Committee approval or exemption in order to be considered for funding.

• The award may cover laboratory supplies or small equipment or provide salary support for supportive personnel, but not salary support for the mentor or mentee.

• Submission of a Letter of Intent is required prior to full application submission.

• The maximum allowable funding for the entire period of performance is $75,000 for total costs.*

• The maximum period of performance is 1.5 years.

Pre-Application (Letter of Intent):

August 25, 2026 5:00 p.m. Eastern time

Application:

September 10, 2026 11:59 p.m. Eastern time

*Total costs include direct and indirect costs.

**If choosing the Partnering Principal Investigator Option, the cost cap applies to the combined total costs budgeted for the entire period of performance in the applications of the Initiating PI and the Partnering PI.