DoW Vision, Investigator-Initiated Research Award

The Department of the Army Medical Command seeks applicants for the fiscal year 2026 Vision Research Program Investigator-Initiated Research Award, supporting basic through early translational research addressing eye injury and visual dysfunction related to military exposure, with a pre-application deadline of July 28, 2026 and full application due date of November 12, 2026. The award explicitly cannot support clinical trials.

Eligible applicants include extramural and intramural U.S. Department of War organizations, foreign and domestic entities, and both for-profit and nonprofit organizations. Independent investigators affiliated with eligible organizations may serve as Principal Investigators regardless of citizenship status.

Two Funding Levels are available with different budget ceilings and periods of performance. Funding Level 1 awards up to $400,000 over 2 years for exploratory, high-risk research without preliminary data requirements. Funding Level 2 awards up to $1.2 million over 3 years for research advancing toward clinical translation and requires preliminary data; Funding Level 2 includes an optional Partnering Principal Investigator structure pairing an Initiating PI with a Partnering PI. The program expects to allocate approximately $0.8 million to fund two Funding Level 1 applications and approximately $3.6 million to fund three Funding Level 2 applications using FY26 funds expiring September 30, 2032. Awards will be made by September 30, 2027.

Research must align with at least one of three focus areas: understanding and treating eye injury or visual dysfunction from military exposure; diagnosing, stabilizing, and treating eye injuries in austere environments; or restoring visual function after military exposure-related vision loss. Applicants may support preclinical studies or clinical research but not clinical trials.

Peer review evaluates Research Idea/Rationale, Research Strategy and Feasibility, Impact, and Personnel. Programmatic review assesses adherence to program intent, contribution to portfolio balance, relative impact, and military health relevance. The VRP may share FY26 IIRA applications and reviews with the National Eye Institute for independent funding consideration.

Pre-applications are submitted through eBRAP by July 28, 2026. Invited full applications are submitted through Grants.gov (extramural organizations) or eBRAP (intramural DOW organizations) by November 12, 2026, with peer review scheduled for January 2027 and programmatic review for March 2027.

Funding Opportunity Number: HT942526VRPIIRA. Assistance Listing: 12.420 (Military Medical Research and Development).