DoW Vision, Mentored Clinical Research Award

Summary: The fiscal year 2026 (FY26) Vision Research Program (VRP) Mentored Clinical Research Award (MCRA) supports patient-oriented vision injury research conducted by highly motivated military or civilian clinicians in training. The MCRA may be used to support a standalone study of high impact to vision injury care or the generation of clinical research data in preparation for a more expansive study. Research must align with at least one of the FY26 VRP Focus Areas . The MCRA may not be used to support preclinical research or clinical trials . Distinctive Features: · Key personnel must include an established clinician or Ph.D. clinical scientist, who will serve as Principal Investigator (PI) and a clinician in training (e.g., a fellow, resident, junior clinician, clinician in a Ph.D. program), who will conduct the proposed research under mentorship of the PI, with support from supporting personnel as appropriate. · The clinician in training should have sufficient time remaining in their training program to complete the research proposed under the MCRA. · 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 MCRA, contribution to program portfolio, relative impact and relevance to military health. · Applicants must submit documentation of Institutional Review Board (IRB)/Ethics Committee (EC) approval or exemption by January 1, 2027 , in order for the MCRA application to be considered for funding. https://cdmrp.health.mil/pubs/press/2026/vrppreann