§ Federal grant opportunity · HT942526VRPIIRA
DoW Vision, Investigator-Initiated Research Award
Defense Health Agency Contracting Activity - DHACA is accepting applications for DoW Vision, Investigator-Initiated Research Award. The deadline is November 12, 2026 and the published award range is Award amount not published.
Key facts
- Funder
- Defense Health Agency Contracting Activity - DHACA
- Application deadline
- November 12, 2026
- Award range
- Award amount not published
- Eligibility
- Eligibility criteria are published in the funding opportunity announcement.
- Geography
- United States
- Focus areas
- Research
- Opportunity number
- HT942526VRPIIRA
Program overview
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 Institute (NEI) for independent funding consideration. https://cdmrp.health.mil/pubs/press/2026/vrppreann
How to apply
- Confirm your organization meets the eligibility criteria above.
- Read the full funding opportunity announcement from Defense Health Agency Contracting Activity - DHACA.
- Draft your narrative against the funder's stated priorities and review criteria.
- Submit before November 12, 2026, allowing time for registration and validation.
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