Moorfields Eye Charity is hosting a special matchmaking workshop to spark new research partnerships that accelerate the development of novel eye treatments and interventions.
The online event, taking place between 11am and midday Thursday 6 August, is designed to help the development of outstanding applications to the charity’s new Discovery and Translation Excellence Award. This national initiative was announced in early July and forms part of the charity’s new grants strategy.
The award will support two to three high-impact projects through a dedicated funding stream of at least £2 million. It is focused on catalysing UK-wide collaboration to revolutionise our understanding of eye conditions and ensure innovative treatments and diagnostics reach patients faster.
Dr Peter Bloomfield, director of grants and research at Moorfields Eye Charity, said: “The UK is home to world-leading researchers across many domains. To achieve the breakthroughs in eye health that are so urgently needed, we must harness the power of cross-disciplinary partnerships to drive innovation and bring forward new approaches.
“This workshop will include breakout sessions and is the perfect forum for researchers to network, ideate and form potential collaborations that could be supported through our new award. Attending this event could supercharge your work and potentially lead to projects that change the lives of those at risk of or living with sight loss.”
The Discovery and Translation Excellence Award is designed to support projects which materially advance understanding of a topic or bring forward either a novel therapeutic approach or diagnostic tool, with results expected by 2030. Expressions of interest for the new Discovery & Translation Excellence Award are now open.
The award sits within Moorfields Eye Charity’s new grants strategy which focuses on three impact areas - discovery science, translational innovation and clinical and healthcare environment. At its heart is a £50 million commitment of funding designed to transform the outlook for people living with or at risk of eye disease.
To attend the matchmaking event, researchers must submit a matchmaking form via Flexigrant indicating their area of expertise, research interests, the type of collaborators, skills, and contributions they are seeking. They will then be sent event details including a link to join.
