Science and Technology Awards

Funding Agency:
CooperVision

CooperVision is dedicated to raising the bar on product excellence and creating the next generation of contact lenses. To accomplish this, we maintain a strong commitment to advanced research and development.

The goal of the Science and Technology Award Program is to bring award recipients and CooperVision scientists together to explore new areas of technology advancement. Proposals should demonstrate significant potential for research discoveries within CooperVision key focus areas for 2021. We recognize and highly value the need to find the best ideas that have the potential to deliver benefits to people across the globe.

Research proposals may span proof-of-concept through translational stages. For this purpose, two types of awards are offered:

CooperVision Seedling Award
The CooperVision Seedling Award is intended to incentivize collaborations with CooperVision in a new research area for a one-year period. The maximum total cash amount for a CooperVision seedling is $100,000.

CooperVision Translational Research Award
The CooperVision Translational Research Award is a multi-year award for a substantive translational research project with funding over two years, totaling up to $400,000.

Deadline for Letter of Intent: June 25, 2021

Agency Website

https://coopervision.com/our-company/science-and-technology-awards

Areas of Interest

The key focus areas for 2021 are:

  • New Technologies for Prediction, Prevention, and Treatment of Myopia, including:

    • Understanding the Impact of Environmental Factors and the COVID-19 Pandemic on Myopia Progression
    • Novel Monitoring and Tracking Methods
  • Sustainable Materials and Technologies for Storage and Transport of Contact Lenses and Contact Lens Care Solutions
  • Contact Lens Technologies aimed at Protecting the Eye from Common Ocular Conditions (Age-related Changes, Dry Eye, Digital Eye Fatigue, and Environmental Insults), with emphasis on:
    • Beneficial Ocular Health Compounds for Delivery to the Ocular Surface
    • Controlled Release Technologies to Improve Ocular Moisture Retention / Eye Health
    • Wavelength-blocking/Color Additive Technologies
    • Understanding Scleral Lens Benefits for Dry Eye and Allergies
    • Other Medical Applications of Contact Lenses
  • Technologies to Elevate Visual Performance with Contact Lenses, with emphasis on:
    • Enhanced Night Vision
    • Technologies to Improve the Optical Quality of the Tear Film
    • Technologies to Increase Contrast and/or Reduce Light Scatter

Eligibility Requirements

Any researcher with Principal Investigator (PI) status holding a MD, OD, or PhD is eligible to apply. Applicants, such as postdoctoral fellows, with a waiver of PI status must submit appropriate documentation before funding can be received.

Amount

$400,000

Funding Type

Award
Grant

Eligibility

Faculty
Junior Faculty
Medical Fellow/Resident
Post Doctoral Fellows

Category

Medical
Medical - Basic Science
Medical - Clinical Science
Medical - Translational

External Deadline

June 25, 2021