Overview:

The McPherson ERI is offering one award of $10,000 to advance vision-related research in the following areas (listed in no particular order):

To be considered for this award, you must (i) be a McPherson ERI member at UW–Madison and (ii) be faculty OR a permanent principal investigator (see complete eligibility criteria here).

Winners can expect to receive their award approximately one month after the application deadline, and must use their award within 12 months of receipt. The proposed project must not be funded through any other internal or external grant mechanism up until the time that it is awarded. Award funds cannot be used for tuition remission or for meeting/conference attendance.

Eligibility Requirements:

To be eligible to receive an Expanding Our Vision (EOV) Award, you must…

• …be a McPherson ERI member at UW-Madison.

• …be faculty OR a permanent principal investigator.

• …be proposing a project that has not been (and will not be) funded through any other internal or external grant mechanism before the time your EOV Award is issued (thereafter, outside grant applications that utilize data obtained with EOV Award funds are highly encouraged).

• …agree to use the award within one year of the month that you received it. Funds remaining one year after issuance of the award will be retained by the Institute.

• …agree to present your EOV-supported research at a McPherson ERI-sponsored event (e.g., the monthly seminar series or the Fall poster session) within 1–2 years of receiving your award.

• …agree to acknowledge support from “UW–Madison McPherson Eye Research Institute Expanding Our Vision Award” on all publications that result from EOV funding.

Submission Guidelines:

To apply for an EOV Award you will need to…

1. Complete the fillable application form (which requires a brief lay abstract and budget statement) using single-spaced text, Arial font no smaller than 11 point, and page margins of 0.5 inches. The form must be signed by the principal investigator. For the budget statement, in a few sentences outline how you will use the funds—up to $10,000—to advance your project over the one-year award period. Use can include personnel salary, but not tuition remission. Other possible allocations include, but are not limited to, equipment, software packages, participant recruitment database, participant incentives/payment, standardized assessment tools, scanner time for imaging studies, etc. Travel can only be included if critical to conduct the research. Do not include travel to attend meetings or conferences.

2. Complete the provided compliance form, indicating use/non-use of human or animal subjects, human stem cells, and coverage under a biosafety protocol. (This form is included in the application form file.)

3. In a separate document, create the following using single-spaced text, Arial font no smaller than 11 point, and page margins of 0.5 inches:

A. A brief research proposal in language that a person outside your field could understand, including text and figures (latter not required). Your research proposal must not exceed TWO pages and should include the following sections:

• Background/Rationale

• Significance/Innovation

• Specific Aims

• Research Plan and Methods

• Anticipated Results

B. Up to ONE page of references cited, immediately following the research proposal, beginning on a separate page (no page limit)

4. Provide your NIH- or NSF-style biosketch.

5. Combine all of your files into a SINGLE PDF FILE in the order listed above.

NOTE: In your abstract and your research proposal, whenever possible use LAY LANGUAGE. Avoid using jargon, acronyms, and technical terms that assume common expertise. The review panel is comprised of researchers from several different scientific fields, including psychology, biology, pathology, veterinary medicine, computer science, biostatistics and medical informatics, engineering, ophthalmology and visual sciences, and many others. Referencing the research work you describe in your abstract, make it clear and understandable for readers who are not experts in your area, explaining how/why the work is important in a vision-related context. Your ability to make your work accessible and understandable by a general audience is a key factor in the judging process.

Proposals for this opportunity will be reviewed by the MERI Leadership Committee. Additional guidance may be sought from McPherson ERI Leadership Committee members or other UW–Madison researchers with relevant expertise. Review criteria include (1) the understandability of the lay abstract, (2) the significance of the proposal from an eye/vision research standpoint, (3) the inclusion of innovative concepts, tools, or methods, (4) the rigor of the experimental approach, and (4) the clarity/completeness of the proposal.

All materials should be submitted as a single pdf to Dr. Jonathan Lang (jonathanlang@wisc.edu). When submitting, format your email subject line as follows: EOV Award Application: [your last name], [your first name]