Overview of all opportunities

The McPherson ERI is pleased to present the following funding opportunities for our members and trainees.

These funding opportunities, which emphasize collaborative work and support of junior faculty and trainees, are designed to complement existing intramural and extramural grant programs, to explore new ideas, and to address unmet needs in vision research.

MEMBERS

Grant Accelerator Program (GAP) *New Opportunity!*
During the 2025-26 academic year, the McPherson ERI is offering up to six $50,000 awards to broadly support vision research, as well as one additional $50,000 AMD GAP award specifically designated for research in age-related macular degeneration (AMD). To be considered for this award, you must (i) be a McPherson member at UW-Madison and (ii) be faculty, permanent principal investigators, or have limited PI status (see complete eligibility criteria here). Application period usually opens in September, with a submission deadline around early December. Click here for more details.

Grant Summit Program (GSP)
Are you a McPherson ERI member at UW-Madison who has recently applied for a vision-related federal grant that was scored but not funded? If so, you may be eligible to receive up to $10,000 in funding for one year to help you further develop your grant application and gather additional data to support its resubmission. Applications for this award can be submitted at any time. Click here for more details and to apply.

Walsh Graduate Student Support Initiative (Annual)
Generously supported by the David G. Walsh Fellowship Endowment, this grant of $12,000 is awarded once per year to support a UW-Madison graduate student working in a MERI member’s lab. This funding may be used for tuition remission or other forms of graduate student support (see here for some conditions on award use). Application period opens in December or January, with a submission deadline around late February. Awardees will be notified in March and their funding will become available shortly thereafter. Click here for more details.

Visiting Scholar Awards (Annual)
These awards allow MERI members to bring a visiting scholar to their institution for 3-7 days, with the goal being to facilitate lasting collaborations and/or training in support of broad vision-related research (including bioengineering, technology development, imaging, data visualization, cognitive psychology and/or neuroscience, ophthalmology, and general biology of the eye). Up to four $3000 awards are given each winter. MERI members at Wisconsin institutions outside of UW-Madison are eligible to apply. This award opportunity opens in December each year, with applications due in late January or early February. Click here for more details and to apply.

Walsh Research Travel Awards (Bi-Annual)
These $1500 awards, supported by the David G. Walsh Research Fellowship Fund, provide support for MERI trainee members OR staff scientists to attend conferences in their field. A minimum of four awards are given to trainees annually (two in the fall and two in the spring) and at least two awards are allotted for staff scientists (one in the fall, one in the spring). The application period for the Fall awards typically begins in late August or early September, with a submission deadline in early October. The application period for the Spring awards typically begins in late December or early January, with a submission deadline in early February. Click here for more information.

StoryForm Science Communication Course
Using science communication methods based on storytelling and peer feedback, this 6-week summer course teaches you how to easily engage ANY audience so that they understand and remember your research. Each year, McPherson ERI will sponsor up to 6 people to take the course, with preference given to early applicants. You must be a MERI trainee members OR a staff scientist to apply. The application period for this opportunity typically opens in late Spring, with an application deadline in June. Click here for more details.

Special Interest Group (SIG) Lunch Opportunity
SIG lunches are informal, face-to-face events intended to promote focused discussion and bring together researchers across campus. More specifically, the purpose of these lunches is to give the lunch host (through their interaction with invitees) an opportunity to spur collaboration, gain feedback on a grant proposal or experiment, advance their expertise in one or more areas, or gain insight into methodologies and tools that will benefit their own research projects. The lunch host will propose a set of attendees, an on-campus location for the lunch, and what food will be ordered, and the McPherson ERI will cover the cost of the lunch. Applications for this award can be submitted at any time. Click here for more details and to apply.

TRAINEES

Walsh Research Travel Awards (Bi-Annual)
These $1500 awards, supported by the David G. Walsh Research Fellowship Fund, provide support for MERI trainees OR staff scientists to attend conferences in their field. A minimum of four awards are given to trainees annually (two in the fall and two in the spring) and at least two awards are allotted for staff scientists (one in the fall, one in the spring). The application period for the Fall awards typically begins in late August or early September, with a submission deadline in early October. The application period for the Spring awards typically begins in late December or early January, with a submission deadline in early February. Click here for more information.

Kenzi Valentyn Vision Research Awards (Annual)
In honor of a remarkable young woman whose family has been integral in research fundraising, each fall semester we offer multiple $7500 grants to advance vision research in McPherson ERI member labs, to augment professional development, and to provide grant writing experience to trainees. The application period for these awards opens each year in early September, with a submission deadline in the latter half of October. Click here for more information.

Distinguished Paper Awards (Annual)
Funded by our Cycle for Sight event, this award recognizes the outstanding work of our trainees and the breadth and depth of research conducted by MERI member laboratories. Each year the application period opens around September, with a deadline November. Click here for more details.

Hilldale Undergraduate/Faculty Research Fellowships
These fellowships provide research training and support to UW-Madison undergraduates, allowing them to undertake their own research projects in collaboration with UW–Madison faculty or research/instructional academic staff. Each year, the the call for fellowship applications goes in around December, with a deadline usually in the following February. This year, the McPherson ERI will sponsor FOUR undergraduate research projects in vision sciences, each of which will provide $3000 of support to the undergraduate and $1000 to the faculty mentor. Application period opens in December of 2024. More information is available here.

Shapiro Summer Intern Match (Annual)
This award, supported by the Dan and Ellie Albert Fund, provides matching funds (up to $2250) for medical student summer vision-related research. The deadline for students to apply is usually early March, with winners notified around mid-April. You can find more information on the Shapiro Summer Research Program here, and the application portal here.

StoryForm Science Communication Course
Using science communication methods based on storytelling and peer feedback, this 6-week summer course teaches you how to easily engage ANY audience so that they understand and remember your research. Each year, McPherson ERI will sponsor up to 6 people to take the course, with preference given to early applicants. You must be a MERI trainee members OR a staff scientist to apply. The application period for this opportunity typically opens in late Spring, with an application deadline in June. Click here for more details.

Special Interest Group (SIG) Lunch Opportunity
SIG lunches are informal, face-to-face events intended to promote focused discussion and bring together researchers across campus. More specifically, the purpose of these lunches is to give the lunch host (through their interaction with invitees) an opportunity to spur collaboration, gain feedback on a grant proposal or experiment, advance their expertise in one or more areas, or gain insight into methodologies and tools that will benefit their own research projects. The lunch host will propose a set of attendees, an on-campus location for the lunch, and what food will be ordered, and the McPherson ERI will cover the cost of the lunch. Applications for this award can be submitted at any time. Click here for more details and to apply.