Each year, the RCOphth offers a generous number of scholarships, travel awards and clinical/research fellowships in partnership with other organisations. These cover a wide variety of areas, from specialist research, to help with funding electives for undergraduates.
An award grant is a great way to enhance continued professional development and contribute to research, service development and audit for the benefit of eye care services in the UK. 2023 Travel and Research Awards will be coming soon. Please watch out for announcements in EyeMail and on College social media platforms. Direct any travel Awards & Scholarship enquiries to [email protected].
We ask all our reward recipients to submit a written report within three months of completing their fellowship/research, using this report format guidance. The report is circulated to the RCOphth Education Committee and the awarding body.
Each award will be offered to ophthalmologists who are members of The Royal College of Ophthalmologists, to gain experience and undertake ophthalmic and vision research. The award offers £25,000, jointly supported by Fight for Sight and the RCOphth. The award is tenable for one year. Successful applicants are expected to gain experience of and exposure to a research environment in order to increase their skills and knowledgebase.
These are prestigious awards, made on a fully competitive and peer reviewed basis. The call follows a two-stage application process.
The Royal College of Ophthalmologists and Fight for Sight: The Zakarian Awards 2022.
The RCOphth Zakarian Awards are designed to support three categories of researchers:
- Ophthalmology trainees not in the IATS or other research training posts seeking to undertake research. Support can be sought for consumables, equipment and open access dissemination and for salary support to buy ‘time out’ from a training programme to undertake research
- Consultants or SAS ophthalmologists holding NHS substantive contracts and without dedicated research time (PAs in job plan). Those holding academic posts/contracts are ineligible. Support can be sought for buying out time in the job plan for research, or for consumables or equipment to establish a research project.
- Academic Clinical Fellow (NIHR IATS ACF) Ophthalmology trainees seeking to prepare preliminary/pilot data to develop their proposed PhD projects and/or doctoral research training funding applications. Support can be sought for consumables, equipment and open-access dissemination.
We are especially keen to support those without any or very limited prior research experience and/or those not in academic posts in order to help them get started in research, in keeping with the ‘Research For All’ agenda.
Successful applicants are expected to gain experience of and exposure to a research environment in order to increase their skills and knowledge base.
These are prestigious awards, made on a fully competitive and peer-reviewed basis. The call follows a two-stage application process.
Applications must be made and submitted by the intended recipient of the award. It is expected that applications will be submitted in close collaboration with a research Mentor, to maximise the likelihood of successful completion of the research.
Shortlisted applicants will be invited to interview to discuss their application with the award panel.
Remit
Applicants are invited to undertake medical research in any area or ophthalmology and vision sciences that aims to;
· Increase our understanding of how eye diseases and conditions start and develop
· Prevent eye diseases and conditions occurring
· Enable eye diseases and conditions to be detected earlier
· Develop new and improved treatments for eye diseases and conditions
· Enable clinicians to better support their patients with established eye conditions
· Inform the development of health and other policy in the area of ophthalmology or sight impairment
The applicant is expected to publish the data gathered during the course of the award and use the experience to strengthen future further research.
Eligibility
· Applicants must be affiliated with UK academic or medical institutions
· Applicants must be a member of the Royal College of Ophthalmologists
· Mentors must have a contract which extends beyond the end date of the award
· Animal research – please see information https://www.fightforsight.org.uk/apply-for-funding/animals-in-research/
The 2023 awards will be announced soon; please watch out for announcements on the Fight for Sight and RCOphth websites for updates.
Open Awards
The Ulverscroft David Owen Award
The Ulverscroft Foundation gives financial help to Universities which carry out research into the causes of eye diseases; funds eye clinics, hospitals, schools, libraries and other organisations which help visually impaired people.
Since 2007 it has supported the Ulverscroft Vision Research Group (UVRG) at the Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health UCL, funding PhD studentships, clinical research training fellowships and academic posts in key disciplines including ophthalmic statistics, to build a hub for academic paediatric ophthalmology and visual sciences.
In memory of David Owen who chaired the Foundation during this period and shaped its relationship with the UVRG, the Foundation is offering in partnership with The Royal College of Ophthalmologists, an annual prize of £500 in recognition of high-quality research in paediatric ophthalmology and visual sciences to promote academic paediatric ophthalmology. The award recognises the team undertaking the research and is accepted on the team’s behalf by the first author.
The winner of the Ulverscroft David Owen Awards 2023 will be announced by The Royal College of Ophthalmologists soon!
Previous recipients
- Applications open: 17 October 2022
- Applications close: 6 January 2023
- Announcement of winner: 4 February 2023
- Award made at Congress 2023 Awards Ceremony in Birmingham
Patrick Trevor-Roper Undergraduate Travel Award 2023
The 2023 Patrick Trevor Roper Travel Award has not yet opened.
At this moment it is still unconfirmed what the College’s plans for this year’s award are.
However, if and when it does open, this will be publicised via the usual College social media platforms and Comms, as well as here on the College website.
