Charity launches £2m research award
Ola Krzywańska, PhD student at the UCL Institute of Ophthalmology
Moorfields Eye Charity has launched a national funding award to boost the development of new eye health treatments.
The discovery and translation excellence scheme sees the charity become a national funder of eyecare research. It will support two to three high-impact projects with at least £2m, focused on UK-wide collaboration. The aim is to revolutionise the understanding of eye conditions and ensure innovative treatments and diagnostics reach patients faster.
The award is the first major initiative of the charity’s new grants strategy. A £50m commitment is designed to transform the outlook for people living with or at risk of eye disease.
Sight loss costs the UK economy £25.2bn a year – yet only 1.3% of the £2.56bn spent on health research is specifically invested in the eye, the charity stated on announcing the award.
Robert Dufton, chief executive of Moorfields Eye Charity, said: “Without increased investment, we risk a delay in fully leveraging technologies such as AI and failing those affected by sight loss. By boosting our research funding by two-thirds over the next five years, this new strategy provides a great boost to eye health research at a critical time.
“Supporting a national powerhouse of eye health innovation, we are proud to spark a new era of discovery and deliver life-changing treatments to patients much more quickly.”
The strategy will only fund projects that involve the sight loss community, along with prioritising those that address health inequalities.
The award is designed to support projects that materially advance understanding of a topic or bring forward either a novel therapeutic approach or diagnostic tool, with results expected by 2030. Funding per project will be £750k-£1m over three years.
Dr Peter Bloomfield, director of grants and research, commented: “This new award comes at a critical time. Right now, more than two million people across the country are living with sight loss – a number set to double over the next 30 years.
“Without discovery and translational research, the development of new therapeutics that we desperately need would grind to a halt. Similarly, it is essential to explore pathway design and implementation to enable the delivery of new treatments.”
The charity provides funding for research and innovation into all eye conditions, from rare to common, that affect any age group.
Dr Louise Wood, chair of both Moorfields Eye Charity and the Association of Medical Research Charities, added: “The power of partnerships and funding research that leaves nobody behind are key elements of this new strategy. Collaboration fuels innovation and breakthroughs and that’s why we want to see cross-disciplinary teams from across the UK working together to tackle eye health.
“By working in partnership with other medical research funders, partners, and through the support of our donors, we can increase the investment into eye health research that is urgently needed.”
The move will expand support to other leading UK-based eye health research institutions, while continuing to make funding available for Moorfields Eye Hospital and the UCL Institute of Ophthalmology.