RPB Grant Cycles and GuidelineS Overview

RPB accepts grant applications twice a year, January 10 and July 1, for the grant categories stated below. Application forms must be requested by the chair of the department of ophthalmology or the department's grant coordinator. Departments of ophthalmology must have an RPB Unrestricted/Challenge (U/C) Grant in order to apply for individual grants, and only permanent, full-time department chairs are eligible to apply for any RPB grants. Chairs may nominate only one candidate per grant category per cycle.

Applications are evaluated via a three-tiered process. RPB Ad Hoc Committees, which are comprised of ophthalmology department chairs, conduct initial grant reviews and forward their recommendations to the standing RPB Scientific Advisory Panel for further evaluation. The Advisory Panel includes some of the nation's most distinguished scientists representing a broad range of scientific disciplines and interests. Their recommendations are presented to the RPB Board of Trustees for final approval.

New chairs should speak with RPB's President prior to the submission of an U/C application (contact Pattie Moran at pmoran@rpbusa.org to schedule the call). If a proposal for an Unrestricted or Challenge Grant is rejected, the chair must wait two years before reapplying, so RPB strongly encourages thorough preparation and planning before an application is submitted.

A chair may also submit an individual grant application when applying for departmental support, but if the department's U/C application is rejected, the individual grant application will be ineligible. Chairs who apply for departmental support should indicate which grant – Unrestricted or Challenge – the department seeks. However, RPB reserves the right to decide which grant will be given to the department, if any.

All RPB grants must be credited to a separate account and remain free of institutional overhead; grantees are responsible for year-end reporting and regular publicity updates. Once awarded, RPB support must be cited in every publication, all press releases and all media coverage of developments emanating from RPB grants.

Not all RPB grants are available throughout the year. Below is a timeline for applications:

*  If January 10 or July 1 falls on a weekend or a holiday, consider the following business day the deadline. Decisions on January submissions are made by mid-June; July submissions by mid-December. Deadlines are not flexible. Materials received after the deadline render the submission incomplete. Incomplete submissions are not forwarded to RPB's review committees and are automatically declined.

Grant Categories