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Apply for Eye on the Cure 2023

This competition will inspire Canadians and raise funds and awareness for vision research. Up to 5 regional early career vision researchers or teams will be selected from across Canada as finalists to compete head-to-head for awards to support their research. A single finalist may win both of the top two awards. All finalists who do not win one of the top two awards will receive a $10,000 Inspiration award.  Winners will be chosen by a panel of judges, an academy of jurors and the voting public. Think Dragon’s Den meets TedTalk!

Academy Choice Award
$25,000

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People's Choice Award
$15,000

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Inspiration Award(s)
$10,000

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Eligibility Criteria

This year the competition is geared to early career vision researchers and trainees who are studying blinding eye diseases. Applications that are relevant to inherited retinal diseases or age-related macular degeneration are strongly encouraged. You can apply as an individual or as part of a team of two. Both members of the team must meet the eligibility criteria below. One member of the team must act as the principal applicant and will be the main point of contact.
 

Applicants must be living and working in Canada. To be eligible you must meet at least one of the following criteria. You are:

  • A PhD student or Postdoctoral fellow or/

  • Enrolled in a clinical doctoral degree (OD, MD etc.), residency or fellowship program or/

  • An early-stage investigator, having held an academic position for less than 3 years 

 

Applicant(s) who do not hold independent research positions and/or are not able to hold funds must identify a mentor who will supervise the project and be responsible for any funds awarded.

Review Criteria

The goal of this competition is to raise funds for and awareness of vision research and inspire Canadians. This year, we are looking for finalists to represent each of the five regions listed below. If there is no suitable candidate from a specific region, FBC may choose to select less than 5 finalists or select two representatives from a single region.

In addition to regional representation, finalists will be chosen based on several factors, including but not limited to their effectiveness as an ambassador for vision research and their disease/research area to create an event that is diverse and engaging.
 

Regions:

  • Western Canada (British Columbia, Alberta, Yukon and Northwest Territories)

  • Central Canada (Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Nunavut)

  • Ontario

  • Quebec

  • Eastern Canada (New Brunswick, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island)
     

If your team is composed of individuals who work in different regions you are still encouraged to apply and FBC will evaluate your application for both eligible regions.

Application Process

There are multiple stages to this competition. In the first stage, candidates are asked to submit an application (written and video components) by September 7, 2023, 5 p.m. EST. Up to five finalists will be selected to move on to the second stage where they will present their work in person during a recorded event in Toronto in mid-October (October 15, tentative) as well as participating in a Zoom call in front of our academy of judges (November 7, tentative). More details about each stage are found below.
 

If you have any questions, please contact Dr. Larissa Moniz, Director, Research and Mission Programs at research@fightingblindness.ca.

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