Project Funding (PRO RETINA Foundation for the Prevention of Blindness)

The project funding of the PRO RETINA Foundation for the Prevention of Blindness is aimed at educational institutions and public institutes in Germany that wish to advance innovative research approaches on retinal degenerations and related syndromes. As start-up, bridging, or completion funding, it supports projects in the fields of basic and clinical research. Both material costs and personnel costs are funded to bring research projects to application maturity with major funding bodies (e.g., DFG, EU, MPG) and thereby open up new therapeutic options. The allocation of funds is based on the expected benefit for those affected as well as the clinical and therapy-relevant significance of the projects.

Applications with a funding volume exceeding €6,000 must be submitted annually by February 15th electronically as a combined PDF, while funding requests under €6,000 can be submitted at any time. The application dossier may comprise a maximum of 15 DIN A4 pages in 10-point font and includes a binding application form, a detailed project description, as well as information on proof of use and interim reports. The evaluation is carried out by the Scientific Medical Advisory Board, which assesses, among other things, the benefit for those affected and the therapy relevance. After a positive decision, applicants commit to summarizing results in reports and, if necessary, presenting them at symposia or in the members’ magazine “Retina-Aktuell.” With this funding, the PRO RETINA Foundation makes an important contribution to accelerating groundbreaking research projects in the field of retinal degeneration.