Travel grant funding to early-career clinician scientists to attend the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology Annual Meeting (2025-2029).

Association For Res In Vision & Ophthal, Rockville MD

Investigators

Abstract

Summary This year, the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) held its 96th annual meeting with 10,232 attendees from 61 different countries (384 of which were supported by travel awards). In addition to keynote and award lectures, travel awardees had the opportunity to see 872 paper and 5,755 poster presentations. Attendance to ARVO was enabled by the ARVO travel grant program, which has been and continues to be essential to the success and growth of ARVO and the vision science community worldwide. Since 1974, the National Eye Institute (NEI) has supported ARVO’s travel grant program, providing awards to more than 3,000 early career investigators. ARVO has successfully leveraged the generous, and continuous NEI support to convince other funders to join its travel grant program. A goal of ARVO’s travel grant program awards is to provide funding to the best and brightest early-career investigators to attend the ARVO annual meeting, including those that might not otherwise be able to attend. The awards are given to those young scientists who demonstrate the highest potential for future research success based on the ranking of their application and research as assessed by members of the ARVO Annual Meeting Program Committee. This proposal seeks to continue the ARVO/NEI partnership for five more years of support, sending 72 early career investigators per year to attend ARVO’s annual meeting. To foster their professional development, a central goal of ARVO is to bring as many young investigators to the annual meeting as possible to interact with researchers from around the world in a scientifically stimulating environment. To support this important goal, the specific aims of this proposal are: 1. To provide a unique ARVO experience and facilitate the growth and integration of 72 young investigators into the vision research community by providing travel awards. 2. To provide a forum for the dissemination of the most recent advances in vision research. 3. To create an environment that will facilitate the exchange of novel ideas among basic, clinician scientists and representatives from industry and government that will generate opportunities for vision scientists from all over the world to meet and develop their scientific network and establish research collaborations. In addition to the vast quantity of science and networking opportunities, ARVO also provides a number of targeted services specifically for trainees that include access to the Members-in-Training lounge, social activities, professional development workshops and job opportunities. Taken together, a travel grant to ARVO provides tremendous educational and developmental value to early career vision scientists.