RPB international research collaborators award

The RPB International Research Collaborators Award promotes international collaborations through which collaborating researchers in the U.S. and outside the U.S. gain new knowledge and skills.  These international collaborations have the potential to accelerate the development of treatments for blinding disorders, positively affecting large populations worldwide for years to come. 

Under a reciprocal arrangement, a U.S.-based researcher  -- MD, PhD, MD/PhD or equivalent doctoral degree  -- with a primary appointment as an Assistant Professor through full Professor in any department from any institution of higher education in the U.S.  -- will be funded to go for a period of time to an institution outside the U.S. to gain new knowledge and/or skills, and deepen collaborative relationships with researchers there that will be conducive to future research collaborations.  In turn, the institution outside the U.S. will send a researcher for a period of time to the U.S. institution from which the U.S. researcher came.  An extended stay in the other country is expected by each researcher or a member of each researcher's lab.  A fair amount of flexibility in how this expectation can be implemented will be allowed. 

The collaboration should provide a synergistic benefit to each researcher and to the culminating project.  The submission must spell out specific and cogent objectives to be accomplished by each of the collaborating researchers toward the fulfillment of two broad goals:  (1) gaining new knowledge and skills; and (2) strengthening collaborations across international boundaries.  Successful candidates will leverage the unique expertise of each researcher, whereby their collaboration creates a work product that is more than the sum of its parts.  An award of up to $75,000 is available.  Matching funds are not required, however, a match is encouraged by the department and/or the institution outside the U.S.   This award is available to researchers from any institution of higher education in the U.S.  Only one nomination per department per school will be considered in this grant category.

The spring cycle application deadline for the International Research Collaborators Award is January 10, with nomination forms due no later than December 15. The fall cycle application deadline is July 1, with nomination forms due no later than June 15.   Applications received without a prior nomination form will not be accepted.  (If the nomination or application deadline falls on a weekend or holiday, please consider the deadline to be the following business day.)

The nomination and application forms as well as the guidelines and instructions for this award are available below.

RPB International Research Collaborators Award Nomination Form

RPB International Research Collaborators Award Application Form

RPB International Research Collaborators Award Guidelines / Instructions