Summer and winter grants 2025: Supporting innovation across eye research 

These awards support researchers and clinicians at every stage of their careers. Together, they reflect the charity’s commitment towards driving progress across eye health and vision science, from early‑stage ideas to major research programmes.

Summer grants were awarded in July last year, and we are excited to see many of these projects underway. Winter grants were confirmed towards the end of 2025, and we look forward to following their progress.

Genetics and data driven research remain major areas of focus. Funded projects from the two most recent rounds include studies predicting glaucoma risk, exploring delivery methods for gene therapies and using artificial intelligence to detect eye disease from medical images.

A next generation computing platform will further accelerate discoveries by enabling researchers to analyse large and complex datasets more efficiently, supporting advances in genetics, disease modelling and treatment development.

Recent awards have strengthened the clinical and laboratory infrastructure that supports high quality care and scientific progress, including funding for ultra widefield retinal imaging technology integrated with high resolution scans that reveal the retina’s layers in detail.

This will enhance clinical diagnosis and monitoring by allowing clinicians to capture comprehensive retinal images in a single scan, supporting earlier intervention and more personalised treatment.

The charity has also invested in microscopy tools to study the anatomy of biological tissues – a field known as histology – supporting research into inherited eye diseases and the development of new therapies.

Dr Roni Maimon Mor – a research fellow at the UCL Institute of Ophthalmology – has received a £282,049 Career Development Award to investigate how the brains of people with eye diseases adapt to altered visual inputs and where neural bottlenecks limit the use of retinal signals.

As new ocular therapies offer fresh opportunities for sight restoration, understanding how the brain integrates recovered signals is crucial. This research will map these adaptations, assess their reversibility, and help patients make better use of remaining or restored vision, paving the way for innovative, brain-based rehabilitation strategies beyond current pharmacological options.

Professor Michel Michaelides – a consultant ophthalmic surgeon at Moorfields Eye Hospital and professor of ophthalmology at the UCL Institute of Ophthalmology – is using a £47,840 Innovation and Improvement Award to evaluate the long-term impact of gene therapy for AIPL1-associated retinal dystrophy.

Early-onset inherited retinal dystrophies, such as AIPL1-related Leber Congenital Amaurosis (LCA), are a major cause of severe visual impairment in infants and children. The grant will enable patients previously treated with the gene therapy to be assessed, generating important data that supports broader access to this life-changing therapy

Professor Virginia Calder – Professor of ocular immunology at the UCL Institute of Ophthalmology – is supervising a PhD Studentship valued at £124,477 to study the role of innate immunity in ocular gene therapy.

The project investigates why some of the eye’s natural defence mechanisms limit how effectively lentiviral gene therapy – which uses modified viruses to deliver therapeutic genes – can reach retinal cells. By understanding these barriers, the team aims to develop a strategy that temporarily adjusts these responses to improve how well treatments are delivered.

Dr Ana Alonso‑Carriazo Fernandez – a research fellow at the UCL Institute of Ophthalmology – is using a £146,914 Springboard Award to explore how to design a targeted delivery system that can guide gene editing tools into the layer of cells at the back of the eye that keeps vision working properly, using specially selected molecules that help the treatment reach the correct cells.

The aim is to develop an approach that could slow or prevent sight loss in certain inherited eye conditions and support future therapies.

Professor Anthony Khawaja – Professor of ophthalmology at the UCL Institute of Ophthalmology and honorary consultant ophthalmic surgeon at Moorfields Eye Hospital – is using a £184,543 Large Project Award to improve how glaucoma is detected and monitored by developing advanced prediction tools that combine genetic information with computer-based analysis of eye scans.

This helps identify people at risk much earlier and guide more personalised treatment. The work seeks to reduce avoidable sight loss and ensure fair access to care.

The UCL Institute of Ophthalmology is receiving an equipment award valued at £245,313 for a powerful new computing platform that can handle the large and complex datasets used in modern eye research, from high resolution scans to genetic information, enabling researchers to run advanced AI and data intensive analyses that are currently limited by insufficient computing capacity.

By providing fast, secure and shared access to this infrastructure, the platform will accelerate discoveries in disease detection, gene research and therapy development, strengthening the Institute’s ability to deliver new clinical innovations.

Alongside scientific research and clinical care, the charity supports opportunities that ensure patient and public perspectives remain central to eye and vision research.

Initiatives such as Eye‑YPAG – a young persons’ advisory group for eye and vision research – bring together young people with lived experience of eye conditions to share their insights, learn about research and influence projects in meaningful ways. Their involvement helps researchers design studies that better reflect the needs and priorities of patients and families.

One such award for £11,003 given to Dr Vijay Tailor‑Hamblin – an orthoptist and research fellow at Moorfields Eye Hospital – enabled Eye‑YPAG members to attend the International Children’s Advisory Network (iCAN) Summit in Montreal. This allowed young people with lived experience of vision loss to contribute their insights to global research discussions.

The charity’s funding helps new ideas progress into research, trials and translational medicine, sometimes positioning projects to secure major investment from funders such as the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR).

Between the award rounds we continue to provide financial support for other initiatives such as staff and patient welfare projects. We are encouraged by the level of impact these awards have, often utilising smaller budgets. Our conference grants for example offer up to £2,000, enabling awardees to disseminate their research and engage the wider ocular community in their work.