Call for Research Proposals

Eye Care Research Award:

The Regulation of Optometry and Access to Eye Care

Application Deadline: August 31, 2023

Continuing from a successful first year in 2022, the College of Optometrists of Ontario is pleased to announce its second research award, this time focused on the regulation of optometry and access to eye care.

The College is interested in funding Canadian projects that fit into either category—the regulation of optometry or access to eye care—and that touch on areas such as public policy, regulatory structures, patient engagement, outreach programs, and more. The goal is to advance research that enhances the work that the College and its registrants do to protect the public. 

The award is open to Canadian investigators with project budgets of up to $40,000 a year for up to 3 years.

All submissions are peer-reviewed by panels formed by the College’s Research Steering Group, which oversees all College research funding programs. Panelists adhere to principals of confidentiality, conflict of interest, fairness, and transparency, and utilize a Reviewer Guide to score each proposal.

Though the College recognizes the importance of clinical research, please note that projects that are strictly clinical are outside the scope of the award and will not be considered.

The application form is available for download here:

If you have any questions about the award, the appropriateness of your project, or the application process, you can email Chad Andrews, the College’s Director of Research and Policy.