NIH National Eye Institute

Funds vision and eye-health research through NIH National Eye Institute grants, centers, and small company opportunities.

The NIH National Eye Institute (NEI) is one of NIH's 27 institutes and centers and remains a standalone vision-research funder after the proposed FY2026 merger into a broader neuroscience institute was rejected. NEI supports basic, translational, and clinical work on sight and eye disease.

Its portfolio covers retina, cornea, lens and cataract, glaucoma, low vision and rehabilitation, amblyopia and strabismus, collaborative clinical research, training, research resources, and small business. NEI uses standard NIH mechanisms such as R01, R21, R03, P30, K and F awards, U-series cooperative agreements, and SBIR/STTR, with SBIR and STTR awards reaching about $1.97 million.

NEI also issues targeted opportunities, including the Audacious Goals Initiative for retinal regeneration, while participating in NIH-wide initiatives such as Blueprint, BRAIN, and high-risk high-reward programs. For applicants, the strongest fit is a vision or ophthalmology project that can match a defined institute priority and survive NIH peer review in device, imaging, and therapeutic work.