grants – Nystagmus Network

Call for research grant applicants

The Nystagmus Network is delighted to announce that we are again partnering with Fight for Sight this year to offer the Small Grant Award Scheme. The grants are available for clinical research addressing visual impairment associated with nystagmus, focusing on quality of life or causes (including genetic), diagnostic testing/analysis or treatments.

We are delighted to inform you that the scheme is now open for applications, with the deadline of 13:00 on Wednesday 13 September 2023.

This year we particularly welcome applications from Early Career Researchers.

Small Grant Awards are intended to support early career research, which should be used to collect preliminary/pilot data to make research ideas more competitive when developing larger follow-on funding applications. These awards offer competitive funding of up to £15,000 to clinical or research scientists to conduct stand-alone research projects for up to 12 months.
Please visit the Fight for Sight website for more details, including in depth guidance, and to access the online grant management system.
For any queries during the process, please email [email protected].

You can contact us if you require any additional information, and we look forward to working with you through the process.

Introducing Ian

Ian Springett joined the Nystagmus Network staff team in January 2021.

Following a career in public service, most recently as an ECLO (Eye Care Liaison Officer) and Complaints Officer with the NHS and before that serving as a Police Officer for 30 years, Ian has settled quickly into his new role with the charity as an Information Support Officer.

Ian’s first 3 months with the charity are funded by a grant from Pears Foundation and is part of Government’s £750m charities package, granted through Pears Foundation’s trusted, long-term Partners to ensure funding gets to frontline organisations and their communities.

The Nystagmus Network is grateful to Pears Foundation for their philanthropic support.

UK Nystagmus Research Meeting takes place

Researchers and clinicians representing nystagmus centres of excellence from Cardiff, London, Plymouth, Sheffield and Southampton gathered in Birmingham on Friday 28 September as guests of the Nystagmus Network ahead of the charity’s annual Open Day to plan the way ahead for collaborative nystagmus research.

Jon Erichsen and Matt Dunn from Cardiff University, Maria Theodorou from Moorfields Eye Hospital, Dominic Burdon from the University of Plymouth, Helen Griffiths and Anne Bjerre from the University of Sheffield and Jay Self and Helena Lee from the University of Southampton met to share outcomes of their recent and ongoing research in a spirit of openness and with a view to forging ahead with ever greater collaborations between the centres in the future.

Also at the meeting were Neil Meemaduma, Head of Research at Fight for Sight and Nystagmus Network trustees from the charity’s research team.

Each team went on to present to delegates at the Nystagmus Network Open Day the following day and chat with families in the Research Hub.

Fight for Sight and the Nystagmus Network were delighted to be able to announce the successful recipients of three new joint funding grants for nystagmus research at the meeting.