Call for Proposals 2026 – Ophthalmology Research in LMICs
Event details
| Date | 01.10.2026 |
| Hour | › 23:59 |
| Category | Call for proposal |
Important for Interested Principal Investigators (PIs):
If you plan to submit a proposal for this call, you must submit the Expression of interest form to the Research Office by July 20 2026
Our institution coordinates submissions because the funder limits the number of applications per institution.
Thematic Focus: Institutional Research Capacity Strengthening (IRCS) Projects in low- and middle-income
countries (LMICs)
Strengthening the capacity of research departments in universities and research institutions to fund, manage and sustain themselves and their own research. These research capacities must be established/strengthened in a long-lasting manner, enabling them to be perpetuated independently after the end of the project
Who Can Apply
The general exclusion criteria and fundamental criteria for funding by Velux Stiftung apply. Please read carefully the criteria.
To be eligible the applicants should also demonstrate the following
Duration
Funding
Evaluation
Please refer to the funding criteria
Deadlines
More Information
If you plan to submit a proposal for this call, you must submit the Expression of interest form to the Research Office by July 20 2026
Our institution coordinates submissions because the funder limits the number of applications per institution.
countries (LMICs)
Strengthening the capacity of research departments in universities and research institutions to fund, manage and sustain themselves and their own research. These research capacities must be established/strengthened in a long-lasting manner, enabling them to be perpetuated independently after the end of the project
Who Can Apply
The general exclusion criteria and fundamental criteria for funding by Velux Stiftung apply. Please read carefully the criteria.
To be eligible the applicants should also demonstrate the following
- Every institution applying for funding must have all legal rights to receive international funding and should provide the relevant justification (e.g. Indian institutions must submit a copy of their current FCRA approval).
- All involved institutions must act not-for-profit and should provide a justification of their tax-exemption.
- Each organisation can submit a maximum of two applications per call (in the role of PI or co-PI). If this limit is exceeded, all applications from that institution will be excluded.
- Therefore, PIs must contact their institution’s Grants Office early to coordinate and confirm eligibility.
- Important:
EPFL has a centralized submission coordination process for this funding call to ensure compliance with eligibility limits and to avoid duplicate applications and also to emit the institutional letter needed for the submission.
If you are interested in submitting a proposal, you must submit the Expression of interest form to the Research Office by July 20 2026 - An applicant (as PI) can have a maximum of two running grants
- Applicants must ensure compliance with internal approval processes and provide necessary documentation
Duration
- Projects may last from 1 to 4 years.
- At least 50 % of the budget is used for the LMIC partner institution(s).
- At least 40 % of the budget is used for IRCS activities (including relevant salaries).
- General budget range: Up to max. USD 300’000 for projects of 1 to 4 years.
- Eligible budget categories include:
- Salaries (including university fees for students based in LMICs).
- Consumables (not more than 20% of the total amount, exceptions must be justified).
- Equipment.
- Knowledge transfer (travel, conference participation, workshop organization).
- Other costs related to research capacity building.
- Overhead is not Eligible
Please refer to the funding criteria
- Internal deadline to express interest: July 20 2026
- Submission deadline: 01 October 2026, 23:59 CEST
- Final decision: March 2027
- Submission portal: https://portal.veluxstiftung.deskone.ch/login
- Full call document: Ophthalmology Call for Proposal PDF
- Application Factsheet:
- Contact: [email protected]
Practical information
- General public
- Free