The Macula Society Research Grant (MSRG) Program


The purpose of the MSRG program is to provide funding for clinically relevant research in macular or retinal vascular diseases. Pilot projects with the potential to obtain additional external funding and projects coordinating the efforts of the general membership are preferred. Projects that already receive or are expected to receive $50,000 or more from other sources are not eligible for the Macula Society Research Grant Program. Members who received a research grant in the past three years are not eligible.

The funding of a proposal is determined by the Research Committee depending on several criteria: (i) the project design, (ii) the project feasibility, (iii) the project significance. Each proposal's evaluation is then be presented to the Executive Committee and distribution of the final funding determined.

The Macula Society is pleased to announce that we will be able to fund SIX (6) proposals in 2025 from the following partnerships:

The Mills and Margaret Cox Macula Society Research Project sponsored by the Retina Research Foundation
We have one grant this year available to support research endeavors of the members of the Macula Society. Retina Research Foundation generously supports one grant of $30k. 

Macula Society/International Retinal Research Foundation Award (Inaugural Year)
We are awarding FOUR (4) $35,000 Research Grants through funds matched between The Macula Society and the International Retinal Research Foundation.

The Jack McGovern Coats' Disease Foundation and Macula Society Partnership Research Grant
The Jack McGovern Goat's Disease Foundation and Macula Society Research Grant (JMCDF/MSRG) Partnership Grant supports medical research specific to Coats’ Disease and other retinal diseases which may lead to a cure or improve treatments and understanding of the pathophysiology for Coats’ Disease.  The Foundation encourages research and, when applicable, collaboration among researchers working in the area of Coats’ Disease. Once the Macula Society SAB reviews JMCDF grants, they will also be reviewed by the JMCDF SAB before awarding. The grant is $35,000 and dispensed in two installments - 50% up front and 50% after a mid-point review. PLEASE NOTE: The full list of JMCDF research grant guidelines can be found here: https://coatsdiseasefoundation.org/research/apply-for-a-grant/. The JMCDF has guidelines that may differ from our general guidelines. If you have questions, please contact Deborah Marron at deborahmarron@curecoats.org

Members are encouraged to submit one grant proposal ONLY (for the sole Mills and Margaret Cox Macula Society Research Project, the 4 grants available through the IRRF partnership, and the Jack McGovern Coats' Disease Foundation) and the committee will then decide the most appropriate fit.

Click Here To See Prior Year Research Grant Award Winners

Research Grant Overview

  1. Retina Research Foundation generously supports one grant of $30k, the RRF Mills and Margaret Cox Macula Society Research Project.
  2. We have four grants of $35k available this year through funds matched between The Macula Society and the International Research Foundation and one grant of $35K in conjunction with the Jack McGovern Coats’ Disease Foundation.
  3. The funding of a proposal will be determined by the Research Committee depending on several criteria based upon(i) the project design (ii) the project feasibility (iii) the project significance. The ranking will then be presented to the Executive Committee and distribution of the final funding determined. 
  4. The due date for applications will be September 6, 2024, at 11:59PM EST on the Macula Society web site. These should be submitted online to allow easy transmittal to the various research committee members. The Macula Society Office will disseminate the received applications to Committee members who will evaluate and rank them and make recommendations to the Chair for funding. These summaries will then be returned both to the Chair and Society secretary who will tally numerical scores from which the final recommendations will be made. The funds will be released and the winner will be announced at the time of the 2024 Annual Meeting. 
  5. No member of the Executive Committee or Research Committee may apply for this award during their time of service. 
  6. Due to monetary restrictions, past Retina Research Foundation Award recipients are ineligible for this award. Click here for past recipients of a Retina Research Foundation grant who are ineligible to apply for the MSRG, or you may review the list on the Research Foundation site, http://retinaresearchfnd.org/research-programs/awardhistory/ 

 Funding Guidelines: 

  1. The proposed research must have the potential of increasing the understanding of macular or retinal diseases. For proposals submitted for the Jack McGovern Coats’ Disease Foundation, emphasis on Coats’ disease is prioritized. Grant proposals facilitating collaboration among the Macula Society members to study a particular disease are encouraged as well. Research receiving partial funding from sources additional to this MSRG award is also eligible, as the Macula Society believes that their support may encourage others to fund research. Once the Macula Society SAB reviews JMCDF grants, they will also be reviewed by the JMCDF SAB before awarding.
  2. Funds are to be applied to equipment, supplies, and non-physician salary support. 
  3. Research must conform to accepted standards of conduct (e.g., ARVO Guidelines for Use of Animals in Research), and is to receive institutional approval by the appropriate review committees (e.g., Animal Care Committee, Human Research Review Committee, etc.). 
  4. The duration of the research project must not exceed 18 months. Research monies not disbursed during this time will be returned to the Macula Society. 
  5. The firm deadline for receipt of an application is listed above. All applications must be submitted online through the Macula Society web site, www.maculasociety.org. 
  6. Members of the Grant Application Review Committee consist of the Macula Society Research and Education Committee, who, as members, are ineligible for consideration of these awards. Members of the Executive Committee are also ineligible for consideration. 
  7. Award recipients must acknowledge the support of the Macula Society Research Award Grant Program on all papers, presentations, and abstracts regarding the supported research. 
  8. Each recipient must present their research project to the Macula Society within two years of receiving an award. The presentation will be given in a specially designated section of the Annual Meeting of the Macula Society. 
  9. An audit of funds may be requested by the Macula Society at the completion of the project. 
  10. General guidance for grant preparation: The committee prioritizes proposals that are not a part of or duplication of already funded research. Prioritized proposals include such as new pilot studies to enable future larger grants. The proposal should succinctly describe the problem, the gap in knowledge and how the specific proposal wishes to address the gap. Therefore, the committee recommends limited discussion and background be presented in order to provide more space to discuss the design and plan for research. The introduction might be a short paragraph describing the previous knowledge and literature. Proposals need to be feasible -- to be completed within the time frame of the study (12-18 months). The applicant should describe the roles of each study team member for the research proposed. (This can be an additional page with the research proposal). CVs of PIs should include training, academic credentials, relevant papers and grant funding.
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Officers (2023-2024)
President:
SriniVas R. Sadda, MD
Executive Secretary and Founder:
Lawrence J. Singerman, MD
President-Elect:
Julia A. Haller, MD
Secretary:
Judy E. Kim, MD Treasurer: Richard F. Spaide, MD
Committee Chairs
Awards:
Glenn J. Jaffe, MD
By-Laws:
Anita Agarwal, MD
Credentials:
Lloyd P. Aiello, MD, PhD
Endowment Committee: 
Paul Sternberg, Jr., MD Meeting Planning:
Shlomit Schaal, MD, PhD, MHCM
Nominating:
Ivana K. Kim, MD
Program:
David Sarraf, MD
Research:
Amani Fawzi, MD
Website:
Dilraj S. Grewal, MD
International Membership:
Gemmy Cheung, MD
Young Member Representative:
Katherine E. Talcott, MD
AAO Representative:
Sunir J. Garg, MD, FACS
Past Presidents
Arnall Patz, MD
J. Donald M. Gass, MD
Morton F. Goldberg, MD
Robert C. Watzke, MD
Stephen J. Ryan, MD
John G. Clarkson, MD
David H. Orth, MD
Alexander J. Brucker, MD
Lee M. Jampol, MD
Thomas M. Aaberg, MD
Travis A. Meredith, MD
Kurt A. Gitter, MD
William F. Mieler, MD
Daniel Finkelstein, MD
Lawrence A. Yannuzzi, MD
Evangelos S. Gragoudas, MD
Jerry A. Shields, MD
Michael L. Klein, MD
Emily Y. Chew, MD
Mark S. Blumenkranz, MD
Neil M. Bressler, MD
Paul Sternberg, Jr., MD
M. Gilbert Grand, MD
Andrew P. Schachat, MD
James C. Folk, MD
H. Richard McDonald, MD
Joan W. Miller, MD
Carol L. Shields, MD
Mark W. Johnson, MD
Glenn J. Jaffe, MD
Immediate Past President
Daniel F. Martin, MD

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