Federal Vision Research Funding
The Academy continues to push for robust funding for vision research provided by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the National Eye Institute (NEI), and the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD). Through the National Alliance for Eye and Vision Research (NAEVR), of which the Academy is a founding member, we work with members of Congress to secure federal research funding that can help uncover new treatments for eye disease and injuries.
For Fiscal Year (FY) 2020, the Academy advocated for funding of at least $41.6 billion for the NIH and $850 million for the NEI. Congress passed FY2020 appropriations that included $41.68 billion for NIH, an increase of 6.7% over the FY2019 level. It also included $824.1 million for NEI, an increase of 3.5% over the FY2019 level. Congress also funded the DOD’s Vision Research Program (VRP) at $20 million, which aligned with the Academy’s advocacy goal of maintaining VRP funding at the FY2019 funding level. The VRP is the only dedicated funding source for extramural research into deployment-related vision trauma.
For FY2021, the Academy is urging Congress to increase NIH funding to $44.7 billion and NEI funding of $875 million. The Academy is urging support of the DOD VRP at $30 million. Congress has yet to finalize appropriations for FY2021.