Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA EY 24 003
The NEI Research for Low Vision and Blindness Accessibility Tools funding opportunity (RFA-EY-24-003) is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant program aimed at speeding up practical, real-world technology solutions that improve accessibility for people living with visual impairment. The focus is on translational work, meaning applicants should be moving beyond basic research and toward building, refining, and implementing an actual tool, device, software product, or intervention that addresses day-to-day barriers experienced by people with low vision or blindness. Projects are expected to push innovation in accessibility, using new or emerging technologies in ways that result in resources that can ultimately be made available to the broader community.
A central expectation of this program is that applications be milestone-driven and structured around a clear, testable development plan. Reviewers will be looking for specific milestones that show how the proposed accessibility solution will be designed, built, and evaluated, with measurable criteria for success at each stage. The program also places strong emphasis on multidisciplinary and collaborative teams. In practice, this means proposals should bring together the mix of expertise needed to take a concept to a usable, validated solution, such as vision science, rehabilitation, engineering, human-computer interaction, clinical care, implementation science, and user-centered design. Importantly, teams are expected to include individuals with lived experience of visual impairment, reflecting an expectation that the solution is grounded in the needs, preferences, and realities of the people who will use it.
The award uses the NIH R61/R33 phased innovation mechanism (clinical trial optional), which is designed to support a project from early development through stronger evidence-building. The R61 phase supports initial technology development and feasibility activities, such as prototyping, early usability testing, feasibility assessments, and establishing whether the approach is practical and promising. Successful completion of the R61 milestones can allow transition to the R33 phase, which provides expanded support for validation and more rigorous or larger-scale studies. The R33 phase may include larger feasibility studies and effectiveness testing, depending on what is appropriate for the technology and the intended use setting. A key rule is that applicants must propose both phases in a single application, with a coherent plan showing how R61 work de-risks and enables the R33 activities.
Another major feature is the expectation of a realistic dissemination plan. Applicants should explain how the resulting tool or intervention will reach people who need it and how it will be made available to the community. In this context, dissemination can include strategies such as partnerships with clinics or rehabilitation programs, distribution through community organizations, integration into existing accessibility ecosystems, open or community-accessible resource models where appropriate, training materials, and pathways for implementation in real settings. The point is not just to invent something novel, but to anticipate adoption, accessibility, and sustained use outside the research environment.
Eligibility is broad and includes many types of U.S.-based organizations and governmental entities, such as state, county, city, or township governments; special district governments; independent school districts; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; federally recognized Native American tribal governments; tribal organizations (including those other than federally recognized tribal governments); public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status (other than institutions of higher education); for-profit organizations (other than small businesses); small businesses; and other eligible organizations. The announcement explicitly highlights additional eligible applicants such as Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, AANAPISI institutions, Hispanic-serving institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities, eligible federal agencies, faith-based or community-based organizations, regional organizations, and U.S. territories or possessions. Foreign (non-U.S.) entities are not eligible to apply, and non-U.S. components of U.S. organizations are not eligible to apply, but foreign components as defined by the NIH Grants Policy Statement are allowed, which typically means limited, well-justified portions of the work may be conducted abroad under NIH rules.
Administratively, this is a discretionary NIH grant in the health category (CFDA 93.867) administered under the National Institutes of Health, with an original application due date listed as 2024-08-13 and a creation date of 2024-05-16. The NOFO does not provide an award ceiling or expected award count in the provided text, so applicants would need to consult the full announcement for budget expectations, project period details, and any institute-specific requirements. Overall, the program is designed to fund ambitious but actionable accessibility innovations for low vision and blindness, backed by strong milestones, meaningful involvement of end users, and a practical path to real-world availability.Apply for RFA EY 24 003
- The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "NEI Research for Low Vision and Blindness Accessibility Tools (R61/R33 Clinical Trial Optional)" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.867.
- This funding opportunity was created on 2024-05-16.
- Applicants must submit their applications by 2024-08-13. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Independent school districts, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments), Nonprofits having a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Nonprofits that do not have a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education, For-profit organizations other than small businesses, Small businesses, Others.
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