The Florida Department of Health Biomedical Research Advisory Council is accepting applications for the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute VisionGen Initiative, Fiscal Year 2026-2027. The initiative supports peer-reviewed genetic and epigenetic research on inherited eye diseases and ocular cancer.
Deadline: October 28, 2026 by Noon ET. Emailed questions are due September 30, 2026 by 5:00 PM ET to Research@flhealth.gov, with Q&A anticipated October 2, 2026. Applicants must monitor the Department’s funding opportunity page for schedule changes and announcements.
Funding: Maximum awards depend on the selected grant category and include direct and indirect costs: Clinical Trials/Socio-Behavioral Interventions up to $1,500,000 for 48 months; High-Risk, High-Reward Clinical Research up to $750,000 for 48 months; Discovery Science up to $600,000 for 36 months; Emerging Therapeutics and Technologies up to $600,000 for 36 months; High-Risk, High-Reward Discovery Science up to $300,000 for 36 months; New Investigator Research up to $300,000 for 36 months; Non-typical Clinical Trials/Socio-Behavioral Research up to $250,000 for 36 months; Research Infrastructure up to $1,500,000 for 36 months; Equipment up to $100,000 for 12 months; and Bridge grants up to $100,000 for 6 months. The FOA does not state a single total program funding amount, and all awards remain subject to available funds and Florida legislative spending authority.
Eligibility: Applications may be submitted by Florida-based universities or established research institutes that satisfy all FOA requirements. Grant-funded activities, work, and funds generally must remain in Florida. The Department may allow an essential out-of-state service when it is unavailable in Florida and represents less than 10% of the total award. Each project must identify one eligible principal investigator who is an employee of the applicant and meets the institution’s PI criteria and the FOA’s citizenship or permanent-residency requirements.
Research focus: Every project must demonstrate a close relationship to inherited eye diseases or ocular cancer. Priorities include reducing morbidity and mortality, improving screening accuracy and detection, addressing resistance to front-line treatment, and studying relationships involving obesity, treatment responsiveness, and treatment-related morbidity. The FOA also includes emerging therapeutics and technologies, digital-health approaches within eligible non-typical clinical research, research infrastructure, equipment, and technology-transfer feasibility.
Allowable technology and equipment: The FOA permits justified equipment essential to the research objectives, including advanced imaging or diagnostic equipment and significant upgrades. Supplies, laboratory services, patient-care costs, consultants, and contractual or consortium costs may also be allowable when compliant with the FOA. Subcontracts must appear in Department-approved budget forms, are subject to pre-approval, and must be justified in the budget narrative.
Match: Atlas identified no mandatory match or cost-share requirement in the controlling FOA.
Submission: Applications are submitted through the Department’s online biomedical research application system. Applicants must use the required online forms and templates, include the work plan with project milestones, follow the prescribed document format, and upload required documents in PDF format where directed. Required application components include project information, scientific and public abstracts, health-impact and disease-relevance responses, investigator and collaborator information, biosketches, specific aims and research-plan materials, budget forms, and other category-specific or institutional documentation. Appendices are not permitted.
Atlas assessment: Atlas Opportunity Score 87/100. N9+ Fit Score 58/100, conditional. A legitimate role for the Nonagon N9+ device and platform or QC Healthcare would require an eligible Florida investigator-led protocol with a scientifically defensible need for connected clinical data collection, diagnostic support, decentralized study workflows, or other research technology directly tied to ocular cancer or inherited eye disease. Atlas does not classify Dr. Miltie or QC Healthcare as an established eligible direct applicant based on the FOA, and no ocular-specific device capability is inferred. Any vendor or subcontract role must be justified by the applicant and comply with Department pre-approval requirements.