The Orthoptic Education Fund (OEF) provides small grants to orthoptic professionals and students to support with education and training.
We welcome applications from BIOS members who are able to demonstrate how the funds will be used to support our charitable aim, ‘to encourage the study and improve the practice of orthoptics with a view to maintaining and raising standards in clinical and scientific orthoptics’.
Further information on applying for funding, including our full terms and conditions can be found in the Guidance for Applicants document.
What we fund
- Support for qualified orthoptists to fund postgraduate study supporting their professional development
- Support for those presenting or contributing at conferences
- Support for orthoptic students facing financial hardship that risks preventing them from continuing their studies, up to a limit of £1,500.
What we don’t fund
- Research projects and audits
- Academic fees for pre-registration orthoptics courses, PhDs and other post-graduate qualifications – we will consider funding for individual Masters modules where funding is not available from an applicant’s employer, apprenticeship levy, or other charitable fund
Please note, all successful applicants will be expected to report back to the Trustees on their use of the funds.
How to apply
All applicants are expected to have read the Guidance for Applicants document before making an application.
Applicants should then submit a completed OEF Application Form and any other relevant supporting documentation. This will usually include a letter from your line manager or, for pre-registration students, your academic supervisor.
These should be returned to [email protected].
The assessors meet in the first two weeks of every month except August, considering all applications received in the previous month.