Advocacy and Outreach
ARVO Lauches International Advocacy Toolkit
ARVO members across the globe who are interested in influencing vision research funding and policy in their home country have a new resource, the online ARVO International Advocacy Toolkit. Written by ARVO members, the online resource is a compilation of country-specific content that provides answers to general questions, such as “What does the normal science funding/policy decision-making process look like” and “What kinds of opportunities exist for scientists to interact with funders and policymakers?”
“With over 45 percent of ARVO membership being from non-U.S. countries, it is important for ARVO to promote advocacy efforts by members outside the U.S.,” says Juliet Moncaster, PhD, assistant professor at Boston University’s Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy Center and past-chair of the ARVO Advocacy and Outreach Committee. “The International Advocacy Toolkit acts as a starting point by providing information on how science advocacy and funding for research works in different countries around the world.”
Each individual toolkit also serves as a guide to sources of research funding and patient advocacy groups in that country as well as opportunities for scientists to interact with funders and policymakers.
“The ARVO International Advocacy Toolkit enables researchers, patient advocates and funders, in a single online resource, to connect to those within their local communities and advance vision research,” says Breandán Kennedy, PhD, professor of biomolecular and biomedical sciences at the University College Dublin and coauthor of the toolkit for Ireland. “By conveying to policymakers a clear message as to the value of their research and the impact upon patients, society and knowledge, vision researchers can ensure the long-term sustainability of ophthalmology as a premier scientific and clinical discipline.”
The online Toolkit currently features content for 9 countries:
- Canada
- Ireland
- Egypt
- The Netherlands
- United Kingdom
- Australia
- Brazil
- China
- Japan
Don't see your country listed? Become a contributor. Contact outreach@arvo.org to learn how.
By conveying to policymakers a clear message as to the value of their research and the impact upon patients, society and knowledge, vision researchers can ensure the long-term sustainability of ophthalmology as a premier scientific and clinical discipline.