The Audacious Goals Initiative is an effort by NEI to promote innovation in vision research. In support of the initiative, the NEI challenged the NIH staff, the broader scientific community, and the general public to submit a one-page description of an audacious goal that could potentially drive innovation in vision research for the next decade and beyond. To attract participation, the NEI held a prize competition called the NEI Challenge to Identify Audacious Goals in Vision Research and Blindness Rehabilitation. The most compelling ideas generated through this competition were discussed by participants at the NEI Audacious Goals Development Meeting (see below).
Selected ideas were presented, discussed, and further developed in this national assembly of approximately 200 experts. The final set of audacious goals will help shape the breadth and direction of the full portfolio of eye and vision research supported by the NEI and other organizations in the U.S. and abroad.