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APAO Prof. Yasuo Tano Travel Grants

Asia-Pacific Academy of Ophthalmology

The Asia-Pacific Academy of Ophthalmology (APAO) is committed to promoting excellence in ophthalmology and nurturing the professional development of ophthalmologists, researchers, residents, and trainees across the Asia-Pacific region.

This year, the highly anticipated 42nd APAO Congress will take place from March 18 – 21, 2027 in Singapore. To foster knowledge exchange and collaboration, we are offering three types of travel grants to support aspiring delegates in attending this congress:

Awards available: 10

Awards

Winners of any type of Travel Grants will receive:

funding of US$300 for those residing in Singapore, or US$1,000 for those living elsewhere
complimentary registration for the APAO 2027 Congress
invitation to the Congress Cultural Party

Application

Applications must be submitted via the Scientific Portal at https://congress.2027.apaophth.org/. After logging in, navigate to “Awards & Grants” and click on the “Travel Grant Application” tab.
Deadline: September 30, 2026, at 23:59 (GMT+8).
Eligible applicants may concurrently apply for the APAO Prof. Yasuo Tano Travel Grants and the APAO Young Ophthalmologists (YO) Travel Grants, but will be selected for only up to one out of the three types (APAO Prof. Yasuo Tano Travel Grants / APAO Young Ophthalmologists (YO) Travel Grants / SNEC Travel Grants).

Selection

The Travel Grants Committees will start selection after the abstract results are announced.
Only applicants who have an abstract (as the first author) accepted by the APAO 2027 Scientific Program Committee will be considered as potential candidates for the Travel Grants. Please note that abstract review and Travel Grant selection are two independent processes conducted by different committees. Abstracts are anonymized in the review process, and the acceptance of your abstract does not guarantee the award of a travel grant.
Geographical balance will be taken into consideration when the Travel Grant Committees vet applications.
Successful candidates will be notified by the end of November. Those who do not hear back from APAO after that may consider their applications unsuccessful.

AI Based Application Success Predictor

1. Strong ophthalmology relevance ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

The proposal should have a direct connection to eye disease, vision, ophthalmic technology, or eye-care delivery.

Strong areas include:

Cataract
Glaucoma
Diabetic retinopathy
Retinal diseases
Corneal disease
Uveitis
Pediatric ophthalmology
Neuro-ophthalmology
Oculoplastics
Refractive error
Myopia
Low vision
Blindness prevention
Ophthalmic imaging
Artificial intelligence in ophthalmology

A general medical project with only an indirect ophthalmic application would have weaker fit.

2. Important unmet need ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Strong applications should identify a significant problem affecting patients or eye-care systems.

Particularly compelling questions include:

How can preventable blindness be reduced?
How can eye disease be detected earlier?
How can treatment become more accessible?
How can outcomes of surgery be improved?
How can progression of glaucoma or retinal disease be detected earlier?
How can myopia progression be prevented?
How can ophthalmic services reach underserved populations?

The proposal should clearly establish:

Problem → current limitation → proposed solution → expected improvement.

3. Scientific and clinical significance ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

The research question should be important enough to advance ophthalmology.

A strong proposal explains:

What is currently unknown?
Why is the knowledge gap important?
What will the study establish?
How will the findings change understanding or practice?

For example:

Unknown mechanism → new evidence → improved disease understanding → new diagnostic/treatment opportunity.

4. Patient and vision-related impact ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Projects that can ultimately improve vision or quality of life are particularly compelling.

Potential outcomes include:

Preventing blindness
Earlier diagnosis
Improved surgical outcomes
Better disease monitoring
Reduced complications
Improved treatment response
More accessible eye care
Reduced healthcare burden

For APAO, it is useful to demonstrate how research can translate into meaningful ophthalmic practice.

5. Innovation ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Innovative ophthalmic research can be highly competitive.

Examples include:

AI-based ophthalmic diagnosis
Retinal imaging
OCT-based biomarkers
Teleophthalmology
Digital ophthalmology
Novel surgical techniques
New drug-delivery approaches
Gene therapy
Retinal prosthetics
Advanced corneal transplantation
Myopia-control technologies
Precision ophthalmology

However, innovation should address a real ophthalmic problem, rather than simply introducing technology for its own sake.

6. Scientific rigor and feasibility ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

The research design should demonstrate that the project can actually be completed.

Important elements include:

Clearly defined hypothesis
Specific aims
Appropriate patient/sample population
Valid controls
Appropriate outcome measures
Statistical plan
Adequate sample size
Ethical approval where necessary
Realistic timeline
Access to equipment and clinical facilities

A focused project with strong methodology is generally preferable to an overly ambitious study.

7. Investigator potential ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆

For fellowships, scholarships and early-career opportunities, the development of the ophthalmologist/researcher can be an important consideration.

Competitive applicants should demonstrate:

Academic achievement
Research interest
Relevant publications
Previous research experience
Clinical expertise
Potential for future leadership
Clear career objectives

For early-career researchers, a strong proposal should show how the opportunity will help establish a long-term ophthalmic research career.

8. Asia-Pacific relevance ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

This is an important differentiator for APAO.

Research addressing ophthalmic problems particularly relevant to Asia-Pacific populations can have strong strategic alignment.

Examples include:

High myopia
Diabetic eye disease
Cataract blindness
Glaucoma
Retinal disease
Pediatric blindness
Rural/remote eye-care access
Teleophthalmology
Workforce shortages
Cost-effective screening
Health disparities
Indigenous/underserved populations

A proposal becomes stronger when it explains:

Why is this problem particularly important for the Asia-Pacific region?

9. Collaboration and regional capacity building ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆

APAO's regional nature makes collaboration particularly valuable.

Strong projects may involve:

Multiple Asia-Pacific centers
Cross-country research
Shared datasets
Multicenter studies
Training collaborations
Technology transfer
Young investigator mentorship

The proposal should demonstrate that collaboration produces something that could not be achieved as effectively by one center alone.

10. Dissemination and broader impact ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆

Research should ideally produce outcomes that can be shared with the wider ophthalmology community.

Potential outputs include:

Peer-reviewed publications
Conference presentations
Clinical guidelines
Screening protocols
New diagnostic approaches
Training materials
Regional research networks
Improved clinical practice

A strong proposal should explain how the results will reach ophthalmologists and ultimately patients.

Specialties

Ophthalmology

Eligibility Requirements

Open to all ophthalmologists in the Asia-Pacific region, including fully licensed eye doctors, residents, trainees, and fellows, with priority for those from developing countries

No age limit, but candidates aged 40 or below will be given an advantage
Must submit at least one abstract (free paper/ poster/ e-poster/ video/ instruction course) as the first author to APAO 2027
Previous recipients (except those from 2026) will be considered, though priority will be given to first-timers
Applicants may concurrently apply for the APAO Young Ophthalmologists Travel Grants, but will be selected for up to one grant only

Sponsor Details

Sponsor Institute/Organizations: Asia-Pacific Academy of Ophthalmology

Sponsor Type: Corporate/Non-Profit

Address: Sun Yat-Sen University, 1/F, No. 7 Jinsui Road, Zhujiang New Town, Tianhe District, Guangzhou, Guangdong

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