PARIS—To mark its 7th edition, Silmo Academy is making some changes to the schedule and content of its scientific symposium. While its goal—to bring together high caliber specialists, share ideas and scientific developments in the field of vision and enable opticians to stay abreast of current research and enhance their medical knowledge— remains the same, this year it gains an extra day to pledge its commitment to support research for the first time.

Silmo Academy plans to award a €10, 000 (approximately $12,000) grant to a research project in the field of optics and science. The grant is open to any individual researcher or group of researchers living in the European Union, and leading a research project in the field of optics and vision science.

Proposals may be submitted until Sept. 6. The three best projects will be selected from Sept. 6 to Sept. 16, and they will be presented from Sept. 20 to Sept. 23; the winning project will then be announced and presented at the Sept. 26 symposium.

The theme for this year’s symposium will be “Reading,” and will be explored in three sessions from Sept. 24 to 26 from 10 am to 1 pm each day. Speakers include, among others, Professor Yves Pouliquen, a member of the Académie Française, Professor Laurent Cohen, neurologist at Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital and head of the neuropsychology team at INSERM (French National Institute for Health and Medical Research), and Professor Serge Resnikoff, MD, PhD, who is responsible for vision at the WHO.

For more information on how to apply for the grant visit silmoparis.com.