Applications open for $300,000 in research funding

Align Technology has opened its 2024 Annual Research Award Programme to advance orthodontic and dental patient care.

Align Technology recently announced the opening of its 2024 Annual Research Award Programme. This will support clinical and scientific dental research in universities across the globe. This year, up to $300,000 will be awarded to university faculty for scientific and technological research initiatives to advance patient care in the fields of orthodontics and dentistry.

Align Technology’s Research Award Programme has funded approximately $3 million in research since the it’s inception in 2010.

‘This programme is an exciting opportunity for university researchers globally to expand scientific and clinical learnings to elevate patient care,’ said Dr Mitra Derakhshan, Align senior vice president, global clinical. ‘We look forward to the topics and research studies that may ultimately improve treatment outcomes and the quality of life for more patients worldwide.’

‘Once again, we anticipate receiving a large number of applications to this research programme. The topics submitted throughout the past years have been diverse and often on the forefront of the dental field. Align Technology is proud to fund this research programme with the purpose of improving dental care throughout the world,’ said John Morton, Align vice president, product innovation and technical fellow.

Research awards available

Awards available for dental research at universities are available in the following regions:

• Americas (US, Canada, Mexico, Central and South America) – four one-year awards of up to US$25,000 each
• Europe, the Middle East and Africa – four one-year awards of up to US$25,000 each
• Asia-Pacific – four one-year awards of up to US$25,000 each.

Eligible applicants for dental research awards include full-time and part-time faculty involved in dental or scientific research at universities where Invisalign treatment or the iTero scanner is available. All applications are reviewed by an independent academic committee that forwards its recommendations to Align for final selection. Consideration will be given to first-time applications from a university programme.

Programme details, instructions and application forms for prospective applicants can be found at learn.aligntech.com/pages/61/resources. Research proposals and completed applications must be received by 5pm Pacific Time on 8 March 2024. Award recipients will be notified by 3 June 2024.