Align Technology, Inc. has opened its 2022 Research Award Programme to support clinical and scientific dental research in universities across the globe. This year, up to US$375,000 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 US$2.4 million in research since the programme’s inception in 2010.
“The research supported by Align has provided valuable insights into important areas of oral healthcare and assessment, including intraoral scanning and patient experience, quality of life changes, as well as insights into the biochemical markers of bone metabolism during early orthodontic tooth movement with clear aligners,” said John Morton, vice-president, product innovation and technical fellow at Align. “We are honoured to receive applications across a broad spectrum of scientific topics that relate to dentistry, clear aligner treatment, and intraoral scanning.”
“Align is committed to providing opportunities for universities to conduct research to advance the study of dental science and orthodontic treatment,” said Dr Mitra Derakhshan, vice-president, global clinical at Align. “We are impressed by the enthusiasm with which the Align Research Awards programme is received by universities worldwide, as shown by the number of applications received and the diversity of research topics. In fact, we believe funding these research projects is so important to the advancement of dental and orthodontic treatment that we increased overall funding for the programme.”
Awards available for dental research at universities are available in the following regions:
- Americas (US, Canada, Mexico, Central and South America): Five one-year awards of up to US$25,000 each
- EMEA: Five one-year awards of up to US$25,000 each
- APAC: Five one-year awards of up to US$25,000 each
Eligible applicants for dental research awards include full- and part-time faculty involved in dental or scientific research at universities at which Invisalign® treatment or the iTero scanner is available. All applications are reviewed by an independent academic committee that forwards its recommendations to Align Technology for final selection. Research proposals and completed applications must be received by 5:00pm Pacific Time on 4 March 2022. Award recipients will be notified by 6 June 2022.
