Objective
Nearly 5M people in the EU, the UK, and the US are affected by irregular corneas, a condition characterized by imperfections on the corneal surface. Irregular corneas disrupt the smooth, regular structure needed to focus light evenly onto the retina, leading to distorted or blurry vision. This condition can result from various causes, including diseases, injuries, or previous surgeries. Patients with irregular corneas often experience significant visual disturbances and may struggle with glare, halos, and night vision issues.
Treatment options range from spectacles and various contact lenses to more invasive procedures like corneal transplants. The current state-of-the-art solutions, including rigid scleral lenses, often fail to fully address higher order aberrations, leaving patients with persistent vision problems.
After 10+ years of research and breakthroughs in smart contact lens design, construction, and operation, Azalea has developed ALMA, the first patented autonomous and adaptable Smart Lens for patients with irregular corneas. This revolutionary solution integrates advanced light management technology into a scleral lens platform, featuring a dynamic light filter, a custom microchip, and a wireless smart case for charging and disinfection. ALMA provides improved visual quality, enhanced comfort, and real-time adaptation to environmental conditions, offering a new standard of care for patients with irregular corneas.
With EIC’s support, Azalea plans to conduct First-in-Human and pivotal clinical trials to obtain CE mark and FDA approvals for the commercialization of the ALMA Smart Lens. Our initial focus is on the irregular cornea market across Europe, the UK, and the US. This market encompasses a total addressable population of 614k patients with irregular corneas, representing a market opportunity of €3B. The project is expected to significantly impact Azalea, projecting €130M in revenues and reaching 135 employees within 5 years of commercialization.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
This project has not yet been classified with EuroSciVoc.
Be the first one to suggest relevant scientific fields and help us improve our classification service
You need to log in or register to use this function
Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
-
HORIZON.3.1 - The European Innovation Council (EIC)
MAIN PROGRAMME
See all projects funded under this programme -
HORIZON.3.1.2 - The Accelerator
See all projects funded under this programme
Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-EIC-ACC - HORIZON EIC Accelerator
See all projects funded under this funding scheme
Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) HORIZON-EIC-2026-ACCELERATOR-02
See all projects funded under this callCoordinator
Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
9052 GAND
Belgium
The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.