STICHTING KONINKLIJKE VISIO, EXPERTISECENTRUM VOOR SLECHTZIENDE EN BLINDE MENSEN

Their core work

Koninklijke Visio is the Dutch national expertise center for people who are blind or visually impaired, providing rehabilitation services, diagnostics, education, and applied research on low vision. In H2020, they contributed clinical and rehabilitation expertise to European training networks focused on visual neuroscience, glaucoma, and translational vision science. Their role centers on bridging clinical practice with research — offering real-world patient access, functional vision assessment, and rehabilitation knowledge that academic partners typically lack.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

Their early H2020 involvement (2015–2019) focused on contributing clinical and rehabilitation settings to neuroscience and glaucoma training networks — NextGenVis, EGRET, and EGRET-Plus — where they served as a third-party provider of patient-facing expertise. By 2021, they moved into a more active participant role with OptiVisT, which centers on translational vision science, functional vision, and perception-action coupling. This shift signals a move from passive clinical contributor toward a more research-engaged partner with growing interest in how visual impairment affects real-world behavior.

Moving from clinical host for training networks toward active research partner in translational vision science, with increasing focus on functional outcomes and perception-action relationships.

How they like to work

Visio predominantly joins consortia as a third party (3 of 4 projects), providing clinical infrastructure, patient access, and rehabilitation expertise rather than leading research. Their single participant role in the most recent project (OptiVisT) suggests they are gradually taking on more responsibility within consortia. With 30 unique partners across 9 countries, they connect broadly but are not a consortium hub — they are a valued specialist contributor that research-led networks invite for real-world clinical grounding.

Connected to 30 unique partners across 9 countries, primarily through MSCA training networks. Their network is concentrated in European vision research and ophthalmology communities, likely including major university eye clinics and neuroscience departments.

What sets them apart

Visio occupies a rare niche: a large-scale clinical rehabilitation organization for the blind and visually impaired that actively participates in EU research. Unlike university hospitals or research institutes, they bring decades of frontline rehabilitation practice, covering the full spectrum from diagnostics to daily-life support. For consortium builders, they offer something hard to find elsewhere — direct access to patient populations, clinical rehabilitation workflows, and practitioner expertise that grounds research in real-world outcomes.

Highlights from their portfolio

• OptiVisT
  Their most substantial involvement — first time as a full participant rather than third party, with EUR 531,240 in funding, focused on translational vision science bridging research and patient support.
• EGRET
  Part of a dedicated European glaucoma research training program, demonstrating Visio's recognized expertise in one of the leading causes of irreversible blindness.