“Elda Chierichetti” Prize: call for applications

University of Milano-Bicocca announces a competition for the awarding of the 1st “Elda Chierichetti”  Prize to students enrolled, in the 2025/26 academic year, in either the first or second year of the Master’s Degree Programme in Optometry and Vision Science at the University of Milano-Bicocca, as recognition of the quality of a research project idea and to support its implementation in the field of optometry.
The Master’s Degree in Optometry and Vision Science was established in 2024 and is currently the highest-level academic programme in Optometry in Italy.
The prize is established in memory of Elda Chierichetti, who was awarded the title of Cavaliere della Repubblica Italiana in 1988. She was a historic figure in Milanese optics and received a civic merit award from the Municipality of Milan in 2002. At a very young age, she joined the business founded by her father Arnaldo in 1914 at Corso di Porta Romana 74, Milan. Arnaldo was the first president of ACOFIS, now ASSOPTO MILANO ACOFIS. Elda Chierichetti distinguished herself through her innovative spirit.
The “Elda Chierichetti” prize was established with the aim of supporting excellence in optometry education. Its establishment was strongly supported by both Cristian Scotti, the current owner of Ottica Arnaldo Chierichetti S.r.l., and the University of Milan-Bicocca, which Elda Chierichetti has always supported with conviction, recognizing the value of university education for the growth and advancement of the optometry profession.
The total amount of the prize is EUR 1,800.00.
Applications must be submitted from 29 May 2026 and no later than 16 June 2026 to the email address lucia.rodolfi@unimib.it, attaching a valid identity document and a project idea in the field of research in optics and optometry (maximum 800 words, either in Italian or in English).
Please follow the instructions provided in the call for application carefully.