Align Technology Opens 2026 Annual Research Program to Advance Orthodontic and Dental Patient Care

2026 Grant Application Process Now Open for Up to $300,000 in Funding   

Align Technology, Inc. has announced the opening of its Annual Research Award Program to support clinical and scientific dental research in universities across the globe. In 2026, 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.    Awards 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
• EMEA: Four one-year awards of up to US$25,000 each
• APAC: 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 program. Program details, instructions, and application forms for prospective applicants can be found at https://learn.aligntech.com/learn/signin (for Americas, EMEA and APAC applicants). Research proposals and completed applications must be received by 5:00 p.m. Pacific Time on March 6, 2026. Award recipients will be notified by June 1, 2026.  

Dr Mitra Derakhshan, Align executive vice president, chief clinical officer, global treatment planning and clinical services, said: “Each year, we’re inspired by the innovative research proposals submitted by university faculty around the world to advance digital orthodontics and dentistry through science-backed innovation that improves patient care. The awarded research projects that are supported through our Align Research Award Program help uncover insights that directly impact treatment outcomes and elevate the standard of care in orthodontics and dentistry.”  

John Morton, Align vice president, product innovation and technical fellow, said: “We believe that empowering the academic community through this funding program is essential to advance knowledge that will drive progress in dentistry to help more doctors achieve better clinical outcomes for their patients. Through this program, we continue to support the vision and research efforts of the expert faculty members around the globe."

Align Technology designs and manufactures the Invisalign® System, the most advanced clear aligner system in the world, iTero™ intraoral scanners and services, and exocad™ CAD/CAM software. Visit www.aligntech.com for more information. For additional information about the Invisalign system or to find an Invisalign doctor in your area, please visit www.invisalign.com. For additional information about the iTero digital scanning system, please visit www.itero.com. For additional information about exocad dental CAD/CAM offerings and a list of exocad reseller partners, please visit www.exocad.com. Invisalign, iTero, exocad, Align, Align Digital Platform and iTero Lumina are trademarks of Align Technology, Inc.