2023 Call for the Rising Stars Program

New awards to support the next generation of brain researchers in Canada 

Brain Canada is pleased to announce the launch of the 2023 Brain Canada Rising Stars Trainee Awards. Supporting the next generation of brain researchers in Canada is needed to ensure the success of the Canadian brain research ecosystem.  

Trainees are the learners of today and the leaders of tomorrow, but the increasing competitiveness of the Canadian research environment and the limited financial support from granting agencies and institutions can make it difficult to attain the resources needed to excel. The Brain Canada Rising Stars Trainee Awards aim to recognize the excellent research being conducted at Canadian institutions by graduate students (M.Sc., Ph.D.), postdoctoral fellows, and medical residents in all fields spanning neuroscience research.  

Through this program, Brain Canada will award up to 21 grants to trainees across Canada who demonstrate exceptional potential and a passion for transforming the future of brain research.  

This flagship program is dedicated to providing support to trainees at the most fundamental stage, so they can successfully launch their academic careers and pursue their professional goals. This is the jump start they need to start exploring innovative and cutting-edge lines of research that will help us solve some of the brain’s greatest mysteries.” 

Brain Canada Program Manager, Melissa Russo

The Rising Stars Program, along with our signature Future Leaders in Canadian Brain Research Program, share one common goal – to build capacity and invest in the next generation of leaders in neuroscience. In this way, Brain Canada is helping to create a vibrant and innovative research community that can drive progress and make important discoveries in the field of brain research.”

Brain Canada President and CEO, Dr. Viviane Poupon

This funding opportunity has been made possible with the financial support of the Seger-van Tol family, the BistroBrain Association, the M. Wayne and J. Coleman Family Fund/ the Canadian Consortium for the Investigation of Cannabinoids (CCIC), Linda Auger Morissette and Friends, the Henry and Berenice Kaufmann Foundation, and S. Galati & Associates Inc./ the Brain Changes Initiative. 

For full program details, please visit our Funding Opportunities page.  

This program has been made possible by the Canada Brain Research Fund (CBRF), an innovative arrangement between the Government of Canada (through Health Canada) and Brain Canada Foundation. To date, Health Canada has invested over $155 million through the CBRF which has been matched by Brain Canada Foundation and its donors and partners.