Azrieli Foundation and Brain Canada launch grant program to develop the next generation of talent in Canadian brain research

For Immediate Release
February 14, 2018
Montreal, QC

Azrieli Foundation and Brain Canada launch grant program to develop the next generation of talent in Canadian brain research

Today, the Azrieli Foundation in partnership with Brain Canada launched a program designed to accelerate novel and transformative research that will fundamentally change the understanding of the brain, in illness or health.  The goal is to reduce the social and economic burden of neurological and mental health problems through prevention, early diagnosis, and treatment.

Naomi Azrieli, Chair and CEO of the Azrieli Foundation and Chair of Brain Canada, says that brain research holds the key to unlocking many diseases. “We know that the brain is interconnected and insights into one disease may illuminate issues in other diseases. Researchers who are exploring the brain are our modern-day pioneers, working to conquer the final frontier of science.”

Investigators in the early stages of their careers are in a strong position to advance innovative research projects that are “high risk/high reward,” but they often lack the preliminary data required to secure their first large grant. In fact, the Fundamental Science Review, commissioned by Canada’s Minister of Science in 2016, listed the need to enhance support for early-career researchers among its recommendations. This program provides an opportunity to develop new lines of research on the fundamental properties and mechanisms of the brain and nervous system, to gather preliminary data and position these investigators for long-term scientific success.

“Brain Canada has always believed in the importance of supporting the next generation of researchers – training awards for graduate students and postdoctoral fellows are an integral part of our research programs,” says Inez Jabalpurwala, President and CEO of Brain Canada. “With this new grant, we are bridging a gap by going beyond training awards to help early-career investigators launch their academic careers.”

Supported by the Canada Brain Research Fund, the Early-Career Capacity Building Grant has the potential to be transformative at a time when there is a significant funding gap to support and retain Canada’s brightest early-career investigators, who are well positioned to make major contributions to Canadian brain research.

For more information, please contact:
Katarina Stojkovic
Communications Officer, Brain Canada
Telephone: 514-989-2989
Email: katarina.stojkovic@braincanada.ca

About The Azrieli Foundation
For almost 30 years, the Azrieli Foundation has funded institutions as well as operated programs on the ground in Canada and in Israel. The Foundation supports scientific and medical research, higher education, music and the arts, Holocaust education, youth empowerment and school perseverance, architecture, and quality of life initiatives for people with developmental disabilities. www.azrielifoundation.org 

About Brain Canada
Brain Canada is a national registered charity headquartered in Montreal that enables and supports excellent, innovative, paradigm-changing brain research in Canada. For two decades, Brain Canada has made the case for the brain as a single, complex system with commonalities across the range of neurological disorders, mental illnesses and addictions, brain and spinal cord injuries. Looking at the brain as one system has underscored the need for increased collaboration across disciplines and institutions, and a smarter way to invest in brain research that is focused on outcomes that will benefit patients and families. Brain Canada’s vision is to understand the brain, in health and illness, to improve lives and achieve societal impact.

The Canada Brain Research Fund is an innovative partnership between the Government of Canada (through Health Canada) and Brain Canada, designed to encourage Canadians to increase their support of brain research, and maximize the impact and efficiency of those investments. Brain Canada is raising up to $120 million from private donors and non-federal partners—now numbering more than 100—which is being matched by Health Canada on a 1:1 basis. The Fund supports the very best Canadian neuroscience, fostering collaborative research and accelerating the pace of discovery, in order to improve the health and quality of life of Canadians who suffer from brain disorders.

To find out more, visit: www.braincanada.ca