Brain Canada and CIHR Institute of Aging Fund International Initiative  

In partnership with the CIHR Institute of Aging, Brain Canada is pleased to announce the funding decisions for the 2025 Joint Programme Neurodegenerative Disease call, Health and Social Care Research with a Focus on the Moderate and Late Stages of Neurodegenerative Diseases. 

This international initiative supports research focused on improving the wellbeing and social inclusion of people living with neurodegenerative diseases. By examining the factors that shape quality of life in the moderate and later stages of disease and by developing more accessible and responsive support systems, these projects aim to make a meaningful difference for individuals and their families. 

Addressing the complex nature of neurodegenerative diseases requires collaboration across disciplines and borders. Working together across international healthcare systems strengthens our collective ability to improve quality of life for both patients and caregivers. 

Brain Canada is pleased to support Canadian researchers participating in this international initiative, which is helping to build a more accessible and impactful health care environment for people living with neurodegenerative diseases and those who care for them. 

Three Canadian researchers have been funded as part of international research teams. Their projects address the needs of people living with neurodegenerative diseases at later stages and seek to advance understanding of how quality of life can be improved. 

Brain Canada is proud to support the following funded researcher: 

Maxime Montembeault 
Douglas Hospital Research Centre 
Digital Markers of Social Cognition for Diagnosis and Prognosis in Neurodegeneration 

CIHR Institute of Aging is proud to support the following funded researchers: 

Tiago Mestre 

The Ottawa Hospital Research Institute 

Optimizing Care for Patients with Neurodegenerative Diseases: Socially Embedded and Patient-Centered Long-Term Care (OPTICARE) 

Yana Yunusova 

University of Toronto 

Quality of life correlates of bulbar and pseudobulbar dysfunction in late stage MND: clinical determinants, screening tools, opportunities for evidence-based QoL-focused interventions (Qual-Bulb-MND) 

To learn more about the funded projects, visit the Joint Programme Neurodegenerative Disease initiative.