Current Funding Opportunities

The 2023 Turnbull-Tator Award aims to recognize a proposed research project and an outstanding publication by a researcher at a Canadian institution in the field of spinal cord and/or brain injury research, including concussion, in the last two years (October 1, 2021 to September 30, 2023) with a $50,000 CAD prize.

Recognizing the important need to build capacity in these fields, the funds awarded through the 2023 Turnbull-Tator Award must be utilized to support the salary / stipend of full-time graduate students or postdoctoral fellows in the recipient’s laboratory that will contribute to the proposed research project and to the continuation of the excellent research exemplified by the awarded publication.

Evidence clearly shows that increasing equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) in research environments enhances excellence, innovation, and creativity. Brain Canada and the Barbara Turnbull Foundation are committed to excellence through equity and encourage applicants of diverse backgrounds to apply to this funding opportunity, which will promote the expression of diverse perspectives, approaches, and experiences, including those of underrepresented groups.

Click here to view the Request for Applications.

Deadline for Receipt of Applications: December 20, 2023 at 17:00 EST

This program has been made possible by the Canada Brain Research Fund (CBRF), an innovative arrangement between the Government of Canada (through Health Canada) Brain Canada Foundation, and the Barbara Turnbull Foundation.

The ultimate goal is to reduce the social and economic burden of neurological and mental illnesses through prevention, early diagnosis, and treatment. 

Open to early-career investigators within five years of starting their first independent research position, the 2023 competition has an overall funding envelope of $2,000,000 to support up to 20 grants of $100,000 over two years.  

Evidence clearly shows that increasing equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) in research environments enhances excellence, innovation, and creativity. Brain Canada is committed to excellence through equity, and we encourage applicants of diverse backgrounds to apply to our funding opportunities, which will promote the expression of diverse perspectives, approaches, and experiences, including those of underrepresented groups. 

Click here to view the Request for Applications.  

Deadline for receipt of Letter of Intent: November 29, 2023 at 5 p.m. ET 

Deadline for receipt of Full Applications: March 20, 2024 at 5 p.m. ET 

For more information, or if you have any questions regarding the application process, please contact Brain Canada at futureleaders@braincanada.ca.   

This program has been made possible by the Canada Brain Research Fund (CBRF), an innovative arrangement between the Government of Canada (through Health Canada), Brain Canada Foundation and the Azrieli Foundation, with support from the Hewitt Foundation, The Erika Legacy Foundation, The Arrell Family Foundation, and the Alvin Segal Family Foundation. 

Areas of interest for this program include, but are not limited to, quality metrics, systems of care, translation of interventions, increasing diversity within research and clinical trials, risk reduction, development of novel methods of data collection or analysis, and novel measures to validate previously developed measures or evaluation of measures in diverse and underrepresented populations.

Through this partnership, Brain Canada will co-fund up to four Canadian-led teams. Each award is limited to USD $250,000 over a period of up to two years.

Click here to view the Request for Applications.

Deadline for receipt of Letters of Intent: 5:00 pm ET on September 20, 2023  

Deadline for receipt of Full Applications:  5:00 pm ET on November 29, 2023  

Evidence clearly shows that increasing equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) in research environments enhances excellence, innovation, and creativity. Brain Canada is committed to excellence through equity, and we encourage applicants of diverse backgrounds to apply to our funding opportunities, which will promote the expression of diverse perspectives, approaches, and experiences, including those of underrepresented groups.

This program has been made possible by the Canada Brain Research Fund (CBRF), an innovative arrangement between the Government of Canada (through Health Canada) Brain Canada Foundation, and Alzheimer’s Association.

Brain Canada, in collaboration with Brain Changes Initiative (BCI) has now launched the Innovation Grants for Research Impact in Traumatic Brain Injury funding opportunity to generate creative, novel and practical evidence-based solutions that address stakeholder-identified and prioritized needs, listed below, to improve the trajectory of recovery for individuals after brain injury.

• Full assessment and customized treatment plan informed by the areas of brain that were damaged and severity 
  • Goal: Create a comprehensive assessment tool and treatment planning template for trained frontline workers to inventory and rate all patient symptoms to inform a realistic treatment plan (with or without diagnosis).
• Less emphasis on structural characteristics and more on functional ability during assessments 
  • Goal: Ensure functional deficits are identified for concussion/mTBI so they can be treated; make fMRI more widely available by ensuring quality testing occurs in less time.
• Reduced waiting lists/immediate access to outpatient brain injury services and treatment facilities 
  • Goal: Prove the cost effectiveness of balancing the proportion of funding allocated to outpatient community services (as opposed to acute care) as evidence for provincial decision-makers to change funding model.
• Transfer of information from emergency departments to family physicians so brain injury is not missed 
  • Goals: More effective communication between emergency departments and family physicians for items to follow up on relating to the patient; prove the importance and cost-effectiveness of ensuring all patients have a family physician for follow up.
• Ongoing education (CMEs) for doctors about new research and therapies for brain injury 
  • Goal: To increase physician awareness and motivation a) about their need to take this training, and b) that it is available and how to access it.
• Accurate prognostication (to know expected outcomes) to inform decision-making by doctors, families, and insurance payees 
  • Goal: Make the assessment of existing prognostic factors systematic and standardized by consolidating what we already know.
• Reduced bureaucracy, paperwork, unnecessary delays, and barriers across systems (health, financial, insurance, legal, etc.) 
  • Goal: Create transparency of the paperwork needed for the patient’s recovery; seeking, gathering, completing, organizing and submitting and communicating about documentation.
• Minimize occurrence of incorrect assumptions that can prevent detection of brain injury, especially for Indigenous Peoples 
  • Goal:  Understand the patient journey (process) from beginning to end to determine where and how brain injury in Indigenous patients is missed.
• Increased detection, treatment, and prevention for special populations (e.g., people in situations of abuse, people experiencing homelessness) 
  • Goal: Collect data using a simple screening tool for flagging possible brain injury in hospitals and other relevant contexts, as well as socio-economic data.

An overall funding envelope of $1.4M will be available for this program to support three to four grants over two years. This funding opportunity is open to interdisciplinary research teams of two or more members and must include a minimum of two independent investigators.

Evidence clearly shows that increasing equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) in research environments enhances excellence, innovation, and creativity. Brain Canada and Brain Changes Initiative are committed to excellence through equity, and we encourage applicants of diverse backgrounds to apply to our funding opportunities, which will promote the expression of diverse perspectives, approaches, and experiences, including those of underrepresented groups.

Click here to view the Request for Applications.

Registration Form Deadline: 17:00 ET on September 27, 2023

Deadline for Receipt of Full Applications: 17:00 ET on January 25, 2024

This program has been made possible by the Canada Brain Research Fund (CBRF), an innovative arrangement between the Government of Canada (through Health Canada) Brain Canada Foundation, and Brain Changes Initiative (BCI).