Funding Opportunities

Brain Canada is partnering with the Alzheimer’s Association on the International Research Grant Program (IRGP).

The program funds research that will advance our understanding of Alzheimer's disease, identify new treatment strategies, improve care for people with dementia, and further our knowledge of brain health and disease prevention.

The Alzheimer's Association and Brain Canada Foundation are pleased to consider partnership for successful Canadian-led applications.

Alzheimer’s Association Research Fellowship for All (AARFA)

This program is designed to nurture the next generation of scientists by providing funding to postdoctoral researchers who have completed their doctoral training and are actively working in Alzheimer’s or dementia-related research under the mentorship of established investigators. It aims to facilitate the transition of postdoctoral fellows toward becoming independent researchers, equipped to lead their own innovative studies in the field of Alzheimer’s and related dementias.

Alzheimer’s Association Research Grant For All (AARGA)

This program aims to fund early-career investigators who have been in the position of Assistant Professor or the equivalent for no more than seven (7) years. The purpose of this program is to provide newly independent investigators with funding that will allow them to develop preliminary or pilot data, to test procedures and to develop hypotheses.

Alzheimer’s Association Clinician Scientist Fellowship for All (AACSFA)

This program is designed to support the training of clinician scientists in Alzheimer's and all other dementias. For the purpose of this program, a clinician scientist is defined as an individual already trained, licensed and practicing in a clinical field that includes patient contact (e.g., neurology, psychiatry, geriatrics, psychology) or patient-related diagnostic studies (e.g., neuropathology and radiology).

Click here to view the Request for Poster Presenters.

The Amazing Brain Science Talks aims to engage and share information with the public on key findings from research and lived/living experience in brain health.

The event encourages researchers to don their scientific communication hats and share findings with the public from the exciting, innovative, and important brain and brain-heart research being conducted across Canada.

Applicants must be able to attend one virtual science communication workshop, and the main event in person in Ottawa.

The event will feature researchers delivering TED-style talks to a public audience onstage, followed by a reception during which the public will be invited to view and engage with posters made and presented by trainees.

The goal of the poster presentations is to:

• Provide the public with accessible, evidence-based and empowering information about brain and/or brain-heart health through plain-language posters; and

• Encourage trainees to develop their science communication skills.

The Amazing Brain Science Talks will take place on Saturday, November 14, 2026 in Ottawa at the Canada Science and Technology Museum (1867 St. Laurent Blvd, Ottawa, ON K1G 5A3).

Eligibility

• This opportunity is open to trainees including undergraduate students, graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and clinical fellows.

• Applicants must be part of a research group that is currently, or has previously been, involved in a Brain Canada-funded grant and/or currently affiliated with the Brain-Heart Interconnectome, the uOttawa Brain and Mind Research Institute, or The Royal.

• Applicants must be currently conducting research in the field of neuroscience or brain and/or brain heart health

• Applicants must be able to attend one virtual science communication workshop, and the main event in person in Ottawa.

Click here to view the Request for Applications.

Brain Canada is excited to support the Alzheimer’s Association on the Alzheimer’s Disease Strategic Fund: Vascular Contributions to Cognitive Impairment and Dementia 2026 - Understanding Mechanisms of Dysfunction (VCID-UMD).

In its second offering, the VCID-UMD grant program aims to fund concerted and collaborative efforts that will explore critical questions to advance our understanding of vascular contributions to cognitive impairment and dementia and its contributions to Alzheimer’s Disease and related disorders (ADRD) pathogenesis by targeting scientific questions on how vascular contributions to cognitive impairment may intersect with immune, lipid and endolysosomal related functions to contribute to disease.

The VCID-UMD 2026 Grant Program aims to fund concerted and collaborative efforts that will explore these questions to advance our understanding of ADRD. While multidisciplinary team approaches to addressing these complex scientific questions are welcome to apply, this award is structured as an individual research grant, with funding administered through the recipient’s institution and recipient’s institution will be expected to manage subcontractors with collaborators.

The Alzheimer's Association and Brain Canada Foundation are pleased to consider partnership for successful Canadian-led applications.

Click here to view the Request for Applications.

Brain Canada, in partnership with Women’s Brain Health Initiative (WBHI) and with support from the Government of Canada, is launching the Accelerator Grants: Migraine Research program, an initiative explicitly designed to catalyze research in migraine, a highly prevalent neurological condition that disproportionately affects women. 

The Accelerator Grants: Migraine Research program aims to support bold, innovative research that has the potential to drive new insights and improve prevention, diagnosis, and treatment strategies for migraine.   

Migraine affects 12-14% of the global population, making it one of the most common neurological conditions worldwide and a leading cause of years lived with disability.  In Canada, approximately 2.7 million people are diagnosed with migraine, while many more experience symptoms that remain undiagnosed. The condition disproportionately affects women, who are up to three times more likely to experience migraine than men.  

It is anticipated that this funding will catalyze new insights and support the generation of preliminary data, tools, or interventions that can inform and enable new directions in the field. Projects must consider the influence of sex- and gender-related factors in the design, analysis, and evaluation of the research given the disproportionate impact of migraine on women.   

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

Click here to view the Request for Applications.

The Amazing Brain Science Talks program encourages researchers to share scientific findings with the public from the exciting, innovative, and important brain research being conducted across Canada and beyond. This is a unique opportunity to deliver a 15-minute TED-style talk to a public audience onstage at a prominent venue in Ottawa. Reasonable travel and accommodation expenses for selected speakers will be covered.

The Amazing Brain Science Talks will take place on Saturday, November 14, 2026, in Ottawa. 

This opportunity is open to independent researchers at eligible Canadian institutions that have been awarded Brain Canada funding (either currently or in the past) and/or are affiliated with the Brain-Heart Interconnectome, the uOttawa Brain and Mind Research Institute, or The Royal.

Content of the talk is open to the applicant’s discretion but must be: 

• On a topic related to their own brain-health-based research;

• Consistent with what is described in the submitted Application Form and Video Submission;

• Of general interest to a public audience.  

Evidence clearly shows that increasing equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) in research environments enhances excellence, innovation and creativity. We are committed to excellence through equity and 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. 

Please note that the application for the Amazing Brain Science Talks includes an Application Form and a Video Submission.