The Ontario Brain Institute congratulates Brain Canada for establishing “The Canada Brain Research Fund”.
On May 3rd the federal government announced increased funding to support brain research in Canada. This newly announced research fund dedicates $100 million of federal government money to Brain Canada, a national research funding organization aimed at developing new treatments for brain conditions. Brain Canada needs to raise funds to match the government’s commitment (i.e., “raise a dollar, get a dollar”) for a potential total of $200 million. The funds will go towards supporting collaborative neuroscience, developing new neuroscientists, and enhancing Canada’s role as a leader in brain research. Currently, Canadian neuroscientists rank among the top three most influential contributors to neuroscience globally1.
This announcement was welcome news for the Ontario Brain Institute (OBI), whose mandate is to turn Ontario’s best research and ideas into new products and services that will create jobs and improve the quality of life for Ontario families. Similar to Brain Canada, OBI has adopted a focus to encourage collaborative research efforts. To date, the OBI is funding three multidisciplinary patient-centered projects, developing a new state-of-the-art database known as Brain-CODE, and launching a new Entrepreneurs Program. These are just a few examples how OBI is pulling researchers, clinicians and industry partners together to create jobs and improve the lives of those living with a neurological condition.
It is estimated that >20% Canadians will experience a neurological condition in their lifetime2. This places an enormous burden on the individuals living with these disorders, their families and friends, as well as the healthcare system. Collaborative brain research that is translated into better treatments for patients is needed more now than ever.
We are very pleased with the provincial and federal governments’ commitment to translational brain research. The OBI and Brain Canada have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) and will continually look for synergies to improve the lives of those living with neurological conditions.
1Thomson Reuters, 2008. Citation impact is the number of citations received per paper indexed in Thomson’s Web of Science database.
2Health Canada. A Report on Mental Illness in Canada, 2002.
