As the population ages, Canadian neuroscience research is quickly moving up the priority ranking with significant new funding to confront the impending surge in brain-related diseases. Federal and provincial schemes to advance the research field and associated technologies come after years of foot-dragging, and not a moment too soon.
The Quebec Consortium for Drug Discovery has launched a major funding initiative in collaboration with Brain Canada and the Ontario Brain Institute (OBI), and the Weston Foundation has committed $50 million to establish the Weston Brain Institute Fund. Philanthropy also factors in the future ambitions of Brain Canada and OBI, with ambitious fund raising activities already bearing fruit.
Significant strides are being made in many countries including Israel (a major impetus for Ontario’s initiatives) and the US has signalled its intent to lead the field with the ambitious Brain Initiative, launched in 2013.
Neuroscience is an expensive endeavour and the resources being invested in Canadian efforts pale to those of the US. The Brain Initiative has already received $40 million, with another $100 million being sought to prepare the program for launch. The proposed 12-year funding package totals $4.5 billion over 12 years and already there are complaints the amount is insufficient.
Clearly for a country of Canada’s size, the current model of cross-sectoral collaboration is critical, especially given the federal government’s reluctance to make major new funding commitments within the S&T envelope.
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