mental illness is the leading cause of disability in canada. evidence-based research has established that mental illness is a significant cause of limited quality of life, an important risk factor for premature mortality, and costly with respect to societal welfare.

brain canada, krembil foundation, and women’s brain health initiative (wbhi), with the support of the erika legacy foundation and power corporation of canada have launched the basics of better mental health program, which will fund experimental research that will provide insight into the causes and onset of mental illnesses, explore the neuropathological changes and information-processing deficits that may eventually lead to new directions for treatments and interventions, and explore the role of sex and gender in mental health.  

the inclusion of sex-specific biological considerations in mental health research is important for understanding the biological roots of mental illnesses. mental health disorders that may be explored, but are not limited to, in this competition are; depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorders, eating disorders, personality disorders, schizophrenia, and substance use disorders.

a $3.3m pool of funds will be available for this program to support three team grants of $1.1m each, over three years.

click here to view the request for applications.

click here to download the registration form.

deadline for registration form: june 27, 2023

deadline for receipt of full applications: september 8, 2023

should you have any questions, please contact mentalhealthgrants@braincanada.ca.

the terry fox new frontiers program project grants is a long‐standing program involving the best cancer researchers in canada. these programs support canadian research teams exploring new frontiers in cancer research (i.e., breakthrough and transformative biomedical, clinical and translational research which may form the basis for innovative cancer prevention, diagnosis and/or treatment).

the terry fox new investigator award provides research operating grants to support future leaders as they develop their independent careers in cancer research. the award provides a single research grant of up to $450,000 for three years to investigators within the first five years of a first faculty-level appointment in canada.

these grants provide short-term and timely support for partnered research activities that will inform decision-making at a single partner organization from the public, private or not-for-profit sector. the small-scale, stakeholder-driven partnerships supported through partnership engage grants are meant to respond to immediate needs and time constraints facing organizations in non-academic sectors. in addressing an organization-specific need, challenge and/or opportunity, these partnerships let non-academic organizations and postsecondary researchers access each other’s unique knowledge, expertise and capabilities on topics of mutual interest.

brain canada and the als society of canada are pleased to announce the continuation of the discovery grant program. the purpose of the 2023 discovery grant program is to invest in the best possible projects that are focused on identifying causes of, or treatments for als and/or related neurological diseases, including primary lateral sclerosis, progressive muscular atrophy, and als/ftld (frontotemporal lobar dementia), or research focused on avenues to maximize function, minimize disability and optimize quality of life through symptom management, and support to persons or families living with als.

discovery grants are designed to support teams of multiple investigators and especially encourage multidisciplinary teams with individuals from outside the field who can combine their expertise in novel or innovative ways.

the als canada – brain canada discovery grant program 2023 consists of two streams, which both consist of novel or innovative research approaches, supported by sound rationale and a feasible experimental plan, and maintain the high-risk/high-reward mindset:

stream 1: aimed at nurturing novel ideas looking to obtain preliminary data or to pursue ideas supported by very early data signals. preliminary data may enhance competitiveness but is not necessarily required. up to six awards of $125,000 will be awarded in this cycle.