- Email: [email protected]
Brain Canada: One Brain One Community
Neuron
NeuroView Brain Canada: One Brain One Community Inez Jabalpurwala1,* 1Brain Canada Foundation, Montreal, QC H3B 4G7, Canada *Correspondence: [email protected] http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.neuron.2016.10.049
Building on the long history of neuroscience in Canada, Brain Canada is accelerating the funding of transformative brain research across Canada, primarily through an innovative $240-million CAN public-private partnership with the Government of Canada and numerous partners. This article describes Brain Canada’s ‘‘One Brain One Community’’ approach and its views on international collaboration and the future of brain research. Introduction Canada’s contributions to brain research began in 1934 when Dr. Wilder Penfield founded the Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital (MNI). The MNI became the birthplace of neuroscience, and the largest center dedicated to the brain in Canada and among the largest in the world. A seamless integration of research and patient care was and remains the vision and is a model that has been adopted around the world. Since then, various brain research centers have been established across Canada, including the Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health (British Columbia), Hotchkiss Brain Institute (Alberta), Krembil Neuroscience Centre (Ontario), Rotman Research Institute (Ontario), and the Brain Repair Centre (Nova Scotia), which are producing some of the most significant discoveries in the field. Much, however, remains to be done to unlock the mysteries of the brain. Brain Canada was founded nearly 20 years ago by a group of business and science leaders with a bold vision to transform brain research in Canada. They recognized the burden of brain disorders on individuals, families, caregivers, the economy, and society. In Canada, one in three individuals—over 11 million people—will face a psychiatric disease, addiction, neurological disorder, or brain or spinal cord injury at some point in their lives (NeuroScience Canada, 2006). They further recognized that the investment in brain research was severely disproportionate to the burden of disease and lagged behind investments in other disease areas, such as cancer and cardiovascular disease. These leaders created Brain Canada, then known as NeuroScience Canada, as a non-profit organization, the first of its kind in Canada,
dedicated to increasing funding across the entire spectrum of brain research and changing the way we do research (Box 1). Over a period of 10 years, Brain Canada established a track record of funding teams of researchers pursuing paradigm-changing ideas, at a time when most funding was supporting individual researchers. Early evidence from the first five team grants showed that this approach did indeed accelerate breakthroughs and lead to new networks of researchers who had not previously worked together. Based on the success of the first team grants and the economic case presented in its 2006 report (NeuroScience Canada, 2006) Brain Canada convinced the Government of Canada in 2011 to build the largest dedicated brain research fund in Canadian history, named the Canada Brain Research Fund (Figure 1). Through this $240-million CAN public-private partnership, the Government of Canada, through Health Canada, is matching $120 million CAN raised by Brain Canada and its partners on a 1:1 basis. Brain Canada has experienced great success in raising the matching funds and has already awarded $176 million CAN to 168 innovative research projects (Figure 2). Brain Canada’s approach is based on three key concepts: d
One Brain: Brain Canada promotes the view of the brain as a single, complex system with commonalities across the range of neurological disorders, mental illnesses and addictions, and brain and spinal cord injuries. This also supports the need to understand the brain in both health (function) and illness (dysfunction).
d
d
Collaboration: the One Brain approach underscores the value of increased collaboration across disciplines and institutions. Indeed, Brain Canada’s research programs fund multi-investigator research projects and platform support that encourage researchers to break out of their silos to work together and to share information and ideas. One Community: Brain Canada is accelerating brain research and strengthening the Canadian brain research community by increasing the scale of funding and by creating a collective commitment to brain research across the public, private, and voluntary sectors. It emphasizes the importance of bringing together funders, researchers, clinicians, administrators, patients, and caregivers in one community with a shared vision to understand the brain, to improve lives, and to achieve societal impact.
One Brain While each brain disease and disorder is unique to a degree in its symptoms and ultimate causes, Brain Canada makes the case for viewing the brain as a single, complex system in which brain diseases and disorders often share some common underlying mechanisms, such as cell loss, abnormal functioning of nerve cells, or chemical and molecular imbalances in the brain. The presence of these common features means that an increased understanding of one mechanism or disorder is likely to have major benefits in understanding, treating, and ultimately curing other disorders.
Neuron 92, November 2, 2016 ª 2016 Published by Elsevier Inc. 601
Neuron
NeuroView Box 1. Funding Initiatives
HISTORY d d d
d
Nearly 20 years ago, a group of business and science leaders had a bold vision: to transform brain research in Canada. Brain Canada (previously called NeuroScience Canada) was established to harness the collaborative energy of Canadian research and to enable world-class researchers to pursue paradigm-changing ideas. In 2011, the Government of Canada (Health Canada) established a public-private partnership with Brain Canada to create the Canada Brain Research Fund, a $200-million fund in which $100 million raised by Brain Canada and its partners is matched on a 1:1 basis with new public funding. In 2016, the Government of Canada committed an additional $20 million in matching funds, bringing the total Canada Brain Research Fund to $240 million.
MISSION d d
Brain Canada’s vision is to understand the brain, in health and illness, to improve lives and achieve societal impact. Brain Canada is achieving its vision by: d Increasing the scale and scope of funding to accelerate the pace of Canadian brain research d Creating a collective commitment to brain research across the public, private, and voluntary sectors d Delivering transformative, original, and outstanding research programs
SCOPE d d d
Brain Canada enables multidisciplinary, collaborative, high-risk, high-reward research. Brain Canada funds across all brain science and all stages in the research process, from basic science through to population health. The Canada Brain Research Fund supports three types of grants: d Multi-Investigator Research Initiatives (MIRI) (team grants) d Platform support grants d Training awards
REVIEW PROCESS d d
Funding recipients are selected through open and partnered competitions and rigorous international peer review. An exception is made for training awards where knowledge of the Canadian context is essential.
FUNDING d
To date, Brain Canada has invested $176.6 million to support 168 projects, 750+ researchers across Canada, connecting 75+ disciplines and 70 institutions.
For too long research has been fragmented and siloed, with researchers focusing on a particular brain disease. By promoting the One Brain approach, Brain Canada encourages researchers to broaden their perspective, to widen their scope of inquiry, and to connect with other scientists in the pursuit not only of insights that are related to the mechanisms and disorders that are their particular focus, but also how these insights are related to other mechanisms and disorders, and to the brain as an overall system. The goal is to accelerate discovery and ultimately prevention and treatment
602 Neuron 92, November 2, 2016
for multiple brain disorders through interdisciplinary collaboration. This approach has generated important progress in encouraging a new way of thinking, as the research funding has moved from a disease-specific approach toward one that takes a one-system view of the brain. In looking at the brain as one system, we can also better understand the overall burden of brain disease and injury on individuals, families, the economy and society, and therefore strengthen the case for increasing and accelerating research to understand the brain in health and illness to improve lives.
Collaborative Research Brain Canada encourages collaboration among researchers from all areas relevant to the study of the brain. While the collaboration between neuroscientists is fundamental, understanding the brain is no longer just about neuroscience—it now includes disciplines such as engineering, computer science, chemistry, physics, ethics, and even the fine arts. Recognizing this reality, one of Brain Canada’s goals is to enable and support multidisciplinary research that includes a range of specialties. Brain Canada encourages high-risk, high-reward research
Neuron
NeuroView their core area of research to help them develop a One Brain One Community approach. Brain Canada supports the careers of many other trainees through their involvement in MIRI and PSG projects. All projects are selected further to national, open calls and rigorous international peer review. The three grant types were developed in consultation with the research community, through a distinguished international Science Advisory Council. Brain Canada continues to monitor developments in the field to ensure that its programs are moving ahead of the curve.
Figure 1. The Canada Brain Research Fund
across Canada at all stages in the process, from basic science through population health, to the translation of discoveries and their application to people. By doing so, Brain Canada develops and implements transformative, original, and outstanding research programs that address areas critical to advancing brain research. Brain Canada, through the Canada Brain Research Fund, supports three types of grants: d
d
Multi-Investigator Research Initiative (MIRI): these team grants allow investigators with a range of complementary expertise and approaches to come together to pursue big, bold ideas that have the potential to become tomorrow’s big, bold discoveries. Brain Canada emphasizes ideas over applicants’ curriculumvitae, which is distinct from many other funders. Projects are evaluated primarily on innovation and originality, multi-disciplinarity and teamwork, feasibility, and potential for impact. These highly competitive grants provide support for the direct operating costs of research related to any area of neural function and dysfunction, including special senses, neurological, and mental health. They usually offer 3–5 years of funding, typically up to $500,000 CAN per year. Platform Support Grants (PSG): high-impact research requires platforms such as biobanks, databases
d
and computing and informatics facilities. Canada has been quite supportive in funding such infrastructure, especially through the Government of Canada’s Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI). Following broad consultation, including with CFI and with the Canadian Institutes for Health Research (CIHR), Brain Canada found that securing funding for the operations and maintenance of these research platforms was often challenging and decided to fill this gap with its Platform Support Grants program. These grants allow local, regional, or national research platforms to provide enhanced technical and research capability to multiple investigators across Canada. Support for these platforms is key for facilitating exchange between researchers and for accelerating research. Training Awards: scientific breakthroughs often result from innovative, outside-the-box thinking that challenges existing doctrine. In fact, some of the best research ideas come from early-career investigators who have not been fixed on one particular approach or focus. Brain Canada seeks to nurture emerging future leaders in Canadian brain research by offering Training Awards that often go beyond salary support to include mentorship, international research experiences, networking, career development, and complimentary training outside
One Community Beyond the collaboration between researchers, Brain Canada believes that brain research can be most successful if the various stakeholders see themselves as part of one community with shared interests. Brain Canada has always worked at building and strengthening this community that includes governments, voluntary health organizations, philanthropists, business leaders, patients, caregivers, health administrators, clinicians, and of course researchers and their host institutions. As part of this community, the Government of Canada has recognized the need to invest in research and has created successful programs to attract top talent to work in Canada. The CIHR investment in neuroscience is about $170 million CAN per year (CIHR, 2011). Programs such as the Canada Research Chairs program, CFI, Canada First Research Excellence Fund (CFREF), Networks of Centres of Excellence, as well as the Strategy for Patient-Oriented Research have positioned Canadian researchers and institutions to excel globally and ensure investment is made where needed. This year was a great year for investment in brain research in Canada, with the CFREF allocating $243.5 million CAN to research relevant to brain. McGill University was awarded $84 million CAN, part of which will be used to create a global hub for neuroinformatics and big data analysis to accelerate translational discoveries. McGill University will also strengthen its existing collaboration in brain research with Western University, which was awarded $66 million CAN from CFREF to be used
Neuron 92, November 2, 2016 603
Neuron
NeuroView
Figure 2. Current Funding of Research Projects
in part to find solutions for the maintenance of brain function across the lifespan. Universite´ de Montre´al received $93.5 million CAN in part for a program on machine learning/deep learning. In addition, under the leadership of the Minister of Science, the Government of Canada is undertaking a comprehensive review of federal support for fundamental science to assess how it can better support Canadian research. An important part of Brain Canada’s role has been to promote approaches that can produce benefits for the entire community of partner organizations, researchers, patients, and their families. Brain Canada has committed enormous effort in its role as a convener in working with funding partners and donors with interests across the entire spectrum of neurological diseases and injuries, mental illnesses, and addictions. The list of supporters continues to grow—now numbering greater than 100—and includes research institutes, provincial agencies, voluntary health organizations, private donors, corporations, and foundations (Figure 3). These partnerships involving different disciplines and sectors are fostering a brain community that is better coordinated to achieve common goals. Other initiatives are making major contributions to transforming the brain research community. For instance, The W. Garfield Weston Foundation established the Weston Brain Institute with a $100 million CAN investment over 10 years to accelerate the development of therapeutics for neurodegenerative diseases of aging. Another example is the Women’s Brain Health Initiative (WBHI), which was started in response to the startling statistic that 70% of Alzheimer’s pa-
604 Neuron 92, November 2, 2016
tients are women, yet research focuses on men. To rectify this, WBHI creates educational programs and funds research to combat brain-aging diseases that affect women. International Initiatives and Brain Canada’s Contribution Scientists in Canada have long collaborated with colleagues around the world, and in fact, the brain science community is a global community addressing a global challenge. Brain disorders do not recognize borders. No single country contains all of the necessary resources, and there is a move toward a more coordinated effort to work toward shared goals and common purpose, recognizing areas where each country can most strongly contribute. This global discussion aligns perfectly with the vision of Brain Canada. In the recent years, a number of initiatives have been launched or are in development. Canada, the U.S., the E.U., Japan, China, and other countries have committed an amount upward of $7 billion over the next decade to accelerate progress of discovery in brain research. The recent launch of the International Brain Initiative along with the creation of a virtual International Brain Station was an occasion for researchers, governments, foundations, advocacy groups, and the private sector to discuss ways of cooperating on a global scale (discussed during the Coordinating Global Brain Projects Network meeting at the Rockfeller University, New York City, September 19th, 2016). One of the key challenges is to link the priorities of different countries into a matrix of brain research funding that benefits society as a whole. The large-scale projects
promote a top-down, strategic approach to facilitating brain research. The U.S. BRAIN Initiative and the European Human Brain Project, for example, have begun to provide data, tools, and technologies that will be useful for the entire research community. At the same time, Brain Canada believes that mechanisms are also required to support and promote bottomup collaborative research from small labs in different countries. With the quality of Canadian research, the country is well suited for both approaches, and Brain Canada will continue to play a role in the internationalization of brain research by cultivating global linkages and collaboration. Brain Canada has taken a direct role to foster linkages between Canada and other countries through its international partnerships (including the National Institutes of Health BRAIN Initiative, Alzheimer’s Association, and CIFAR), highlighting that Canadian research excellence is recognized globally. Through these partnerships, Brain Canada enables Canadian researchers to expand their participation in international efforts. The multidisciplinary team grants are another example of the importance that Brain Canada confers to connections beyond borders. Through these grants, Canadian researchers can collaborate with international researchers, which enables them to form new connections and create global networks. Several countries have expressed interest in learning more about Brain Canada’s approach and the public-private partnership of the Canada Brain Research Fund. Brain Canada welcomes these inquiries and shares information openly in the hope that its experience can be helpful in strengthening brain research elsewhere.
Neuron
NeuroView
Figure 3. List of Donors and Partners
Neuron 92, November 2, 2016 605
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NeuroView Brain Canada and Canadian Brain Research Going Forward As part of the global effort to understand the brain, there is an increased interest from researchers, governments, and funders in the development of open science and data-sharing platforms that will facilitate collaborations within countries and around the world. Brain Canada recently convened a broad cross-section of Canadian researchers to discuss the creation of a large grant in open neuroscience and data sharing. Brain Canada believes that this will strengthen Canadian brain research and position Canada as a world leader. This initiative, currently under development, will bring together existing platforms, initiatives, and networks, allowing them to link, leverage, enhance, and expand. Like all funders in a field where there have been rapid advances in recent years, particularly at the intersection of technology and neuroscience, Brain Canada is aware of its responsibility to foster dialogue on the ethical, legal, and social implications of brain research in the context of open science and data sharing. For instance, Brain Canada has a role to ensure that research is done in an ethical manner, including bi-directional dialogue between those who develop technologies and the end users of that technology. Open science requires the development and implementation of a strategic plan toward new standards in ethics across all Canadian institutions (discussed at the Open Science/Data Sharing Workshop, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, September
606 Neuron 92, November 2, 2016
28-29, 2016). The law provides protection of scientific data and forbids extraction and reuse of data without permission of the rights holder. Thus, the law has a potential for preventing access to expensive data without payment to a self-appointed gatekeeper. This represents another challenge in the context of open science and data sharing. The solution may come from the brain research community itself, which could strive for key databases to be part of the public domain, as is the case for the successful Human Genome Organization (HUGO) project in relation to the human genome data. As a funder, Brain Canada understands that the full potential of expansive research will not be realized unless its effective dissemination is also funded. There are different views within the research community regarding open science, ranging from those that advocate for data sharing as a way to accelerate progress toward better outcomes for people, to those who are uncomfortable with such an evolution of established academic traditions. Funders can help to encourage a cultural change, and Brain Canada hopes that the work it supports in this area will demonstrate to the brain research community that open science done well would be highly beneficial to everyone involved in brain research.
community. It will continue to realize the promise of ‘‘One Brain One Community,’’ working in close collaboration with the brain community in Canada and around the world, and in partnership with the Government of Canada and other funders and supporters. The vision that launched Brain Canada nearly 20 years ago remains relevant and important for achieving the scale and scope of funding that is needed to bring us closer to unlocking the mysteries of the brain and improving the lives of millions.
Conclusion Brain Canada has already accomplished a great deal in enhancing brain research and convening key players in the brain
NeuroScience Canada (2006). The Case for Canada’s Increased Investment in Neuroscience Research. http://www.cnsfederation.org/uploads/ content/advocacy/documents/reports-case-forincreased-investment.pdf.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR Inez Jabalpurwala is the President and CEO of Brain Canada. Through her leadership of Brain Canada, she has contributed greatly to increasing attention to and investment in Canadian brain research over the past 15 years. She is a member of the US National Institutes of Health BRAIN Initiative Multi-Council Working Group and a member of the Institute of Medicine (of the National Academies) Forum on Neuroscience and Nervous System Disorders. The views expressed herein represent the views of Brain Canada, not the Minister of Health or the Government of Canada.
REFERENCES Canadian Institutes of Health Research (2011). Internal Assessment for 2011 International Review CIHR Institute of Neurosciences, Mental Health and Addiction. http://www.cihr-irsc.gc.ca/e/43681. html.
NeuroView Brain Canada: One Brain One Community Inez Jabalpurwala1,* 1Brain Canada Foundation, Montreal, QC H3B 4G7, Canada *Correspondence: [email protected] http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.neuron.2016.10.049
Building on the long history of neuroscience in Canada, Brain Canada is accelerating the funding of transformative brain research across Canada, primarily through an innovative $240-million CAN public-private partnership with the Government of Canada and numerous partners. This article describes Brain Canada’s ‘‘One Brain One Community’’ approach and its views on international collaboration and the future of brain research. Introduction Canada’s contributions to brain research began in 1934 when Dr. Wilder Penfield founded the Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital (MNI). The MNI became the birthplace of neuroscience, and the largest center dedicated to the brain in Canada and among the largest in the world. A seamless integration of research and patient care was and remains the vision and is a model that has been adopted around the world. Since then, various brain research centers have been established across Canada, including the Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health (British Columbia), Hotchkiss Brain Institute (Alberta), Krembil Neuroscience Centre (Ontario), Rotman Research Institute (Ontario), and the Brain Repair Centre (Nova Scotia), which are producing some of the most significant discoveries in the field. Much, however, remains to be done to unlock the mysteries of the brain. Brain Canada was founded nearly 20 years ago by a group of business and science leaders with a bold vision to transform brain research in Canada. They recognized the burden of brain disorders on individuals, families, caregivers, the economy, and society. In Canada, one in three individuals—over 11 million people—will face a psychiatric disease, addiction, neurological disorder, or brain or spinal cord injury at some point in their lives (NeuroScience Canada, 2006). They further recognized that the investment in brain research was severely disproportionate to the burden of disease and lagged behind investments in other disease areas, such as cancer and cardiovascular disease. These leaders created Brain Canada, then known as NeuroScience Canada, as a non-profit organization, the first of its kind in Canada,
dedicated to increasing funding across the entire spectrum of brain research and changing the way we do research (Box 1). Over a period of 10 years, Brain Canada established a track record of funding teams of researchers pursuing paradigm-changing ideas, at a time when most funding was supporting individual researchers. Early evidence from the first five team grants showed that this approach did indeed accelerate breakthroughs and lead to new networks of researchers who had not previously worked together. Based on the success of the first team grants and the economic case presented in its 2006 report (NeuroScience Canada, 2006) Brain Canada convinced the Government of Canada in 2011 to build the largest dedicated brain research fund in Canadian history, named the Canada Brain Research Fund (Figure 1). Through this $240-million CAN public-private partnership, the Government of Canada, through Health Canada, is matching $120 million CAN raised by Brain Canada and its partners on a 1:1 basis. Brain Canada has experienced great success in raising the matching funds and has already awarded $176 million CAN to 168 innovative research projects (Figure 2). Brain Canada’s approach is based on three key concepts: d
One Brain: Brain Canada promotes the view of the brain as a single, complex system with commonalities across the range of neurological disorders, mental illnesses and addictions, and brain and spinal cord injuries. This also supports the need to understand the brain in both health (function) and illness (dysfunction).
d
d
Collaboration: the One Brain approach underscores the value of increased collaboration across disciplines and institutions. Indeed, Brain Canada’s research programs fund multi-investigator research projects and platform support that encourage researchers to break out of their silos to work together and to share information and ideas. One Community: Brain Canada is accelerating brain research and strengthening the Canadian brain research community by increasing the scale of funding and by creating a collective commitment to brain research across the public, private, and voluntary sectors. It emphasizes the importance of bringing together funders, researchers, clinicians, administrators, patients, and caregivers in one community with a shared vision to understand the brain, to improve lives, and to achieve societal impact.
One Brain While each brain disease and disorder is unique to a degree in its symptoms and ultimate causes, Brain Canada makes the case for viewing the brain as a single, complex system in which brain diseases and disorders often share some common underlying mechanisms, such as cell loss, abnormal functioning of nerve cells, or chemical and molecular imbalances in the brain. The presence of these common features means that an increased understanding of one mechanism or disorder is likely to have major benefits in understanding, treating, and ultimately curing other disorders.
Neuron 92, November 2, 2016 ª 2016 Published by Elsevier Inc. 601
Neuron
NeuroView Box 1. Funding Initiatives
HISTORY d d d
d
Nearly 20 years ago, a group of business and science leaders had a bold vision: to transform brain research in Canada. Brain Canada (previously called NeuroScience Canada) was established to harness the collaborative energy of Canadian research and to enable world-class researchers to pursue paradigm-changing ideas. In 2011, the Government of Canada (Health Canada) established a public-private partnership with Brain Canada to create the Canada Brain Research Fund, a $200-million fund in which $100 million raised by Brain Canada and its partners is matched on a 1:1 basis with new public funding. In 2016, the Government of Canada committed an additional $20 million in matching funds, bringing the total Canada Brain Research Fund to $240 million.
MISSION d d
Brain Canada’s vision is to understand the brain, in health and illness, to improve lives and achieve societal impact. Brain Canada is achieving its vision by: d Increasing the scale and scope of funding to accelerate the pace of Canadian brain research d Creating a collective commitment to brain research across the public, private, and voluntary sectors d Delivering transformative, original, and outstanding research programs
SCOPE d d d
Brain Canada enables multidisciplinary, collaborative, high-risk, high-reward research. Brain Canada funds across all brain science and all stages in the research process, from basic science through to population health. The Canada Brain Research Fund supports three types of grants: d Multi-Investigator Research Initiatives (MIRI) (team grants) d Platform support grants d Training awards
REVIEW PROCESS d d
Funding recipients are selected through open and partnered competitions and rigorous international peer review. An exception is made for training awards where knowledge of the Canadian context is essential.
FUNDING d
To date, Brain Canada has invested $176.6 million to support 168 projects, 750+ researchers across Canada, connecting 75+ disciplines and 70 institutions.
For too long research has been fragmented and siloed, with researchers focusing on a particular brain disease. By promoting the One Brain approach, Brain Canada encourages researchers to broaden their perspective, to widen their scope of inquiry, and to connect with other scientists in the pursuit not only of insights that are related to the mechanisms and disorders that are their particular focus, but also how these insights are related to other mechanisms and disorders, and to the brain as an overall system. The goal is to accelerate discovery and ultimately prevention and treatment
602 Neuron 92, November 2, 2016
for multiple brain disorders through interdisciplinary collaboration. This approach has generated important progress in encouraging a new way of thinking, as the research funding has moved from a disease-specific approach toward one that takes a one-system view of the brain. In looking at the brain as one system, we can also better understand the overall burden of brain disease and injury on individuals, families, the economy and society, and therefore strengthen the case for increasing and accelerating research to understand the brain in health and illness to improve lives.
Collaborative Research Brain Canada encourages collaboration among researchers from all areas relevant to the study of the brain. While the collaboration between neuroscientists is fundamental, understanding the brain is no longer just about neuroscience—it now includes disciplines such as engineering, computer science, chemistry, physics, ethics, and even the fine arts. Recognizing this reality, one of Brain Canada’s goals is to enable and support multidisciplinary research that includes a range of specialties. Brain Canada encourages high-risk, high-reward research
Neuron
NeuroView their core area of research to help them develop a One Brain One Community approach. Brain Canada supports the careers of many other trainees through their involvement in MIRI and PSG projects. All projects are selected further to national, open calls and rigorous international peer review. The three grant types were developed in consultation with the research community, through a distinguished international Science Advisory Council. Brain Canada continues to monitor developments in the field to ensure that its programs are moving ahead of the curve.
Figure 1. The Canada Brain Research Fund
across Canada at all stages in the process, from basic science through population health, to the translation of discoveries and their application to people. By doing so, Brain Canada develops and implements transformative, original, and outstanding research programs that address areas critical to advancing brain research. Brain Canada, through the Canada Brain Research Fund, supports three types of grants: d
d
Multi-Investigator Research Initiative (MIRI): these team grants allow investigators with a range of complementary expertise and approaches to come together to pursue big, bold ideas that have the potential to become tomorrow’s big, bold discoveries. Brain Canada emphasizes ideas over applicants’ curriculumvitae, which is distinct from many other funders. Projects are evaluated primarily on innovation and originality, multi-disciplinarity and teamwork, feasibility, and potential for impact. These highly competitive grants provide support for the direct operating costs of research related to any area of neural function and dysfunction, including special senses, neurological, and mental health. They usually offer 3–5 years of funding, typically up to $500,000 CAN per year. Platform Support Grants (PSG): high-impact research requires platforms such as biobanks, databases
d
and computing and informatics facilities. Canada has been quite supportive in funding such infrastructure, especially through the Government of Canada’s Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI). Following broad consultation, including with CFI and with the Canadian Institutes for Health Research (CIHR), Brain Canada found that securing funding for the operations and maintenance of these research platforms was often challenging and decided to fill this gap with its Platform Support Grants program. These grants allow local, regional, or national research platforms to provide enhanced technical and research capability to multiple investigators across Canada. Support for these platforms is key for facilitating exchange between researchers and for accelerating research. Training Awards: scientific breakthroughs often result from innovative, outside-the-box thinking that challenges existing doctrine. In fact, some of the best research ideas come from early-career investigators who have not been fixed on one particular approach or focus. Brain Canada seeks to nurture emerging future leaders in Canadian brain research by offering Training Awards that often go beyond salary support to include mentorship, international research experiences, networking, career development, and complimentary training outside
One Community Beyond the collaboration between researchers, Brain Canada believes that brain research can be most successful if the various stakeholders see themselves as part of one community with shared interests. Brain Canada has always worked at building and strengthening this community that includes governments, voluntary health organizations, philanthropists, business leaders, patients, caregivers, health administrators, clinicians, and of course researchers and their host institutions. As part of this community, the Government of Canada has recognized the need to invest in research and has created successful programs to attract top talent to work in Canada. The CIHR investment in neuroscience is about $170 million CAN per year (CIHR, 2011). Programs such as the Canada Research Chairs program, CFI, Canada First Research Excellence Fund (CFREF), Networks of Centres of Excellence, as well as the Strategy for Patient-Oriented Research have positioned Canadian researchers and institutions to excel globally and ensure investment is made where needed. This year was a great year for investment in brain research in Canada, with the CFREF allocating $243.5 million CAN to research relevant to brain. McGill University was awarded $84 million CAN, part of which will be used to create a global hub for neuroinformatics and big data analysis to accelerate translational discoveries. McGill University will also strengthen its existing collaboration in brain research with Western University, which was awarded $66 million CAN from CFREF to be used
Neuron 92, November 2, 2016 603
Neuron
NeuroView
Figure 2. Current Funding of Research Projects
in part to find solutions for the maintenance of brain function across the lifespan. Universite´ de Montre´al received $93.5 million CAN in part for a program on machine learning/deep learning. In addition, under the leadership of the Minister of Science, the Government of Canada is undertaking a comprehensive review of federal support for fundamental science to assess how it can better support Canadian research. An important part of Brain Canada’s role has been to promote approaches that can produce benefits for the entire community of partner organizations, researchers, patients, and their families. Brain Canada has committed enormous effort in its role as a convener in working with funding partners and donors with interests across the entire spectrum of neurological diseases and injuries, mental illnesses, and addictions. The list of supporters continues to grow—now numbering greater than 100—and includes research institutes, provincial agencies, voluntary health organizations, private donors, corporations, and foundations (Figure 3). These partnerships involving different disciplines and sectors are fostering a brain community that is better coordinated to achieve common goals. Other initiatives are making major contributions to transforming the brain research community. For instance, The W. Garfield Weston Foundation established the Weston Brain Institute with a $100 million CAN investment over 10 years to accelerate the development of therapeutics for neurodegenerative diseases of aging. Another example is the Women’s Brain Health Initiative (WBHI), which was started in response to the startling statistic that 70% of Alzheimer’s pa-
604 Neuron 92, November 2, 2016
tients are women, yet research focuses on men. To rectify this, WBHI creates educational programs and funds research to combat brain-aging diseases that affect women. International Initiatives and Brain Canada’s Contribution Scientists in Canada have long collaborated with colleagues around the world, and in fact, the brain science community is a global community addressing a global challenge. Brain disorders do not recognize borders. No single country contains all of the necessary resources, and there is a move toward a more coordinated effort to work toward shared goals and common purpose, recognizing areas where each country can most strongly contribute. This global discussion aligns perfectly with the vision of Brain Canada. In the recent years, a number of initiatives have been launched or are in development. Canada, the U.S., the E.U., Japan, China, and other countries have committed an amount upward of $7 billion over the next decade to accelerate progress of discovery in brain research. The recent launch of the International Brain Initiative along with the creation of a virtual International Brain Station was an occasion for researchers, governments, foundations, advocacy groups, and the private sector to discuss ways of cooperating on a global scale (discussed during the Coordinating Global Brain Projects Network meeting at the Rockfeller University, New York City, September 19th, 2016). One of the key challenges is to link the priorities of different countries into a matrix of brain research funding that benefits society as a whole. The large-scale projects
promote a top-down, strategic approach to facilitating brain research. The U.S. BRAIN Initiative and the European Human Brain Project, for example, have begun to provide data, tools, and technologies that will be useful for the entire research community. At the same time, Brain Canada believes that mechanisms are also required to support and promote bottomup collaborative research from small labs in different countries. With the quality of Canadian research, the country is well suited for both approaches, and Brain Canada will continue to play a role in the internationalization of brain research by cultivating global linkages and collaboration. Brain Canada has taken a direct role to foster linkages between Canada and other countries through its international partnerships (including the National Institutes of Health BRAIN Initiative, Alzheimer’s Association, and CIFAR), highlighting that Canadian research excellence is recognized globally. Through these partnerships, Brain Canada enables Canadian researchers to expand their participation in international efforts. The multidisciplinary team grants are another example of the importance that Brain Canada confers to connections beyond borders. Through these grants, Canadian researchers can collaborate with international researchers, which enables them to form new connections and create global networks. Several countries have expressed interest in learning more about Brain Canada’s approach and the public-private partnership of the Canada Brain Research Fund. Brain Canada welcomes these inquiries and shares information openly in the hope that its experience can be helpful in strengthening brain research elsewhere.
Neuron
NeuroView
Figure 3. List of Donors and Partners
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NeuroView Brain Canada and Canadian Brain Research Going Forward As part of the global effort to understand the brain, there is an increased interest from researchers, governments, and funders in the development of open science and data-sharing platforms that will facilitate collaborations within countries and around the world. Brain Canada recently convened a broad cross-section of Canadian researchers to discuss the creation of a large grant in open neuroscience and data sharing. Brain Canada believes that this will strengthen Canadian brain research and position Canada as a world leader. This initiative, currently under development, will bring together existing platforms, initiatives, and networks, allowing them to link, leverage, enhance, and expand. Like all funders in a field where there have been rapid advances in recent years, particularly at the intersection of technology and neuroscience, Brain Canada is aware of its responsibility to foster dialogue on the ethical, legal, and social implications of brain research in the context of open science and data sharing. For instance, Brain Canada has a role to ensure that research is done in an ethical manner, including bi-directional dialogue between those who develop technologies and the end users of that technology. Open science requires the development and implementation of a strategic plan toward new standards in ethics across all Canadian institutions (discussed at the Open Science/Data Sharing Workshop, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, September
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28-29, 2016). The law provides protection of scientific data and forbids extraction and reuse of data without permission of the rights holder. Thus, the law has a potential for preventing access to expensive data without payment to a self-appointed gatekeeper. This represents another challenge in the context of open science and data sharing. The solution may come from the brain research community itself, which could strive for key databases to be part of the public domain, as is the case for the successful Human Genome Organization (HUGO) project in relation to the human genome data. As a funder, Brain Canada understands that the full potential of expansive research will not be realized unless its effective dissemination is also funded. There are different views within the research community regarding open science, ranging from those that advocate for data sharing as a way to accelerate progress toward better outcomes for people, to those who are uncomfortable with such an evolution of established academic traditions. Funders can help to encourage a cultural change, and Brain Canada hopes that the work it supports in this area will demonstrate to the brain research community that open science done well would be highly beneficial to everyone involved in brain research.
community. It will continue to realize the promise of ‘‘One Brain One Community,’’ working in close collaboration with the brain community in Canada and around the world, and in partnership with the Government of Canada and other funders and supporters. The vision that launched Brain Canada nearly 20 years ago remains relevant and important for achieving the scale and scope of funding that is needed to bring us closer to unlocking the mysteries of the brain and improving the lives of millions.
Conclusion Brain Canada has already accomplished a great deal in enhancing brain research and convening key players in the brain
NeuroScience Canada (2006). The Case for Canada’s Increased Investment in Neuroscience Research. http://www.cnsfederation.org/uploads/ content/advocacy/documents/reports-case-forincreased-investment.pdf.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR Inez Jabalpurwala is the President and CEO of Brain Canada. Through her leadership of Brain Canada, she has contributed greatly to increasing attention to and investment in Canadian brain research over the past 15 years. She is a member of the US National Institutes of Health BRAIN Initiative Multi-Council Working Group and a member of the Institute of Medicine (of the National Academies) Forum on Neuroscience and Nervous System Disorders. The views expressed herein represent the views of Brain Canada, not the Minister of Health or the Government of Canada.
REFERENCES Canadian Institutes of Health Research (2011). Internal Assessment for 2011 International Review CIHR Institute of Neurosciences, Mental Health and Addiction. http://www.cihr-irsc.gc.ca/e/43681. html.