Grant: Canada First Research Excellence Fund

Western's BrainsCAN initiative will reduce the burden of brain disorders that affect cognition, by extending and mobilizing knowledge of the mappings between neural circuits and high-level behaviour and cognition to deliver evidence-based interventions. Under the BrainsCAN umbrella, Western has assembled one of the largest research communities in the world examining the brain basis of cognition. BrainsCAN is the natural next step in the evolution of Western's focused investment in cognitive neuroscience and imaging, which has culminated in an institutional commitment of over $85M to this proposal. The value of this investment to Canada will be further leveraged through a constellation of partners working on complementary initiatives, including McGill University, CIFAR, and industrial partners. BrainsCAN will be implemented on four pillars: Elite Core Infrastructure, Recruitment and Training of Talent, Accelerator Awards, and Agile Knowledge Translation (AKT). The implementation plan is deliverables-and-metrics based. It describes objective targets, the processes required to measure progress towards the targets, and the management and governance mechanisms to ensure that targets are met. The initiative will be managed by Executive and Scientific Directors, supported by other academic leaders and administrative staff. It is governed by a Board, advised by a committee of internationally leading scientists. BrainsCAN's equity plan will ameliorate the structural barriers faced by underrepresented groups within the academy, and a rigorous, formalized risk-management plan will ensure BrainsCAN's success. BrainsCAN is poised to radically transform our understanding of brain disorders and deliver evidence-based interventions in the classroom, in the operating room and in the clinic.