University of Calgary launches $10M Hopewell MIND Prize for mental health
Thanks to a $10 million philanthropic gift, the University of Calgary Hotchkiss Brain Institute is launching the Hopewell MIND Prize, offering up to $1 million a year over the next decade to fund "innovative, high-impact brain and mental health projects."
"It will fund research projects that are ‘ahead of the curve’ and at a critical crossroads where an injection of funding has the potential to transform the project into significant community impact," read a release.
MIND stands for Maximizing Innovation in Neuroscience Discovery and the gift came from Sanders Lee, a Calgary philanthropist and founder of the Hopewell Group of Companies.
“I've always been a supporter of the Hotchkiss Brain Institute, and Dr. David Park approached me with what he called a bold idea,” says Lee. “I think at the end of the day, I’m a risk taker, and I loved the idea.
"I want this research prize to be a catalyst for ground breaking discoveries in brain and mental health, and to help us expand our innovation ecosystem with breakthroughs that benefit humankind.”
Funding will be awarded to one individual each year and submissions will be judged by three top international neuroscientists, including Dr. Beth Stevens, associate professor of Neurology at Harvard Medical School; associate professor of Neurology, F.M. Kirby Neurobiology Center, Boston Children’s Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts, along with Dr. Alon Chen, PhD, president of the Weizmann Institute of Science and head of the Max Planck Society in Munich, Germany, and Dr. Nelson Spruston, PhD, senior director of scientific programs at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute in Ashburn, Va.
The first prize will be awarded in fall 2022 and applications are being accepted now. Winning researchers must be members of the Hotchkiss Brain Institute when their prize is awarded. More information is available online.
“This prize will continue to put UCalgary at the cutting edge, allowing researchers to be creative, bold and transformational, said Park, director of the Hotchkiss Brain Institute. "And this will attract the best and brightest to Calgary, to UCalgary and to Alberta.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Deaths of 4 people on Sask. farm confirmed as murder-suicide
The deaths of four people on a farm near the Saskatchewan village of Neudorf have been confirmed a murder-suicide.
George Washington family secrets revealed by DNA from unmarked 19th century graves
Genetic analysis has shed light on a long-standing mystery surrounding the fates of U.S. President George Washington's younger brother Samuel and his kin.
Full parole granted to man convicted in notorious 'McDonald's murders' in Cape Breton
The Parole Board of Canada has granted full parole to one of three men convicted in the brutal murders of three McDonald's restaurant workers in Cape Breton more than 30 years ago.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
Rainfall warnings of up to 80 mm among weather alerts in effect for 6 provinces
Rainfall warnings of up to 90 millimetres and other alerts have been issued for six Canadian provinces, according to the latest forecasts.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.
Bus plunges off a bridge in South Africa, killing 45 people. An 8-year-old child is only survivor
A bus carrying worshippers headed to an Easter festival plunged off a bridge on a mountain pass and burst into flames in South Africa on Thursday, killing at least 45 people, authorities said.
Calgary bridges remain closed due to ongoing police incident
Calgary police have shut down a number of bridges into and out of the downtown core as officers deal with a distraught individual.