Centre for Aging + Brain Health Innovation announces up to $2 million CAD in funding available to support researcher-clinician led innovations in the field of aging and brain health

TORONTO, April 2, 2018 /CNW/ - The Centre for Aging + Brain Health Innovation (CABHI), led by Baycrest Health Sciences, announced today the third round of funding available through its Researcher-Clinician Partnership Program (RCP²).

This program is designed to enhance the effectiveness of connecting point-of-care clinicians in the seniors' care sector with university-based researchers to collaboratively refine, test and validate innovative solutions in aging and brain health. Through this program, CABHI provides up to $500,000 per project to support costs directly associated with the trial testing of an innovation at one or more seniors' care facilities in North America.  In total, up to $2 million CAD in funding will be available through this program to support up to four projects.

"Dementia is having a significant and growing impact on Canadian society, with more than 400,000 Canadians aged 65 and older living with diagnosed dementia, two-thirds of whom are women," says the Honourable Ginette Petitpas Taylor, Minister of Health. "Innovative programs and partnerships like CABHI's RCP², are helping to improve the quality of life of those living with dementia, their families and their caregivers." 

"Our government is committed to bringing the best and brightest innovations in aging and brain health to Ontario. CABHI's Researcher-Clinician Partnership Program is an excellent example of collaboration that develops, tests and scales promising solutions that can bring efficiencies in caring for older adults to the health ecosystem," says the Honourable Reza Moridi, Ontario's Minister of Research, Innovation and Science.

CABHI supports innovations that address challenges associated with the aging brain, including dementia and other neurodegenerative diseases.  CABHI will direct funding at innovations addressing challenge sets listed below:

• Aging in place: solutions that enable older adults with dementia to maximize their choices, independence and quality of life to enable aging in the most appropriate setting
• Caregiver support: solutions that support caregivers (formal and informal) in providing care to older adults with dementia
• Care coordination and navigation: solutions that help older adults, caregivers and healthcare providers coordinate care and transitions for older adults with dementia
• Cognitive health: solutions that focus on health promotion, prevention, early diagnostics, and slow the progression of cognitive impairment for aging adults

"As a researcher myself, I've seen numerous promising innovations developed in labs. But too many of those innovations take years to reach the clinicians who could use them, if they make it there at all.  CABHI's RCP² program accelerates the move from bench to bedside, from concept to care, providing up to $500,000 (CAD) for collaborative teams of researchers and clinicians to get innovative solutions to those who need it most," says Dr. Allison Sekuler, Vice-President Research and Sandra Rotman Chair, Baycrest Health Sciences and Managing Director of CABHI.

Eligible applicants must submit an application by 5 p.m. EST on May 18, 2018. The complete eligibility requirements, selection criteria and additional information about the program are available on the CABHI website.

Funding for this program is provided by the Government of Canada through the Public Health Agency of Canada, the Government of Ontario through the Ministry of Research, Innovation and Science, and the Baycrest Foundation.

View this media release in French.

The Centre for Aging + Brain Health Innovation (CABHI) is a solution accelerator for the aging and brain health sector, providing funding and support to innovators for the development, testing, and dissemination of new ideas and technologies that address unmet brain health and seniors' care needs. Established in 2015, it is the result of the largest investment in brain health and aging in Canadian history. CABHI is a unique collaboration of health care, science, industry, not-for-profit and government partners whose aim is to help improve quality of life for the world's aging population, allowing older adults to age safely in the setting of their choice while maintaining their cognitive, emotional, and physical well-being. For more information on CABHI, please visit: www.cabhi.com.

Baycrest Health Sciences is a global leader in geriatric residential living, healthcare, research, innovation and education, with a special focus on brain health and aging. Fully affiliated with the University of Toronto, Baycrest provides excellent care for older adults combined with an extensive clinical training program for the next generation of healthcare professionals and one of the world's top research institutes in cognitive neuroscience, the Rotman Research Institute. Baycrest is home to the federally and provincially-funded Centre for Aging + Brain Health Innovation, a solution accelerator focused on driving innovaticon in the aging and brain health sector, and is the developer of Cogniciti — a free, online brain health assessment for Canadians 40+ who are concerned about their memory. Through its dedicated centres, Baycrest Health Sciences offers unmatched global knowledge exchange and commercialization capacity. Founded in 1918 as the Jewish Home for Aged, Baycrest continues to embrace the long-standing tradition of all great Jewish healthcare institutions to improve the well-being of people in their local communities and around the globe. For more information please visit: www.baycrest.org.

SOURCE Centre for Aging + Brain Health Innovation

Media Contact: Arielle Zomer, Senior Communications Specialist, CABHI, 416-785-2500 ext. 6086, [email protected]; Jonathan MacIndoe, Senior Communications Specialist, Baycrest Health Sciences, 416-785-2500, ext. 6579, [email protected]