Zhukovsky, Peter

Published purpose

Supported by the Canada Brain Research Fund, the purpose of the Future Leaders in Canadian Brain Research program is to accelerate novel and transformative research that will fundamentally change our understanding of nervous system function and dysfunction and their impact on health. The ultimate goal is to reduce the social and economic burden of neurological and mental health illnesses through prevention, early diagnosis, and treatment. Newly trained researchers in their first independent academic position are in a strong position to formulate innovative and impactful research projects. However, at the early stages of an investigator’s career, they often lack the preliminary data and resources that are required to obtain their first large operating grant. As such, promising early-career researchers are often at a disadvantage when applying to “open” funding programs, where more established researchers tend to dominate. The Future Leaders in Canadian Brain Research program has the potential to be transformative at a time when it is well recognized that there is a significant funding gap to support and retain our brightest earlycareer researchers, who are well positioned to make major contributions to Canadian brain research. By providing early-career researchers with funding at a critical point in their careers, we can build Canada's pipeline of future leaders and a foundation of research excellence and innovation.