The Canadian Institutes of Health Research Institute of Aging (CIHR-IA), in partnership with the CIHR Institute of Infection and Immunity (CIHR-III), the CIHR Institute of Genetics (CIHR-IG),  the Azrieli Foundation, and the Canadian Centre for Caregiving Excellence (CCCE), have launched a funding opportunity to advance the understanding about mechanisms underlying changes in the brain that are involved in risk for, or mitigation of risk of, the development of age-related cognitive impairment. The intent is also to build training and mentoring capacity for the next generation of researchers in the field.

The goal of the Operating Grant: Mechanisms in Brain Aging and Dementia is to expand knowledge on risk reduction and protective factors involved in promoting cognitive health and mitigating the changes that occur in the onset and progression of cognitive impairment and dementia in aging, while considering diversity, equity and inclusion, Indigenous Rights, social determinants of health and systematic barriers.

The total amount available for this funding opportunity is $9 million, enough to fund approximately twelve grants.

Projects using existing datasets from Canadian or international cohort studies, platforms, or databases, such as the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA), are eligible if relevant to:

1. Research Areas (7 grants up to $750,000 each over three years) – Projects focusing on the impacts of resilience, resistance, cognitive reserve, neuroprotection and other mechanisms on the development and progression of age-related cognitive impairment and dementia.
2. Caregiving and Care Providers and/or Aging with Neurodiversity (3 grants up to $750,000 each over three years) – Projects focusing on caregiving as a social determinant of healthy brain aging, effects on brain and mental health, health risks and benefits for caregivers of people with age-related dementia, Indigenous caregiving knowledge and applications for cognitive and mental health in aging, novel caregiver-focused interventions that enable aging in place for people with and without pre-existing disabilities, Defining the determinants of healthy brain aging for neurodivergent people; or healthcare, community-based and/or caregiver interventions for cognitive and mental health for neurodivergent people, including prevention, diagnosis and risk management.
3. Infection and inflammation (1 grant available up to $750,000 over three years) – Projects focusing on mechanisms underlying resistance that maintain brain health in the presence of pathophysiology, including chronic inflammatory conditions, infection, or post infection sequelae.
4. Indigenous Health Research Pool (1 grant available up to $750,000 over three years) – Projects focusing on either social determinants of health that impact the health and well-being of Indigenous Peoples, Indigenous caregiving knowledge and applications for cognitive and mental health in aging or multiple comorbidities experienced by Indigenous Peoples.

Researchers interested in applying should visit ResearchNet for more information on eligibility, how to apply and the relevant research areas and data resources available. If needed, researchers can download the CLSA Data Access Support Letter to include with their application to CIHR.

To view a complete list of the available CLSA data and biospecimens, please refer to the Data Availability Table.

The application deadline for the Operating Grant: Mechanisms in Brain Aging and Dementia is July 12, 2023. Funding is expected to begin November 2023.

For more information on how to access CLSA Data, please review the CLSA Data Access Application Process.