UCalgary announces new $10M prize to support high-impact brain and mental health research

Calgary, AB – The University of Calgary’s Hotchkiss Brain Institute (HBI) is launching The Hopewell M.I.N.D. (Maximizing Innovation in Neuroscience Discovery) Prize, created through a $10M philanthropic commitment by Calgary philanthropist, builder and business leader Sanders Lee. This prize is unique in Canada, offering up to $1 million annually for 10 years to launch innovative, high-impact brain and mental health projects at UCalgary. 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.

I believe that Calgary is THE city, and we need bold, innovative ideas to drive us forward. 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.

-Sanders Lee, Calgary philanthropist and founder of Hopewell Group of Companies

Through this award, UCalgary and HBI will further elevate their reputation in the brain and mental health field among international level researchers, engage internationally recognized advisors and attract top students and trainees to Calgary.

This prize will continue to put UCalgary at the cutting edge, allowing researchers to be creative, bold and transformational. And this will attract the best and brightest to Calgary, to UCalgary and to Alberta.

-David Park, Director, Hotchkiss Brain Institute

It will also continue HBI’s contributions to the university’s innovation ecosystem, which includes the Hunter Hub for Entrepreneurial Thinking, Innovate Calgary, UCeed and the Creative Destruction Lab.

The Hopewell M.I.N.D. Prize will motivate a new generation of students and scholars to think differently about how they approach grand challenges in neuroscience. Sanders’ incredible gift stands to influence this next generation of leaders and form a long-lasting legacy as a part of our pioneering research at the Hotchkiss Brain Institute.

-Dr. Ed McCauley, president and vice-chancellor, UCalgary

The Hopewell M.I.N.D. Prize will be awarded to a single individual each year. The prizes 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.

The Hopewell M.I.N.D. competition is now open for applications with the first prize to be awarded in Fall 2022.  Winning researchers must be members of the HBI when their prize is awarded. Learn more now.

Media inquiries

Michelle Crossland
Senior Communications Specialist
Media & Issues Management
403-975-5832
michelle.crossland@ucalgary.ca

About the University of Calgary

The University of Calgary is a global intellectual hub located in Canada’s most enterprising city. In our spirited, high-quality learning environment, students thrive in programs made rich by research, hands-on experiences and entrepreneurial thinking. Our strategy drives us to be recognized as one of Canada’s top five research universities, engaging the communities we both serve and lead. For more information, visit ucalgary.ca/eyeshigh.

For more information, visit ucalgary.ca. Stay up to date with University of Calgary news headlines on Twitter @UCalgary. For details on faculties and how to reach experts go to our media center at ucalgary.ca/newsroom.