Brain Research Takes Center Stage at UNESCO’s World Brain Health Forum
Sharing Canada’s Perspective at the European Commission BrainHealth Final Conference
Advancing brain health in Europe’s economic and preparedness strategies at the European Parliament
Canada Showcases Coalition Approach at UN Science Summit on Brain Health
Highlighting Brain Conditions in Global NCD Discussions at the United Nations
CBRS Op-Ed: Making Brain Health Central to Canada’s Economic Future
Building on the success of last month’s G7 Canada Brain Economy Summit, CBRS Executive Director Jennie Z. Young, Ph.D., and economist Julian Karaguesian published an op-ed in The Hill Times—the country’s top policy outlet read closely by Parliamentarians and senior officials.
The article outlines how future economies will be powered by brain power—where healthy brains are matched by a highly skilled workforce created through investment in science and research. And Canada’s excellence in brain research is what will carry this future forward—driving the discoveries, innovations, and talent that make the brain economy real.
With Canada’s focus on productivity and economic growth, investing in brain health and research is the key to achieving both. The op-ed lays out why:
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One in five Canadians lives with a brain condition, with more than $50 billion spent annually on care and billions more lost in productivity.
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Employers, insurers, educators, and governments worldwide are already investing in brain health and skills as assets that strengthen performance and resilience.
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With world-class brain and mental health research capacity, high levels of post-secondary attainment, and early national strategies in AI and quantum, Canada is well placed to lead if brain research is recognized at the same level.
Together, these points show why brain must be a central part of Canada’s economic future. As the article concludes: “The brain economy is emerging, whether we shape it or not. Canada has the tools, the talent, and the momentum. What we need now is the leadership and coordination to match.”
Read the op-ed in The Hill Times (paywalled).
G7 Leaders Urged to Strengthen Brain Health to Boost Economic Growth and Stabilize Health Costs
As the cost of brain conditions is expected to balloon to $16 trillion by 2030, G7 leaders and Canada are uniquely positioned to deliver solutions.
June 13, 2025 (Calgary, Alberta) — A growing international coalition of scientific, business, and policy leaders has issued a declaration calling on G7 leaders to adopt a policy roadmap that will deliver sustained progress on brain health through the 2026 G7 Leaders’ Summit in France.
The Canada Brain Economy Declaration builds on the expanding body of evidence that an erosion of brain health represents an imminent crisis that could cripple major economies if businesses, health systems, and governments do not adopt transformative and coordinated solutions.
The recommendations will be made public during the G7 Canada Brain Economy Summit in Calgary on June 14. They outline concrete steps G7 leaders can take in 2025 to prioritize the creation of a global brain economy—one that will power a more resilient, productive future fueled by healthy brains to meet the rising global demand for brain capital.
Sustainable economic growth and human development depend on brain capital—a combination of brain health and brain skills that is rapidly emerging as a key driver of competitive advantage. Realizing its full potential will require nations to support healthy brain function across the workforce, address conditions such as mental, neurological, and substance use disorders, and promote brain skills like creativity, emotional regulation, and adaptability.
The core recommendations included in the Canada Brain Economy Declaration are:
- Instruct Finance and Health Ministers to develop a coordinated plan to accelerate the brain economy, including concrete investment and policy proposals
- Establish a G7+ Brain Economy Working Group to align efforts across countries and sectors
- Convene a G7 Brain Economy Conference to scale proven solutions and forge new partnerships
- Include brain capital in the 2025 Leaders’ Communiqué, positioning it as central to economic stability and innovation
“Governments are treating human brain health as an economic cost, not as an asset that can be harnessed for significant competitive and societal advantage,” said Jennie Z. Young, PhD, Executive Director of the Canadian Brain Research Strategy. “There is momentum across all sectors in Canada and other nations. But without G7 leadership, we won’t unlock the full economic potential that can be harnessed by investing in brain capital initiatives.”
“Brain health is foundational to our future economy, especially as aging populations and the rise of neurodegenerative and mental health disorders threaten national fiscal stability,” said George Vradenburg, Founding Chairman of the Davos Alzheimer’s Collaborative. “No nation can afford to ignore the multi-trillion-dollar cost of unaddressed brain disorders. This is higher than the annual GDP of Germany, France, Italy, and the UK combined. The G7 has a unique opportunity to solve this crisis, joining the private sector and civil society to create a global brain economy.”
The economic burden of brain and mental health conditions is mounting. In G7 countries, these conditions are now the leading cause of disability and a major driver of lost productivity. Yet government investment and policy coordination remain decades behind the scale of the crisis—leaving people and economies vulnerable. Brain health includes mental, neurological, and substance use disorders that affect individuals across all life stages—from early childhood and adolescence to working-age adults and older populations.
The Declaration makes clear that this is not simply a health or aging issue: It is a business and labor issue that drives national competitiveness and global economic growth. G7 countries have strong, educated workforces, but they are failing to convert that potential into productivity gains. In Canada, for example, GDP per capita has declined for three consecutive years despite having the largest proportion of working-age people in the G7. That mismatch, the Declaration argues, is the brain economy gap.
The push for coordinated action is gaining ground. In September, global stakeholders will reconvene at a high-level side event hosted by the European Brain Council (EBC) during the Science Summit at the 80th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA80) in New York. The event, organized under the banner of the Global Brain Coalition, will continue the work of shaping a shared, global response to the erosion of brain capital. This G7 Canada work will also be integrated into the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) Brain Economy Action Forum and Insights Report to be published at the January 2026 WEF Annual Meeting.
“The future of brain health depends on international cooperation,” said Frédéric Destrebecq, EBC Executive Director. “At UNGA80, we are bringing together voices from science, policy, civil society, and industry to shape a global response to one of the century’s greatest health challenges.”
The Summit is also part of the Davos Alzheimer’s Collaborative Brain House Tour, a global initiative launched at the 2025 World Economic Forum. Each stop convenes leaders from science, business, and policy to shape the systems-level change needed to reduce the burden of brain conditions and build the brain capital required for future generations. The tour will culminate in the release of a global roadmap at Davos 2026.
G7 leaders have a precedent for this kind of action. Past summits have led global responses to pandemics, antimicrobial resistance, and financial instability. The erosion of brain capital is another systemic risk—but this one is preventable. The Declaration urges leaders to act now—and to commit to sustained progress through the 2026 G7 Summit in France.
About the Canada Brain Economy Declaration
The Canada Brain Economy Declaration represents the culmination of a months-long effort that brought together more than 100 senior global leaders from government, business, research, and civil society through a series of roundtables, consultations, and convenings aligned with the 2025 G7 Leaders’ Summit.
The effort was convened by the Alzheimer’s Society of Montreal, Canadian Brain Research Strategy, Centre for Aging + Brain Health Innovation, Davos Alzheimer’s Collaborative, European Brain Council, Hotchkiss Brain Institute, Ontario Brain Institute, Rice University, and the University of Calgary.
We also gratefully acknowledge the hundreds of other individuals and organizations—across sectors and borders—whose thought leadership, time, and collaboration helped shape this global movement and the Declaration it has produced.
Learn More
Read the Canada Brain Economy Declaration:
canadianbrain.ca/canada-brain-economy-declaration
For more information about the Summit:
canadianbrain.ca/g7-canada-brain-economy-summit
Media contact
Lindsay Borthwick
communications@canadianbrain.ca
+1 416 706 7522
Global Business Leaders Signal New Investment Pathways for Brain Health
On May 21, 2025, CBRS Executive Director Jennie Z. Young joined global business leaders for high-level discussions on Brain Capital: The New Competitive Advantage in a Shifting Economy in Houston, Texas.
Hosted by UsAgainstAlzheimer’s Business Collaborative for Brain Health, Rice University, and partners, the roundtables convened nearly 200 business executives, policymakers, neuroscientists, and investors to explore how brain health drives innovation, productivity, and long-term economic growth. Global leaders signaled growing private-sector commitment to the brain economy, opening new pathways for investment in brain health and research.
Dr. Young contributed to the session International Markets: Global Brain Health Challenges and Strategies, highlighting Canada’s national efforts to unite research, policy, and industry around brain health. The discussions underscored how countries are moving from narrative to action—with India piloting brain health clinics, Europe pooling €500 million into a new partnership, and Canada preparing a cross-sector roadmap for the G7 Summit in Calgary.
Across sessions, participants framed brain health as critical infrastructure for resilient societies, showcased emerging AI tools to measure brain capital in schools and workplaces, and emphasized the role of employers in creating brain-healthy environments. Houston itself was positioned as a “lighthouse” for the world’s first local brain economy strategy, linking business, health systems, and policy to workforce well-being.
Vote for Brain Health: Campaign Update
More than 250 Canadians sent letters, reaching over 40% of newly elected MPs to call for urgent federal action on brain and mental health research!
Help us keep brain health front and center.
Send a letter to congratulate your MP and remind them that brain health belongs in Budget 2025.
Because when it comes to brain health, the stakes are too high to ignore — and our community isn’t done raising its voice.
What’s Next: Voices from the Community
We’re continuing the momentum with Voices from the Community, a storytelling series featuring Canadians speaking out on why brain health matters. These stories show that brain health is personal, urgent, and worth championing — and they keep pressure on policymakers to act.
Check out the stories in our Voices from the Community series on LinkedIn:
Vote for Brain Health Now!
🧠 Brain health is Canada’s future—but it’s missing from national priorities.
1 in 5 people—7.5 million Canadians—live with a brain condition, making brain disorders the leading cause of disability in the country. Whether it’s mental illness, autism, substance use disorders, brain injuries, or dementia, the burden is growing. It’s affecting families, straining healthcare, and undermining our workforce and productivity.
That’s why Canada’s brain research community—research leaders, people with lived experience, health charities, non-profits and industry partners—has come together to develop a national strategy. The roadmap is in place. It’s time for government to drive progress.
With a federal election ahead, we must ensure brin health is on the national agenda.
Key Messages:
- Breakthroughs are within reach: Advances in prevention, treatment, and cures depend on strategic, sustained investment to bring innovation to reality.
- Excellence needs coordination: A national initiative is needed to unite individual discoveries into collective solutions, ensuring Canada’s research efforts work together for greater impact.
- Investing now secures our future: A commitment to brain research today secures the Canadian talent to drive new discoveries for better brain health—now and for generations to come.
