G7 Canada Brain Economy Summit

Virtual Roundtables – Participants Package

Objective / Purpose

The G7 Canada Brain Economy Summit is a global initiative focused on how brain capital—our collective brain health and brain skills—can drive economic growth, resilience, and innovation. 

Timed to coincide with Canada’s G7 Presidency and the G7 Leaders’ Summit in June 2025, the summit includes G7-aligned virtual roundtables and a public event in Calgary, bringing together senior leaders from government, business, research, and civil society to shape a shared vision for inclusive, brain-centered progress. 

The G7 Canada Brain Economy Summit is designed to show how brain health is relevant across all sectors of society—not just health. Through focused discussions aligned with G7 engagement group themes (such as Business 7, Civil Society 7, Labour 7, Science 7 and others), we: 

• Demonstrate that brain health is an economic, workforce, and societal issue. 
• Empower different sectors to take action instead of relying on government alone to drive change. 
• Make brain health a cross-sector responsibility, showing how each area contributes to a broader brain economy framework. 

Brain-related disorders cost the global economy $3.5 trillion in lost productivity each year and rising, while demand for cognitive, emotional, and social skills is accelerating across every sector, driven by workforce shifts and technological change.

With brain health named a global priority for the first time at the 2025 World Economic Forum, there is now a meaningful opening to shape how countries respond.

This summit leverages brain health’s new standing as a global economic priority to guide national and international action.

Our roundtable events will connect brain capital to real-world sector goals and generate policy and investment recommendations to inform strategy, guide resource allocation, and support cross-sector coordination in building the brain economy.

Virtual Roundtables Summary

This convening will bring together stakeholders to explore how key sectors can drive innovative solutions to the challenges and opportunities of the brain economy. Structured around G7 engagement group themes, these discussions will explore how brain capital connects to sectorial priorities and what coordinated efforts are needed to support cognitive resilience, workforce capacity, and inclusive growth.

Discussions will be organized around G7 engagement groups and will identify concrete actions for advancing the brain economy across sectors.
Many participants will see connections across multiple groups. Your fit depends on what aspect of your work you want to bring forward, not just your job title or sector.

While you’ve been assigned to one engagement group, you will have the opportunity to review and contribute your thoughts across all groups after the roundtables, as part of the development of the Brain Economy Declaration.

G7 Engagement Group Alignment

Discussion Questions

1️⃣Inspire: Connect brain health and brain skills to your sector’s purpose, priorities, and potential to shape a stronger brain economy.

• Why are brain health and brain skills important to your sector or field’s purpose and priorities?
• How can your field or sector contribute to building a brain economy?
• Why is now the time to act? What makes this a pivotal moment for your sector?

2️⃣Guide: Examine successes, gaps, and what your sector needs to help build the brain economy in practice.

• What is your sector already doing to support brain health or brain skills?
• What barriers—policy, funding, structural—are limiting your sector’s ability to contribute to the brain economy?
• What shifts, resources, or actions would enable your sector to play a stronger role in building the brain economy?

3️⃣Forecast: Envision the impact of a well-developed brain economy on your sector and how your sector can track progress.

• What does a thriving brain economy look like from your sector’s perspective?
• Where do you see the greatest potential for scalable, cross-sector solutions?
• How would your sector define and measure success in building a brain economy?

Miro Whiteboard Instructions

We’ll be using a virtual whiteboard during the roundtables to organize ideas using the Inspire – Guide – Forecast framework.

• Access the Practice Miro board here
• No login is required—just use the guest access link.

A practice board has been set up in advance. Please make sure you’re familiar with how to use it ahead of the roundtables. Take a few minutes to explore the board and practice adding sticky notes or typing comments so you feel comfortable contributing during the session.

Event Agenda

Roundtable 1 – Wednesday, May 28, 2025 | Time: 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM EDT | 4:00 PM – 7:00 PM CEST

Roundtable 2 – Wednesday, June 4, 2025 | Time: 10:00 AM – 11:30 AM EDT | 4:00 PM – 5:30 PM CEST

Additional Resources

G7 Canada Brain Economy Overview

G7 Canada Brain Economy Summit Prospectus

G7 Canada Brain Economy Concept Note

G7 Canada Brain Economy Social Toolkit

Contact

G7summit@canadianbrain.ca

Event Convenors

National Convenor: Canadian Brain Research Strategy (CBRS)

CBRS is a pan-Canadian movement to advance brain and mental health research through strategic coordination, policy development, and cross-sector collaboration. Founded as a grassroots, researcher-led initiative, CBRS brings together more than 40 of Canada’s leading neuroscience and mental health institutes and programs, along with early career researchers, Indigenous Knowledges Holders, people with lived experience of brain conditions, research funders, health charities, non-profits, and industry partners. Our work is driven by the vision of brain science as a catalyst for policy, social, health, and economic progress for Canada and the world.

Provincial Convenor: Ontario Brain Institute (OBI)

The Ontario Brain Institute (OBI) is a provincially funded, not-for-profit organization that accelerates discovery and innovation, benefiting both patients and the economy. OBI’s collaborative team science approach promotes brain research, commercialization, and care by connecting researchers, clinicians, industry, patients, and their advocates to improve the lives of those living with brain disorders.

Local Convenor: Hotchkiss Brain Institute (HBI)

The Hotchkiss Brain Institute (HBI) brings together over 300 researchers and clinician scientists dedicated to advancing brain and mental health through research, education, and innovation. Based at the University of Calgary, the HBI fosters transdisciplinary collaboration across key areas including brain development, neurodegeneration and dementia, mental health, movement disorders, and brain injury and repair. HBI researchers continuously drive discovery,  improving patient care and creating global impact.
Learn more about the HBI.

The Davos Alzheimer’s Collaborative (DAC)

The Davos Alzheimer’s Collaborative (DAC) is a pioneering worldwide initiative to cure Alzheimer’s disease and improve brain health, seeking to mirror the success of global efforts against infectious diseases such as HIV/AIDS, Covid, and Malaria. DAC is extending global research beyond its current focus on traditional Western European ethnic populations into the highly diversified populations of the Global South, where the vast majority of those with Alzheimer’s live. By introducing lower-cost screening and diagnostic tools as well as new treatment and prevention modalities in primary care and community health settings, DAC is driving implementation of health system solutions that are appropriate for worldwide application. DAC also promotes the vital importance of brain health throughout the lifespan by addressing cardiometabolic and lifestyle factors, especially in early and mid-life. Absent effective action at scale around the world, by 2050, more than 150 million families and half a billion people will be personally impacted by dementia, creating a social, financial, economic, and global security disaster of historic proportions. DAC was launched in Davos in 2021 by the World Economic Forum and the Global CEO Initiative on Alzheimer’s Disease. For more information, please visit: davosalzheimerscollaborative.org.

European Brain Council (EBC)

The European Brain Council (EBC) is a network of key players in the “Brain Area”, with a membership encompassing scientific societies, patient organizations, professional societies and industry partners. A non-profit organization based in Brussels, its main mission is to promote brain research with the ultimate goal of improving the lives of the millions of Europeans living with brain conditions, mental and neurological alike. With the aim to speak with one voice, EBC stands as the platform to foster cooperation between its member organizations and other stakeholders, consistently promoting dialogue between scientists, industry and society. As showcased by its growing portfolio of projects, research and policy papers, as well as events, EBC emphasizes the importance of continued interaction with the European Institutions to build strong European health policies, raising awareness and improving knowledge of the brain and the repercussions of neurological and mental health conditions on society as a whole.

Rice University

Rice is a private, independent university dedicated to the “advancement of letters, science, and art.”​ Rice attracts a diverse group of highly talented students with a range of academic studies that includes humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, engineering, architecture, music, and business management. The school offers students the advantage of forging close relationships with members of the faculty and the option of tailoring graduate and undergraduate studies to their specific interests. The Electrical and Computer Engineering Department provides high quality undergraduate and graduate degree programs, which emphasize fundamental principles that respond to and create technological change.

Thank you to our Sponsors.