Million dollar prize for mental health research

Ottawa, ON – The Royal, a mental health care and academic health science centre affiliated with the University of Ottawa, has received a $1 million gift from The Mach-Gaensslen Foundation of Canada to establish a new prize to recognize excellence in mental health research in Canada. The Royal-Mach-Gaensslen Prize for Mental Health Research will award $100,000 annually to an early-career researcher (or team of up to three researchers).

“Mental illness is a huge burden on our society; it affects individuals and families on a deep personal level and it costs our economy billions of dollars every year.  Research in the field of mental health is of critical importance. We want to encourage Canada’s outstanding young researchers to pursue discovery and innovation that will lead to breakthroughs in mental health care. This is why we have partnered with the Mach-Gaensslen Foundation to create this unique prize,” said George Weber, the Royal’s president and CEO.

The Royal-Mach-Gaensslen Prize for Mental Health Research will support Canadian early-career researchers with a focus in the area of mental health and encourage them to continue to pursue their research in Canada. The prize will recognize those with a demonstrated track record of excellence in clinical research, innovative thinking, collaboration, imagination and originality. The competition will occur once a year for the next 10 years, providing $100,000 of undirected funds to the recipient.

The competition for 2015 is now open and the deadline for applications is July 15. Researchers can view the prize criteria and submit their applications at www.theroyal.ca/research.