Building the Brain Economy Through Bold Innovation in Aging + Brain Health

The accelerating pace of demographic changes, marked by a growing aging population and the rising rates of dementia worldwide, calls for targeted and innovative responses. In Canada, the annual economic impact of dementia is projected to rise to over $110 billion by 2050. As a nation, the task ahead of us is not only to drive cutting-edge research and innovation in healthcare, but to ensure that the resulting advancements can be leveraged to support a robust economy and skilled workforce that extend across all sectors of society. As global systems face mounting pressures from social, economic, and geopolitical disruptions, it is essential our approach prepares for these shifts in creative and bold ways. 

Canada must recognize that brain health is fundamental to economic health, and that now is the time to build a future-proof economy fueled by brain capital: the cognitive, emotional, and social resources of our people. For Canada to establish itself as a competitive global leader, we must embrace the brain economy and position ourselves strategically to be a country that powers homegrown, scalable, and impact-driven brain health innovations. Valuing brain capital is valuing our economic sovereignty for the years ahead. 

The Centre for Aging + Brain Health Innovation (CABHI), powered by Baycrest—a global leader in dementia research, innovation, care, and education—supports these efforts. Through tailored funding programs and acceleration services, CABHI plays a pivotal role in ensuring that Canadian science, intellectual property (IP), and solutions promote a healthy brain economy. Through this approach—one that recognizes brain health and invests in brain capital—we can unlock our full potential and build a thriving society for all.

From Research to Real-World Impact

When innovations stall, the brain economy suffers; estimates indicate that improving global brain health is the key to unlocking up to $26 trillion in economic value. Whether it is a graduate student with a creative idea, a clinical team trialling a new technology, or a start-up company navigating the regulatory path to market, innovation ecosystems need to address all stages of the journey, end-to-end. All too often, solutions become bottlenecked or halted at various stages of growth—not for lack of ingenuity, but because the path forward is fragmented with misaligned policy, regulatory, and funding systems. From early-stage initiatives like the NextGen Support Package, which nurtures student-led solutions, to later-stage programs like Fuel, which supports companies to achieve research, development, and validation milestones, CABHI’s programs are designed to streamline and catalyze the full spectrum of innovation.

To truly sustain innovation, Canada needs strategies that recognize the complexities of moving ideas through real-world, complex, imperfect systems. These strategies must align stage-specific funding, facilitate adaptive regulatory processes, and embed innovation into procurement and service delivery models—models that incentivize long-term funding commitments and create realistic reporting demands. This will lead to streamlined decision-making and increased trust among diverse stakeholders, which is imperative to progressing from idea to impact. Our federal, provincial/territorial, and municipal governments must coordinate their response, shifting from siloed structures to dynamic, flexible, and creative ones that allow researchers and entrepreneurs to focus on advancing their solution instead of overcoming systemic hurdles. This means embedding brain health investments into core economic strategies—not just health policy—and recognizing the return on investment that comes from supporting a brain-based economy. 

Investing in Our People 

Innovation is not just about breakthrough science and technology—it is also about the people, culture, and systems that support their integration into the real world. Embedding innovation literacy into academic settings and prioritizing entrepreneurship skills beyond traditional industry settings is paramount to leveraging existing brain and financial capital; this is what drives a culture of innovation.

The CABHI Science Collaborative was established to do just that: equip researchers, scientists, and trainees to translate science beyond academia. By fostering academic-industry partnerships, it not only accelerates commercialization, but when implemented intentionally, also creates vital pathways to engage underrepresented communities in STEM. These efforts help build a more inclusive, impactful, and productive workforce that can serve our country.  

Building a culture of innovation also requires creating environments where innovation can thrive.  When institutions and the people within them are empowered to embrace innovation, it becomes a core function of the work. Equipping people with the tools and confidence needed to shift norms, practices, and policies from within creates conditions where innovation can take root, grow, and be sustained. With time, this bottom-up approach creates a robust pipeline of talent, accelerates knowledge transfer, and increases global competitiveness by boosting and prioritizing Canadian expertise. This is the brain health infrastructure required to build brain capital at scale.

Local Roots, Global Leadership

Health, social, and economic challenges—particularly those related to aging and brain health—are rarely confined by geography. While solutions must be grounded in the needs of local communities, their relevance often extends far beyond regional borders. Canada’s aging population, like many others worldwide, faces shared pressures: rising dementia rates, health system strain, workforce challenges, and growing demand for a productive brain economy. We must shift from treating brain health as a cost to managing it as an investment. Innovations in aging and brain health, like those supporting mental health, caregiver burnout, or healthy lifestyle behaviours, can do just that. 

By effectively supporting Canadian science and expansion of innovations into new markets, Canada has the opportunity to not only improve domestic health and economic outcomes but also leverage shared global realities to emerge as a leader.

A Model for the Future

An integrated, collaborative, cross-sectoral approach—one that combines capacity building, funding, targeted supports, real-world testing, and systems change—offers a roadmap that positions Canada as a valuable partner and transformative leader. As decision-makers chart the future of Canada’s innovation landscape, CABHI’s work acts as a compelling example of what is possible when Canadian science serves Canadian society: a healthier future within and beyond our borders. This is not just good for people—it’s a good economic strategy.

As brain capital is nurtured from coast-to-coast, so is Canada’s ability to build economic resilience and respond to the volatility of an increasingly unstable world. Investing in our own people and solutions not only keeps the benefits within Canadian communities, but it also enables Canada to contribute globally with brain health solutions rooted in local knowledge and scientific excellence. 

Prime Minister Carney recently said, “It’s time to build big, build bold, and build now” – let us also build brains. Canada can and should lead by example, putting brain capital at the heart of how we grow our economy, support our people, and shape our future.