The Alzheimer Society Research Program
What is the Alzheimer Society Research Program?
The Alzheimer Society Research Program (ASRP) is one of Canada's most innovative hubs for dementia research, helping the best and brightest minds in the field spark their work from ideas to impact.
Starting this year, the ASRP is changing the way it invests in research:
On this page, learn more about the Alzheimer Society Research Program, including funding opportunities for researchers, when applications open and highlights from previous ASRP funded research.
Funding for researchers
Application dates
Interested in applying? Applications will open here starting September 9, 2019.
Before applying, learn more about the program's priorities and your opportunities for funding.
Funding priorities
Starting in 2019, the ASRP will shift into an open competition that will focus on four new funding priorities:
Discovery
Policy and health systems change
Evaluation of community programs
Ethical and legal issues
Applications in other aspects of dementia research will also be considered depending on their relevance to one of the funding priorities. However, these applications will not take precedence.
Funding opportunities
Our funding opportunities are also changing:
Proof of concept grant: $100,000 up to five years (NEW)
Supports investigators, both established and new, with innovative approaches that require funding for projects with potential high risk and high yield. New hypotheses are prioritized over existing. Funds can be accessed as needed for up to five years.
New investigator operating grant: $200,000 up to four years
Supports new investigators within the first four years of their faculty position to build their programs of research. Funds can be accessed as needed for up to four years.
Postdoctoral fellowship: $100,000 over two years
Supports trainees within the first 18 months of completing their PhD program.
Doctoral award: $66,000 over three years
Supports students in the first 18 months of their PhD program.
More about the Alzheimer Society Research Program
Since the Program's start in 1989, we have invested over $59 million in grants and awards toward innovative research that brings us closer to a future without Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias.
Examples of research funded through the ASRP
Through the support of the ASRP, dementia researchers across Canada were able to work on projects like:
"An intergenerational choir that provides a voice for people with dementia and caregivers through the power of music."
— Dr. Debra Sheets, University of Victoria
"Using MRI to predict the onset of dementia — 20 to 25 years before symptoms appear."
— Dr. Simon Duchesne, Université Laval
"Adopting new and accessible technology such as iPads to emphasize person-centered care in hospitals."
— Dr. Lillian Hung, Simon Fraser University
Supporting the Program
The Alzheimer Society Research Program is a collaborative effort. The Alzheimer Society of Canada would like to thank the following:
Our donors
None of the research funded through the ASRP could be possible without your support. If you are interested in supporting dementia research through the ASRP, please donate today.Our partners
Our partners include the Canadian Consortium on Neurodegeneration in Aging (CCNA), the Fonds de recherche du Québec – Santé (FRQS), the Pacific Alzheimer Research Foundation, the Barrett Family Foundation and the New Brunswick Health Research Foundation. Find out more about our partners here.Alzheimer Societies across Canada
We also extend our thanks to the Alzheimer Societies who generously contribute to the Alzheimer Society Research Program each year:
- Alzheimer Society of Alberta and Northwest Territories
- Alzheimer Society of British Columbia
- Alzheimer Society of Manitoba
- Alzheimer Society of New Brunswick
- Alzheimer Society of Newfoundland and Labrador
- Alzheimer Society of Nova Scotia
- Alzheimer Society of Ontario and Federation Partners (Brant-Haldimand Norfolk-Hamilton Halton; Chatham-Kent; Cornwall and District; Dufferin County; Durham Region; Elgin – St. Thomas; Grey-Bruce; Hastings – Prince Edward; Huron County; Kenora / Rainy River Districts; Kingston, Frontenac, Lennox and Addington; Lanark Leeds Grenville; London and Middlesex; Muskoka; Niagara Region; Ottawa and Renfrew County; Oxford; Peel; Perth County; Peterborough, Kawartha Lakes, Northumberland and Haliburton; Sarnia-Lambton; Sault Ste. Marie and Algoma District; Simcoe County; Sudbury-Manitoulin North Bay and Districts; Thunder Bay; Timmins-Porcupine District; Toronto; Waterloo-Wellington; Windsor-Essex County; and York Region)
- Alzheimer Society of Prince Edward Island
- Alzheimer Society of Saskatchewan
- Federation of Quebec Alzheimer Societies and Federation Partners (Bas-Saint-Laurent, Centre-du-Québec, Chaudière-Appalaches, Côte-Nord, Estrie, Gaspésie Îles-de-la-Madeleine, Granby et régions, Haut-Richelieu, Lanaudière, Laurentides, Laval, Maskoutains-Vallée des Patriotes, Montréal, Outaouais québécois, Québec, Rive-Sud, Abitib-Témiscamingue, Sagamie–Saguenay–Lac-St-Jean, Suroît, and Vallée de l'Or)
