In the Press
07/15/2021

The Dana Foundation Joins the BRAIN Initiative Alliance

BY:BRAIN Initiative Alliance

Summary: The BIA is excited to announce another new partnership. We now are coming together with the Dana Foundation to support brain science.


The Brain Research Through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies® (BRAIN) Initiative Alliance (BIA) is excited to announce another new partnership. We now are coming together with the Dana Foundation to support brain science.

Established in 1950, the Dana Foundation is a private philanthropic organization dedicated to advancing our understanding about the brain in health and disease. The Foundation is currently at an inflection point, as it refines its longstanding commitment to research and public education on the brain, to a focus on the intersection of neuroscience and society.

The Dana Foundation pursues its mission through grants, programs, and publications. Grant initiatives under the neuroscience and society focus include support for organizations such as the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), National Academy of Sciences (NAS), and many more, including current members of the BIA, such as the American Brain Coalition (ABC).

The Dana Foundation also supports several public outreach efforts. It sponsors the Dana Alliances, a member organization of almost 700 scientists and clinicians from 45 countries who are committed to advancing public awareness about the progress and promise of brain research. Many of these members are counted among the 6,000 partners in 120 countries who participate in the Foundation’s signature outreach program, Brain Awareness Week. This annual campaign works to foster public enthusiasm and support for brain science by making brain science fun and accessible. The Foundation also publishes explanatory stories, teaching materials, and the online magazine Cerebrum, which brings the frontiers of neuroscience and its implications to the public.

“The Dana Foundation is delighted to join the BRAIN Initiative Alliance,” said Caroline Montojo, Ph.D., president of the Dana Foundation. “The BRAIN Initiative is an excellent model of a public-private partnership, and the Dana Foundation looks forward to collaborating with federal agencies, private foundations, and other science organizations to support neuroscience and its role in society. The Dana Foundation’s programs in public outreach are a valuable platform to share about BRAIN Initiative developments, and our future programs will focus on the ethical, legal, and social aspects of emerging neuroscience discovery and technology. We see many exciting opportunities to collaborate on areas of shared interest with BRAIN Initiative partners.”

We are incredibly excited by this new partnership. The Dana Foundation does excellent work with both researchers and the public, and we are proud to work together. Through this new collaboration, the BIA will continue to work toward furthering understanding of the inner workings of the mind and improving how disorders of the brain are treated, cured, and prevented.