Reflections from the Brain Lens Investing plenary at the 2026 Skoll World Forum . Written by Melani O’Leary, Director, Philanthropic Partnerships, Grand Challenges Canada. We are underinvesting in one of the most important economic assets of our time: the human brain. Brain health conditions already account for roughly 24% of the global disease burden, and anxiety and depression alone […]
\nThe post Brain Capital as a Scaling Frontier appeared first on Grand Challenges Canada.
","url":"https://www.grandchallenges.ca/2026/brain-capital-as-a-scaling-frontier/","source_type":"rss_corporate","categories":["Blog","brain economy","mental health","Saving Brains"],"published_at":"2026-05-21T14:38:22.000Z"},{"id":"sig-grands-defis-canada-6692187e","title":"PODCAST: Redefining What Social Profit Innovation Looks Like with Dr. Karlee Silver","excerpt":"May 20th, 2026 Grand Challenges Canada CEO Dr. Karlee Silver joined Douglas Nelson on The Discovery Pod to talk innovation — what it takes to build it, de-risk it, and scale it where it matters most. In the episode, Redefining What Social Profit Innovation Looks Like, Karlee unpacks how cross-sector collaboration — across governments, philanthropy, […]
\nThe post PODCAST: Redefining What Social Profit Innovation Looks Like with Dr. Karlee Silver appeared first on Grand Challenges Canada.
","url":"https://www.grandchallenges.ca/2026/podcast-redefining-what-social-profit-innovation-looks-like-with-dr-karlee-silver/","source_type":"rss_corporate","categories":null,"published_at":"2026-05-20T18:52:21.000Z"},{"id":"sig-grands-defis-canada-3fa3a903","title":"How does a Canadian medical X-ray system end up in space?","excerpt":"For Canadian Innovation Week, Grand Challenges Canada is celebrating bold ideas from Canada, transforming lives worldwide. KA Imaging: making diagnostic imaging accessible for communities that need it most. Born out of research at the University of Waterloo, KA Imaging has developed a portable, affordable X-ray technology to improve the detection of TB, pneumonia, and other respiratory diseases in underserved communities. KA […]
\nThe post How does a Canadian medical X-ray system end up in space? appeared first on Grand Challenges Canada.
","url":"https://www.grandchallenges.ca/2026/how-does-a-canadian-medical-x-ray-system-end-up-in-space/","source_type":"rss_corporate","categories":["Blog"],"published_at":"2026-05-12T16:06:06.000Z"},{"id":"sig-grands-defis-canada-69ddf86b","title":"What unlocks scale? Lessons from global health innovations that made it to scale","excerpt":"How do you expand your reach by stepping back? How do you make adoption the rational choice for a government with competing priorities and limited bandwidth? How do you build evidence that answers the questions your next adopter is actually asking?
\nThe post What unlocks scale? Lessons from global health innovations that made it to scale appeared first on Grand Challenges Canada.
","url":"https://www.grandchallenges.ca/2026/what-unlocks-scale-lessons-from-global-health-innovations-that-made-it-to-scale/","source_type":"rss_corporate","categories":null,"published_at":"2026-05-11T20:51:33.000Z"},{"id":"sig-grands-defis-canada-08571f52","title":"Play, Learn, Thrive: New innovations transforming childhoods in crisis settings","excerpt":"Childhood is a critical period for the development of foundational cognitive, social, emotional, and physical skills that support learning, wellbeing, and resilience across the life course. Yet millions of children are unable to achieve key developmental and functional learning outcomes due to crisis and instability.
\nThe post Play, Learn, Thrive: New innovations transforming childhoods in crisis settings appeared first on Grand Challenges Canada.
","url":"https://www.grandchallenges.ca/2026/play-learn-thrive-new-innovations-transforming-childhoods-in-crisis-settings/","source_type":"rss_corporate","categories":null,"published_at":"2026-05-06T19:32:15.000Z"},{"id":"sig-grands-defis-canada-afcdfde6","title":"The MENTOR Initiative: Saving lives in emergency settings by controlling vector-borne disease","excerpt":"In emergencies and conflict-affected settings, lack of access to clean water and hygiene facilities, under-resourced health and waste management systems, no or limited electricity, and inadequate housing are an everyday reality. These harsh living conditions create ideal breeding grounds for insects like sandflies and mosquitoes, putting already vulnerable people at risk of life-threatening diseases such as leishmaniasis and dengue. With insects inhabiting new areas and staying active for longer due to climate change, this exposes an even greater number of people to vector-borne disease.
\nThe post The MENTOR Initiative: Saving lives in emergency settings by controlling vector-borne disease appeared first on Grand Challenges Canada.
","url":"https://www.grandchallenges.ca/2026/the-mentor-initiative-saving-lives-in-emergency-settings-by-controlling-vector-borne-disease/","source_type":"rss_corporate","categories":["Blog","French","innovation"],"published_at":"2026-04-29T15:05:11.000Z"},{"id":"sig-grands-defis-canada-a62c21d4","title":"Fixing a Hole: Derisking innovation procurement","excerpt":"By Anushree Banerji, Senior Manager, Strategy & Partnerships
\nThe post Fixing a Hole: Derisking innovation procurement appeared first on Grand Challenges Canada.
","url":"https://www.grandchallenges.ca/2026/fixing-a-hole-derisking-innovation-procurement/","source_type":"rss_corporate","categories":["Blog","Health","innovation"],"published_at":"2026-04-27T17:16:46.000Z"},{"id":"sig-grands-defis-canada-c20c8727","title":"Canada Renews Its Investment in Grand Challenges Canada","excerpt":"— A five-year institutional support grant will keep catalytic capital flowing to innovators tackling the world’s most pressing health and development challenges —
\nThe post Canada Renews Its Investment in Grand Challenges Canada appeared first on Grand Challenges Canada.
","url":"https://www.grandchallenges.ca/2026/canada-renews-its-investment-in-grand-challenges-canada/","source_type":"rss_corporate","categories":["Blog","Health","innovation"],"published_at":"2026-03-27T15:26:39.000Z"},{"id":"sig-grands-defis-canada-9a5d0243","title":"Simon Fraser University: Closing Vietnam’s mental health gap through digital innovation","excerpt":"In Vietnam, an estimated three million people live with depression—yet 83 percent receive no form of care. Community-based mental health services remain scarce, leaving many without support, particularly in rural and low-resource areas. To address this gap, Canadian researchers at Simon Fraser University (SFU), in partnership with Vietnam’s Institute of Population, Health and Development, developed VMood, a mobile health app designed to make mental health care more accessible […]
\nThe post Simon Fraser University: Closing Vietnam’s mental health gap through digital innovation appeared first on Grand Challenges Canada.
","url":"https://www.grandchallenges.ca/2026/simon-fraser-university-closing-vietnams-mental-health-gap/","source_type":"rss_corporate","categories":["Health","innovation","mental health"],"published_at":"2026-02-04T19:12:04.000Z"},{"id":"sig-grands-defis-canada-ee6c7614","title":"International Development Week: Celebrating Canadian innovations with global impact","excerpt":"As we celebrate International Development Week in Canada, Grand Challenges Canada is highlighting Made-in-Canada solutions that are making a big impact on global health, gender equality and development.
\nThe post International Development Week: Celebrating Canadian innovations with global impact appeared first on Grand Challenges Canada.
","url":"https://www.grandchallenges.ca/2026/from-canada-to-the-world/","source_type":"rss_corporate","categories":["Blog"],"published_at":"2026-02-02T14:27:07.000Z"},{"id":"sig-grands-defis-canada-d9f9432e","title":"Protecting early brain development: from brain science to systems change","excerpt":"By: Michelle Cruickshank, Lead, Child Development, Grand Challenges Canada
\nThe post Protecting early brain development: from brain science to systems change appeared first on Grand Challenges Canada.
","url":"https://www.grandchallenges.ca/2026/protecting-early-brain-development-from-brain-science-to-systems-change/","source_type":"rss_corporate","categories":null,"published_at":"2026-01-29T23:48:46.000Z"},{"id":"sig-grands-defis-canada-6b60c6ad","title":"From villages to county systems: Scaling community-led health in Kenya","excerpt":"In parts of Kenya, accessing lifesaving health care means travelling long distances, putting children, pregnant women and the elderly at great risk. To respond to this challenge, a community in Lwala, a remote village in Kenya, came together to donate land, labour, and resources to build their own clinic, leading to the creation of the Lwala Community Alliance (Lwala).
\nThe post From villages to county systems: Scaling community-led health in Kenya appeared first on Grand Challenges Canada.
","url":"https://www.grandchallenges.ca/2026/scaling-community-led-health-in-kenya/","source_type":"rss_corporate","categories":["Blog"],"published_at":"2026-01-15T14:53:51.000Z"},{"id":"sig-grands-defis-canada-c53cb4a8","title":"How a Canadian-Led Innovation is Transforming Toilet Waste into Energy and Opportunity in Nepal","excerpt":"KATHMANDU, NEPAL — What if your morning tea was brewed using energy from a public toilet? Thanks to a clever Canadian-backed innovation, human waste is being transformed into clean energy that powers local tea shops, reduces pollution, and creates jobs. Poor sanitation is a major challenge in Nepal, where over 10 million people lack access to improved facilities, […]
\nThe post How a Canadian-Led Innovation is Transforming Toilet Waste into Energy and Opportunity in Nepal appeared first on Grand Challenges Canada.
","url":"https://www.grandchallenges.ca/2025/transforming-toilet-waste-into-energy/","source_type":"rss_corporate","categories":["Blog"],"published_at":"2025-11-19T16:56:36.000Z"}]}