About OBI

Who we are

The Ontario Brain Institute is a provincially funded, not-for-profit organization that accelerates discovery and innovation, benefiting both patients and the economy.

Our Vision

Ontario as a world leader in brain research, commercialization and care.

We realize this through our collaborative ‘team science’ approach between researchers, clinicians, industry, patients, and their advocates to foster discovery and deliver innovative products and services that improve the lives of those living with brain disorders.

What we do

Our collaborative approach to research aims to:

  • Enhance the neuroscience research system

  • Grow the Ontario neurotechnology cluster

  • Improve brain health for Ontarians

Team Science

Our goal is to improve the lives of Ontarians living with a brain disorder. Our research either goes to commercialization or to impacting how people with brain disorders receive care. We create seamless connections between research discovery, patient care and commercialization. We do this by connecting researchers, patients, companies, and policy makers to form a learning healthcare system. These networks form what we call Integrated Discovery Programs.

Unlocking the Power of Data Sharing Through Global Collaboration

Healthcare data pooled from entire populations can provide new ways of assessing the effectiveness of a new treatment or a system of care. Given the international push for open science, the entire medical community can use “big data” to identify trends and derive knowledge from around the world.

Creating Partnerships Between Researchers and Entrepreneurs

Collaborations are central to OBI’s vision of accelerating discovery and innovation to benefit people and communities. The Anxiety Meter is now to a product you can wear that can ultimately help improve the quality of life for people with ASD.

Supporting Community Care

One of the themes that dominates OBI’s work is that we can’t do it alone. Strategic partnerships are critical to bringing research and innovation from lab to life. And one of those valuable partnerships is with the community. There’s tremendous need for support outside the clinical setting, and community programs play a vital role in helping those living with brain disorders access this support.

Bring Learning to Life

We have held 21 public talks, highlighting research, clinical, and patient perspectives related to brain health. These events have drawn over 6000+ people, 90 percent of whom have reported an increase of knowledge after then event. Through these talks, we have also engaged numerous charities and community organizations at these events, providing opportunities for these groups to meet the public and create awareness around their programs and services.

Impact Stories

Team Science

Our goal is to improve the lives of Ontarians living with a brain disorder. Our research either goes to commercialization or to impacting how people with brain disorders receive care. We create seamless connections between research discovery, patient care and commercialization. We do this by connecting researchers, patients, companies, and policy makers to form a learning healthcare system. These networks form what we call Integrated Discovery Programs.

Our principles

  • Excellence

    We have the best advisors in science, industry, advocacy, informatics analytics, and evaluation. The bar we hold ourselves to is “best in the world”.

  • Integration and collaboration

    We can only compete globally if we harness strengths from across the province. This means integrating talent and efforts across institutions, stakeholders, and disciplines, as well as collaboration and data sharing within and across research programs.

  • Standardization and open science

    We ensure that data are standardized within and across all of our research programs. Our open science mentality respects the highest standards of privacy and security to maximize the use of research data, give hope to those living with disorders, and respect to those who have participated in research studies.

  • Impact-driven

    Everything we support either goes toward improving care or commercialization. We provide the infrastructure that allows for discovery, validation, and evaluation of impacts.

  • Sustainability

    Our work is built on existing investments and relies on partnership. We leverage more than 2:1 on Ontario’s investment in us.