Brain-CODE cited as a leading example of digital infrastucture
June 20, 2025
Canada must reassess how it leverages its strengths, addresses systemic vulnerabilities, and activates its most underutilized asset: brain capital, argues a recent article, Investing in Brain Capital: A New Pillar for Canada’s Innovation Economy.
The piece contends that Canada’s innovation strategy should begin with brain capital - encompassing the cognitive, emotional, and social capacities of individuals and communities to adapt, innovate, and lead. Positioned this way, brain capital becomes a foundational driver of economic resilience and national prosperity.
Digital infrastructure is described as the backbone of innovation. The article highlights the Ontario Brain Institute's Brain-CODE neuroinformatics platform as a leading example of how secure, interoperable systems for cognitive and clinical data can support early detection, longitudinal research, and AI integration in brain health.
To unlock the full economic and societal return on brain capital, the article calls for coordinated national action. Federal funding, provincial policy, and private partnerships must align, and while the provinces can lead the way, Canada’s success hinges on cross-country collaboration.