Advancing brain health and dementia research in Canada: insights from focus groups with the Dementia Research and Innovation Funders Alliance.

BACKGROUND AND

objectivesStrategic planning and prioritization are critical to fueling scientific acceleration to advance dementia prevention, treatment, and quality of life. Although funding agencies and community leaders have important roles in supporting research, their insights remain largely overlooked. Recently, the Dementia Research and Innovation Funders Alliance was created by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research to foster collaboration, innovation, and identify impactful ways to mobilize research findings on brain health and dementia. Through focus groups with Alliance members, this study aimed to gather expert insight to accelerate brain health and dementia research in Canada. RESEARCH DESIGN AND

methodsThree focus groups were conducted with 20 Alliance members from June 24 to 26, 2025. The focus groups were led by an experienced moderator who asked four open-ended questions exploring priorities to maximize research impact, including translation into practice and policy. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the data.

resultsFour themes were identified: (i) implementation gap: translating research into action; (ii) life-course approach: enhancing brain health promotion across all ages; (iii) global collaboration: leveraging international connections to drive research and innovation forward; and (iv) equity-denied groups: advancing inclusion and community-based research. DISCUSSION AND IMPLICATIONS: While extensive studies have been conducted on brain health and dementia research, there is a pressing need to translate research findings into practice and policy. It is critical that future research prioritizes implementation science across the life course, international collaboration, and partnerships with equity-denied groups to advance brain health and dementia research and innovation in Canada.