Canada and France to co-host Global Dementia Legacy Event in September

Experts to focus on building academia-industry partnerships and fast-tracking innovation in dementia prevention, treatment and care

OTTAWA, July 17, 2014 /CNW/ - The Honourable Rona Ambrose, Minister of Health, officially announced that the Government of Canada and the Government of France will welcome international dementia experts to Ottawa on September 11 and 12, 2014 for one of four global dementia Legacy Events.

The Canada-France Legacy Event aims to find practical ways to fast-track the development of new and innovative approaches to better support people living with dementia, and their families. International academia and industry experts from G7 countries and international organizations are being invited on the basis of their knowledge and abilities to provide concrete solutions. It expands on the Government of Canada's commitment in the 2013 Speech from the Throne and Economic Action Plan 2014 to tackle the growing onset of dementia and related illnesses.

Minister Ambrose made the announcement as the Alzheimer's Association International Conference wrapped up a week of discussions in Copenhagen, Denmark. At the Conference, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) led a session with global dementia leaders to continue the international dialogue on dementia research and shared details about Global Legacy Events.

Quick Facts

• Legacy Events stem from the unprecedented Summit on Dementia held in London, UK, in December 2013 under the leadership of British Prime Minister David Cameron. The Canada-France Legacy Event is the second of a series of four. The first was in London, UK (finance and social impact investment, June 2014) and the others will be in Japan (prevention and care, fall 2014) and in the US (winter 2015).

• The Canada-France Legacy Event will be co-led by CIHR and the French National Alliance for Life and Health Sciences (Aviesan) respectively. Approximately 200 global leaders in academia and industry fields from G7 countries and other organizations will be invited.

• As a result of the Legacy Event discussions in Ottawa, an Action Framework will be developed to address current challenges and barriers for enhanced collaboration between academia and industry. Following the series of Legacy Events, G7 countries will also hold a wrap-up session in 2015 to take stock of the progress made since the UK Summit.

• Since 2006, the Government of Canada has invested over $860 million through CIHR to support the work of Canadian researchers in the field of neuroscience. Of that amount, $182 million supported research to better understand dementia and guide improvements in the prevention, diagnosis and care.

• Economic Action Plan 2014 implemented the 2013 Speech from the Throne commitment to renew investments to tackle the growing onset of dementia and related illnesses by allocating new funding to CIHR for the creation of the Canadian Consortium on Neurodegeneration in Aging (CCNA). With the CCNA, Canada is joining forces with its G7 counterparts to support additional research with a view to finding a cure for dementia by 2025.

• Through CIHR, the Government of Canada also facilitates the participations of Canadian dementia researchers in key international partnerships. As a prime example of Canada's international collaboration, it was the first non-EU Member State to join the EU Joint Programme – Neurodegenerative Disease Research (JPND) which involves 27 member countries. JPND is the largest global research initiative aimed at tackling the challenge of neurodegenerative diseases.

Quotes
"As a leader in dementia research, Canada is proud to be hosting this important global event in collaboration with France in the spirit of continuous international collaboration and knowledge exchange. It is encouraging to see all the sectors coming together at an international level to harness the best research, innovation and partnerships to address the health and economic challenges of these devastating diseases and to help people living with dementia, their families and caregivers."
Rona Ambrose
Minister of Health

"As Canada's seniors' population continues to grow, more seniors will experience or become at risk of developing dementia. We all recognize the significant impact that dementia has on individuals, families, and caregivers.  As the Government of Canada's Minister responsible for seniors, I am pleased to see the Government taking a leading role to address dementia in order to better support seniors' well-being and quality of life."
The Honourable Alice Wong
Minister of State (Seniors)

"I am proud that countries across the world continue to come together to tackle dementia. We urgently need a breakthrough diagnosis and advances in treatment so that we can improve care for people with dementia. I look forward to the progress that will be made at the Canada-France global dementia legacy event."
Jeremy Hunt
UK Secretary of State for Health

"Canada and France are world leaders in research bringing together academia and industry, so we can learn vital lessons in ensuring these partnerships are forged. It is only through this collaboration that research excellence will become life-changing therapy, so I look forward to hearing how it can work best.
Dr. Dennis Gillings
World Dementia Envoy

"This event will ensure that important research discoveries are transformed into meaningful solutions for people living with dementia and those who care for them. I'm particularly pleased to be leading this important work with our French colleagues as Canada and France have a strong history of working collaboratively in the area of dementia research."
Dr. Alain Beaudet
President, Canadian Institutes of Health Research

"France and Canada have a long-lasting partnership in biomedical research and have a track record of engaging in international research consortia on dementia such as the France-chaired EU Joint Programme – Neurodegenerative Diseases. I am convinced that this event will give opportunities for enhancing partnership between industry and academic research, which is key for accelerating research in dementia."
Prof. Yves Lévy
CEO, French National Institute of Health and Medical Research (Inserm) 

"The Alzheimer Society of Canada is thrilled to participate in this monumental event bringing together industry and academia to find improved treatments and care for the 747,000 Canadians we represent living with dementia, their caregivers and families, and for the millions of people impacted around the world. In particular, we look forward to taking part in discussions on how we can better harness technology and medical devices to ease their dementia journey. We're grateful to work alongside Minister Ambrose and our G7 colleagues. Our collective efforts will help improve the integration of research and mobilize dementia knowledge on a global scale. It's critical we fast-track tangible results and reduce the toll of dementia on our economies and health systems."
Mimi Lowi-Young
CEO, Alzheimer Society of Canada

Related Products

• Canada-France Global Dementia Legacy Event website

Associated Links

• Dementia facts in Canada
• Canada showing international leadership at G8 Dementia Summit
• Declaration and communique from the G8 Summit on Dementia in London

Canadian Institutes of Health Research
The Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) is the Government of Canada's health research investment agency. CIHR's mission is to create new scientific knowledge and to enable its translation into improved health, more effective health services and products, and a strengthened health care system for Canadians. Composed of 13 Institutes, CIHR provides leadership and support to more than 13,200 health researchers and trainees across Canada. www.cihr-irsc.gc.ca

Aviesan
French main stakeholders* in Life Sciences and Health research area have decided to join forces and set up Aviesan, the French National Alliance for Life Sciences and Health. Aviesan provides unprecedented national strategic and planning capabilities thereby fostering France attractiveness for industry and R&D economic players. * Founder members of Aviesan: CEA, CNRS, Conference of Directors-general of the CHRU, Conference of University Presidents, Inra, Inria, Inserm, Institut Pasteur and IRD.  The following associate members recently joined Aviesan: Alliance pour la recherche et l'innovation des industries de santé (Ariis), Centre de coopération internationale en recherche agronomique pour le développement (Cirad), Établissement français du sang (EFS), Fondation Mérieux, Institut national de l'environnement industriel et des risques (Ineris), Institut Curie, Institut de radioprotection et de sûreté nucléaire (IRSN), Institut de recherche biomédicale des armées (IRBA), Institut Mines-Télécom and Unicancer.

SOURCE: Canadian Institutes of Health Research

For further information: Michael Bolkenius, Office of the Honourable Rona Ambrose, Minister of the Health, 613-957-0200 ; Media Relations, Canadian Institutes of Health Research, 613-941-4563, [email protected]