Media Advisory & Photo Opportunity - Azrieli Foundation makes landmark $10 million gift for advanced research

TORONTO, June 9, 2016 /CNW/ - CIFAR, the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, is pleased to announce that the Azrieli Foundation has made an extraordinary gift of $10 million in support of advanced research. It is the largest donation that CIFAR has ever received from a philanthropic foundation.  

The landmark gift makes possible the Azrieli Program in Brain, Mind & Consciousness, a cutting-edge research program that brings together leading researchers from around the world to explore the biological basis of human consciousness and its role in brain function and disorders.  The program draws on an interdisciplinary team of exceptional thinkers including cognitive neuroscientists, neurologists, geneticists and other biologists, anthropologists, psychologists, computational scientists, philosophers, artists and more.

The gift to CIFAR also enables the launch of the CIFAR Azrieli Global Scholars program, which provides funding and support to help early career scholars build their research networks and develop essential skills to become leaders in global research. 

The Azrieli Foundation supports and operates a range of initiatives in various fields, including: the promotion of excellence in education and access to education, scientific and medical research, Holocaust education, and the advancement of excellence in architecture and the arts. 

"We are extremely grateful to the Azrieli Foundation for their remarkable generosity," says Dr. Alan Bernstein, CIFAR`s President & CEO. "With this gift, the Azrieli Foundation is making possible new research at the frontiers of understanding, and is investing in our most precious resource – the next generation of research leaders. The Foundation's foresight and leadership is helping CIFAR to shape a better world."

"CIFAR's multi-disciplinary and global approach to addressing the world's most complex issues makes them a perfect home for the collaborative research that can bring about breakthroughs in brain research, the last frontier of science," says Dr. Naomi Azrieli, Chair & CEO of the Azrieli Foundation. "The Azrieli Foundation seeks opportunities to foster excellence in science, investing in the work of both outstanding senior researchers and early career scholars.  We are pleased to partner with CIFAR in these programs which will have an impact in Canada and around the world."

CIFAR formally announces the Azrieli Foundation's generous gift at a special reception, today, June 9th at Koerner Hall, ahead of the sold-out event Our Musical Brain: An evening of science and music.

Information for media:
To capture live commentary and to interview spokespersons directly, media are invited to attend the formal announcement of the Azrieli Foundation's generous gift at a special reception, June 9th, 5 pm to 6:30 pm at Koerner Hall. For media passes, please call:

For more information visit The Azrieli Foundation's website at www.azrielifoundation.org or The Canadian Institute for Advanced Research website at www.cifar.ca.

SOURCE Canadian Institute for Advanced Research

Image with caption: "Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (CNW Group/Canadian Institute for Advanced Research)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20160609_C7697_PHOTO_EN_709655.jpg

For further information: Eva Voinigescu, [e-mail], [phone]