What is the Hopewell M.I.N.D. Prize?
The Hopewell M.I.N.D. Prize (Maximizing Innovation in Neuroscience Discovery) was created through a generous $10M philanthropic commitment from Mr. Sanders Lee to the Hotchkiss Brain Institute (HBI). Mr. Lee, the Founder and Executive Chairman of the Hopewell® Group of Companies is a visionary leader who embraces the idea of technology and science for the betterment of society.
This prize will serve as a catalyst to launch innovative, bold, high-impact research projects in brain and mental health at the University of Calgary. The Hopewell M.I.N.D. Prize – unique in Canada – offers up to $1 million per year for the next ten years to fund research projects that are “ahead of the curve." These projects would be at a critical crossroads where an injection of funding has the potential to transform the project into significant community impact.
2024 Innovation Prize Jury
![Dr Fernando Cendes](/sites/default/files/styles/ucws_thumbnail_portrait/public/2024-05/Foto%20Fernando%20Cendes%202024_0.jpg?itok=8gGNWURf)
Dr Fernando Cendes
Professor of Neurology at University of Campinas – UNICAMP, and Director of The Brazilian Research Institute for Neuroscience and Neurotechnology (BRAINN)
![Prof Tarja Malm](/sites/default/files/styles/ucws_thumbnail_portrait/public/2024-05/_L3A6924_Tarja_Malm_Tarja_Malm_group_AIVI_13022023_smaller_0.jpg?itok=MAqx7MTU)
Professor Tarja Malm
Professor in Molecular Neurobiology and the head of the Neuroinflammation research group at the A.I.Virtanen Institute, University of Eastern Finland
![Dr Else Charlotte Sandset](/sites/default/files/styles/ucws_thumbnail_portrait/public/2024-06/ECS%20ESO%20%282%29_0.jpg?itok=LpP0DM6o)
Dr Else Charlotte Sandset
ESO Secretary General and Consultant Neurologist at the Stroke Unit, Department of Neurology, Oslo University Hospital
![Dr Nelson Spruston](/sites/default/files/styles/ucws_thumbnail_portrait/public/2024-05/Headshot%2020220927%20Nelson%20Spruston%200486%20648.jpg?itok=5ykU8W3W)
Dr Nelson Spruston
Laboratory Head and Chief of Scientific Operations and Programs at the Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute
![Dr Mriganka Sur](/sites/default/files/styles/ucws_thumbnail_portrait/public/2024-05/Mriganka%20Sur%20photo_0.jpg?itok=VDZ_OjnO)
Professor Mriganka Sur
Newton Professor of Neuroscience,
Director, Simons Center for the Social Brain, MIT
$10 million to create Hopewell M.I.N.D. Prize
Calgarians are known for making big, bold things happen. Sanders Lee is one of them. A record-breaking new prize in brain and mental health research will bring new ideas to the fore – sparking innovation through cutting edge research at the Hotchkiss Brain Institute (HBI).
“I've always been a supporter of the Hotchkiss Brain Institute, and Dr. David Park approached me with what he called a bold idea,” says Lee. “I think at the end of the day, I’m a risk taker, and I loved the idea.”