Baycrest partners with Israel to advance brain health

TORONTO – Baycrest Health Sciences, the lead partner in the Canadian Centre for Aging and Brain Health Innovation (CC-ABHI), has announced the signing of a multi-year partnership agreement with MATIMOP, the executive agency of the Office of the Chief Scientist (OCS), of the Ministry of Economy of Israel.

Together they will collaborate in the field of aging and brain health solutions, toward the launch of new programs that will bring Israeli innovations in seniors care to Baycrest and other CC-ABHI affiliate organizations.

This unique program, known as the Solution Validation (SV) program, will connect Israeli innovators with seniors care organizations to test, validate, and commercially disseminate their brain health technologies to the North American market.

“Joining forces with the Israel Innovation Authority will directly support brain health and aging innovations within North America,” said Dr. William Reichman, president and CEO of Baycrest Health Sciences. “We are committed to working with leading researchers and innovators to identify ways to address the challenges facing our aging population.”

Ron Riesenbach (pictured), vice president, innovation and chief technology officer for Baycrest and managing director of CC-ABHI, was on hand during the official signing ceremony and added, “This agreement will benefit Baycrest and our partners by providing access to expertly selected solutions that enable them to evaluate the effectiveness, followed by the opportunity for member organizations to adopt and implement.”

The agreement reinforces what Avi Hasson, Israel’s Chief Scientist and head of the Israel Innovation Authority calls, “A deep commitment between Israel and the province of Ontario to help pioneer new solutions that positively impacts our aging populations. We look forward to excellent results and economic development in both countries.”

“This agreement is a great example of how we can combine our resources to make life better for people in Ontario and Israel,” said Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne. “Working across borders and collaborating on key areas like seniors’ care helps us remain competitive and builds strong, innovative life-science sectors in both regions.”

“This innovative partnership with Israel’s Office of the Chief Scientist will advance Baycrest’s pioneering work in the fields of brain health and seniors’ care,” said Reza Moridi, Ontario Minister of Research and Innovation. “[The] announcement is a further example of how Ontario researchers and innovators are collaborating internationally to address some of the most pressing issues facing society while also fostering economic opportunity.”

About The Canadian Centre for Aging and Brain Health Innovation
The Canadian Centre for Aging and Brain Health Innovation (CC-ABHI) is a solution accelerator for the aging and brain health sector – developing novel solutions, evaluating and optimizing use in relevant clinical/care settings, and facilitating market, provider and system uptake. These solutions will represent the most promising and essential solutions addressing unmet brain health and seniors’ care needs, including (but not limited to) medical devices, therapeutic approaches, information technologies, wellness and digital health solutions, healthcare delivery practices, and practitioner and caregiver training and support. Operating through a combination of government investment, charitable and in-kind contributions, and, primarily, fee-for-service revenue generation, the Centre will bring together a network of multi-sector, multi-jurisdictional partners with resources, infrastructure and expertise in aging and brain health (‘Network Partners’) to provide clients with services spanning the continuum. For more information on CC-ABHI, please visit www.ccabhi.com.

About Baycrest Health Sciences
Baycrest Health Sciences is a global leader in geriatric residential living, healthcare, research, innovation and education, with a special focus on brain health and aging. As an academic health sciences centre fully affiliated with the University of Toronto, Baycrest provides an exemplary care experience for aging clients combined with an extensive clinical training program for students and one of the world’s top research institutes in cognitive neuroscience. Through its commercial and consulting arms, Baycrest is marketing its sought-after expertise and innovation to other healthcare organizations and long-term care homes, both in Canada and internationally. Founded in 1918 as the Jewish Home for Aged, Baycrest continues to embrace the long-standing tradition of all great Jewish healthcare institutions to improve the well-being of people in their local communities and around the globe. For more information on Baycrest Health Sciences, please visit www.baycrest.org.