ResearchFunded research2026 Research competition 2026 Research competition Parkinson Canada announces over $2.6 million awarded in 2026 research competition funding. Parkinson Canada would like to congratulate the applicants who have been successful in funding in our latest research competition and acknowledge the hard work and dedication to Parkinson’s research for all of our applicants.This year, a record-high amount of over $2.6 million in research funding was approved for 33 research grants and fellowship awards. These funded projects will help in the development of new techniques and biomarkers to detect Parkinson’s, testing novel drugs and therapeutics to slow or stop Parkinson’s in its tracks, and will provide crucial training support to increase the number of dedicated Parkinson’s researchers and physicians across the country. We look forward to continuing to engage with the exceptional Parkinson’s research community across Canada and are excited to see the new applications in the upcoming 2027 competition. On this page: Pilot Project Grants New Investigator Awards Clinical Movement Disorders Fellowships Clinician Scientist Research Fellowships Postdoctoral Research Fellowships Graduate Student Awards Pilot Project Grants $599,500 in research funding across 8 projects Dr. Christiane Auray-Blais (Université de Sherbrooke) Biomarker discovery for Parkinson’s disease using untargeted lipidomic and metabolic approaches $75,000 Dr. Mark Brandon & Dr. Stephanie Tullo (Douglas Mental Health Hospital) Preclinical evaluation of p75 neurotrophin receptor modulator LM11A-31 in the treatment of synucleinopathies $75,000 Dr. Therese Di Paolo (Université Laval) Estrogenic drugs for symptomatic treatments in a female monkey model of Parkinson’s disease $74,500 Dr. Thomas Durcan (McGill University) Exploring the role of HEXA on oligodendrocyte development and function in Multiple System Atrophy $75,000 Dr. Caroline Menard (Université Laval) Stress-driven neurovascular adaptations in Parkinson’s disease: implications for mental health $75,000 Dr. Jason Neva (Université de Montréal) Exercise-induced neuroplasticity as a pathway to enhance motor learning in Parkinson’s disease $75,000 Dr. Stephen Pasternak (Western University) Investigating lysosomal trafficking to explain beta-Amyloid-induced alpha-Synuclein pathology $75,000 Dr. Jean-Francois Poulin (McGill University) Uncovering dopaminergic subtype-specific enhancers for precision gene therapy in Parkinson’s disease $75,000 New Investigator Awards $270,000 in research funding across 2 projects Dr. Stephen Joza (University of Alberta) Elucidating the roles of nocturnal dysautonomia, sleep disruption, and glymphatic impairment in Parkinson’s disease $135,000 Dr. Eric Noyes (University of Saskatchewan) Early surveillance of brain connectivity changes in Parkinson’s disease during the conversion of minor hallucinations to psychosis and dementia $135,000 Clinical Movement Disorders Fellowships $385,000 in funding across 5 awards Dr. Sarah Bouhadoun (University of Toronto) Clinical training at the Toronto Western Hospital Movement Disorders Clinic $75,000 Dr. Bashir Daud Shah (University of Saskatchewan) Clinical training at the Saskatchewan Movement Disorders Program $75,000 Dr. Blanche Perraud (University College London) Funded in partnership with the Huntington Society of Canada and the Dystonia Medical Research Foundation Canada Clinical training at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery $80,000 Dr. Lina Paolo Quintera Giraldo (University of British Columbia) Clinical training at the University of British Columbia Movement Disorders Clinic $75,000 Dr. Emma Woo (University of Calgary) Funded in partnership with the Huntington Society of Canada and the Dystonia Medical Research Foundation Canada Clinical training at the University of Calgary Movement Disorders Program $80,000 Clinician Scientist Research Fellowships $550,000 in funding across 4 awards Dr. David Bergeron (Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois – Switzerland) Mechanisms of gait and balance deficits in Parkinson’s disease $150,000 Dr. Irene Harmsen (University of Alberta) Quantitative susceptibility mapping of iron deposition in basal ganglia nuclei as predictors of deep brain stimulation outcomes in Parkinson’s disease $150,000 Dr. Gabriel Monsalve (University Health Network) Regional variations in Parkinson’s disease prevalence among females in Ontario: a comparative analysis of healthcare access and environmental factors $150,000 Dr. Konstantin Senkevich (McGill University) Mapping the genetic association between the 22q11.2 deletion region and Parkinson’s disease $100,000 Postdoctoral Research Fellowships $540,000 in funding across 6 awards Dr. Floriane Bretheau (Université Laval) Targeting the blood brain immune axis to prevent dissemination and progression of Parkinson’s disease $90,000 Dr. Matthew Demmings (Duke University) Astrocytic dopamine sensing: Novel mechanisms to protect vulnerable nigrostriatal synapses in Parkinson’s disease $90,000 Dr. Erika Howe (University of Waterloo) From the ground up: Enhancing foot sensation to improve mobility and reduce freezing of gait in Parkinson’s disease $90,000 Dr. Soraya Lahlou (Université de Montréal) Glymphatic dysfunction in iRBD as an early biomarker for Parkinson’s disease and related dementias $90,000 Dr. Anna Matsulevits (Douglas Mental Health University Institute) Neurodegeneration in motion: Microstructural gradients for early diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease $90,000 Dr. Donovan McDonald (University of Ottawa) Pharmacological inhibition of CDK14 reduces alpha-synuclein spreading $90,000 Graduate Student Awards $320,000 in funding across 8 awards Ms. Oceane Arevalo (Université Laval) Investigating how reactive astrocyte-derived extracellular vesicles affect BBB function in Parkinson’s disease $40,000 Ms. Marie Filiatrault (Université de Montréal) Transcriptomic imaging study of the effect of sex on neurodegeneration associated with isolated REM sleep behavior disorder $40,000 Ms. Solene Guenot (Université Laval) Targeting protein Tau with gene therapy for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease $40,000 Mr. Luca Lazzari (McGill University) Understanding the role of PINK1 mRNA in mitochondrial quality control and Parkinson’s disease $40,000 Laura Menegatti Bevilacqua (Université Laval) Stress-driven neurovascular adaptations in Parkinson’s disease: implications for mental health $40,000 Cyrille Mvomo (McGill University) Exploration of motor brain circuits for the identification of digital biomarkers of mobility decline in Parkinson’s disease. $40,000 Ben Nguyen (University of Ottawa) $40,000 Donovan Worrall (McGill University) Loss of CIC-3 disrupts lysosomal function and promotes alpha-synuclein pathology in Parkinson’s disease $40,000