Goals

The specific goals of SENSUM

  1. Support excellence in research and teaching.

SENSUM’s first goal is to support excellence in research and teaching. Excellence is encouraged by the regrouping forces and expertise in neuroscience and mental health. The rise of a critical community allows to speed up the process of mobilization and knowledge transfer. This goal can be reached by supporting better interdisciplinary research. Interdisciplinary research is at the heart of funding in biomedical, clinical and psychosocial research.

Choosing innovative research topics favours the transfer of knowledge between discoveries on fundamental mechanisms of the functioning brain (in themes such as neural circuitry, learning, cognition, and research on individual differences) and the research on psychiatric and neurological illnesses (including developmental disorders, genetic and psychosocial determinants of disorders and the organization of care and services). There’s also a possibility to integrate new technologies and AI tools, a unique force at University of Montreal.

SENSUM allows the integration and the regrouping of driving forces in the field of neuroscience and mental health during proposal call or federal and international funding opportunities. It ensures collaborations between faculties, departments and comities to guarantee the funding of innovative solutions in neuroscience and mental health. The funding of these innovative solutions allows to respond to the needs of the public and the research community. SENSUM not only makes it possible to monitor these research funding or knowledge mobilization opportunities, but can also provide coordination support for the development and implementation of large-scale cross-functional projects within  the University.

SENSUM supports excellence in teaching by the development of an enriching environment that is favourable to growth and national and international competitiveness between researchers at the University of Montreal. It encourages change and reorganization of academic training to reflect the modern state of knowledge and to train highly qualified staff for the years to come. A lot of the modern problems in neuroscience and in mental health require an interdisciplinary approach and multiple paradigms, an approach favoured by SENSUM. One of its goals is to train highly competent staff and researchers to ensure the continuity of its mission. SENSUM encourages the development of solutions, propositions, programs, and initiatives between faculties to offer opportunities for its students to gain multi-disciplinary training relevant in neuroscience and mental health.

 

  1. Favour visibility

The 2nd goal of SENSUM is to highlight the expertise of multiple University of Montreal groups and its affiliated entities (groups, centers, center axes, initiatives, units, departments, etc.) related to neuroscience and mental health. SENSUM distinguishes itself by its high level of integration of neuroscience and mental health research. This allows the institution to distinguish itself from other big research poles in Canada where the research of these two disciplines is, for historical reason, usually separated on an organizational and institutional level. SENSUM wants to increase the visibility of the University of Montreal researchers and its work with the help of a dynamic circulation of information and resources by establishing bidirectional communication between the academic community and society. SENSUM encourages collaborative exchanges with renowned centres to increase the sharing of knowledge and resources. It is a permanent institution enjoying high visibility to respond to all of the needs and opportunities at the provincial, Canadian and international scale.

 

  1. Develop research and teaching impact.

The works of certain members of the scientific community in neuroscience and in mental health have significant and tangible impact on society. SENSUM develops mechanisms to increase the influence of neuroscience and mental health researchers on Quebecois and Canadian politics and to assert its influence within big consultative committees. This influence is materialized by the diffusion of research results to the general public, to the practitioners, to the academics, to the media and to the political deciders. SENSUM wants to be recognized as an excellent asset in neuroscience and mental health on the national and international scene by promoting innovative solutions in research and teaching.

This content has been updated on 12 July 2023 at 22 h 24 min.