The Paris Brain Institute, the Ban Ki-moon Foundation and the Vascular Brain Health Institute are launching the Global Brain Care Scholars Program, a new international scholarship for ten outstanding young professionals working in brain health each year. Over several months, selected scholars will take part in scientific training, mentoring, and expert workshops, and will design and implement a local community project addressing a brain health challenge in their own country. Applications open in early fall 2026.
From the World Brain Health Forum to the Global Brain Care Scholars Program
The Global Brain Care Scholars Program is one of the direct outcomes of commitments made at the World Brain Health Forum 2026, an international gathering co-organized by the Paris Brain Institute that brought together scientists, clinicians, policymakers, and advocates to place brain health at the heart of global health priorities.
The Forum underscored a critical reality: brain diseases represent one of the most significant public health challenges of the 21st century, and despite the enormous burden of neurological and mental health disorders globally, knowledge, resources, and specialized expertise remain profoundly unequal across regions. The populations (especially those living in sub-Saharan Africa, South and Southeast Asia, and Latin America) most affected by conditions such as stroke, dementia, and depression, are often the least equipped to address these conditions at scale. The Global Brain Care Scholars Program was conceived as a concrete, action-oriented response to this gap, transforming the Forum's ambitions into real-world impact.
World Brain Health Forum 2026: addressing a societal issue (The Lancet)
The World Brain Health Forum: breaking silos for co-ordinated action (Nature)
What is the Global Brain Care Scholars Program?
At its core, the Global Brain Care Scholars Program is a competitive, fully supported international scholarship designed for young professionals aged 20 to 35 who are actively working in the field of brain health. Ten outstanding individuals will be selected to participate in a comprehensive curriculum combining scientific education, mentorship, and hands-on community action.
The program is a joint initiative of three major institutions:
- The Ban Ki-moon Foundation brings its global diplomatic influence and commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals.
- The Paris Brain Institute, one of the world's leading neuroscience research centers, contributes its scientific and clinical expertise.
- The Vascular Brain Health Institute adds cutting-edge specialized knowledge in cerebrovascular health.
The initiative is further supported in-kind by the Global Brain Health Institute, the BrainLat Institute and the Global Brain Care Coalition.
Who can apply?
Professional profiles: a wide spectrum of expertise
The program welcomes a deliberately broad range of professionals working at the intersection of brain health and social impact. Trainee and confirmed medical doctors, especially neurologists, and psychiatrists, are natural candidates, but so are community health workers, neuroscientists, neuro-engineers, AI and digital health professionals, public health researchers, and social workers. This inclusive approach reflects the program's core understanding: improving brain health outcomes requires not only clinical expertise, but also research and innovation, policy engagement, advocacy, and community-based action. Experience in care, digital innovation, or related fields is equally valued.
Candidates must hold at least a master's degree and demonstrate a minimum B2 level of English proficiency, ensuring they can fully engage with the program's content, workshops, and international exchanges.
Geographic eligibility: targeting underserved regions
One of the most defining features of the Global Brain Care Scholars Program is its deliberate geographic focus. The eight core eligible countries - Benin, Cameroon, India, Kenya, Mauritius, Nigeria, Senegal, and Thailand - were selected because they represent regions where the burden of neurological and mental health disorders is high, while access to specialized training and international networks remains limited.
Two additional places are reserved for professionals from Low-and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs) in Latin America and the Caribbean. The selection of these participants will be coordinated by the Global Brain Health Institute and the BrainLat Institute, ensuring regional expertise and local context are fully reflected in the process.
What the program offers: an immersive and transformative experience
A Winter school at the heart of neuroscience
The program officially launches with an online kick-off meeting, followed by an in-person Winter school held at the Paris Brain Institute in January 2027. This intensive training brings scholars to one of the most prestigious neuroscience environments in the world, offering direct access to leading researchers, clinicians, and innovators in brain health. The curriculum is structured around the three conditions that carry the greatest global burden: stroke, dementia, and depression. But the content goes well beyond clinical and research knowledge. Scholars will also engage with the economic models surrounding these diseases, explore entrepreneurship in brain health, and learn evidence-based methods for designing prevention strategies adaptable to local contexts. This combination of scientific rigor and practical applicability is one of the program's most distinctive strengths.
The Changemaker project: turning knowledge into local action
During the Changemaker project, between February and June 2027, each scholar will design and implement a localized intervention addressing a specific brain health challenge in their own community. Far from just a theoretical exercise, the Changemaker project is a real-world project, grounded in the scholar's understanding of local context, cultural dynamics, and available resources.
To support this endeavor, the program provides a seed grant of 800 €, distributed upon successful submission of a project proposal. This catalytic funding can be used to launch a public awareness campaign, develop a locally adapted prevention protocol, pilot a digital screening tool, or organize a community health workshop. The Changemaker project is the mechanism through which the program's ambitions are translated into tangible, measurable outcomes.
Mentoring, workshops, and international recognition
Throughout the scholarship period, scholars benefit from a series of virtual expert workshops to maintain engagement with the broader brain health community. Each scholar also has access to one-on-one mentoring with an experienced professional in their field, a rare opportunity to receive personalized guidance at a pivotal stage of their career. The three top-performing scholars will receive an additional award: participation in a major international conference, providing further visibility and networking opportunities on the global stage.
A certificate that carries weight
Upon successful completion of the program, scholars will receive a Certificate of Achievement signed by three figures whose names embody the intersection of diplomacy, science, and clinical leadership: H.E. Ban Ki-moon, 8th Secretary-General of the United Nations and Co-chair of the Ban Ki-moon Foundation; Prof. Stéphanie Debette, Director-General of the Paris Brain Institute; and Prof. Igor Sibon, Interim Director of the Vascular Brain Health Institute.
Save the Date: Applications Open in September 2026
The call for applications for the inaugural Global Brain Care Scholars Program will open in early fall 2026. If you are a young professional aged 20 to 35 working in brain health, hold a master's degree, and are a national of one of the eligible countries, now is the time to prepare.
