Owerko Centre Catalyst Grants in Neurodevelopment Research
Catalyst Grants support research teams that are unlocking discoveries and supporting children with neurodevelopmental conditions and their families. Representing basic science, clinical research and social and population health, each project brings a diverse range of expertise to understanding neurodevelopment and neurodevelopmental conditions.
Applications for the next round of funding will open in Winter 2026.
2025 Catalyst Grant Recipients

Advancing the study of child and youth flourishing: Research from the All Our Families Study
Principal Investigator: Dr. Zahra Clayborne, PhD, Departments of Community Health Sciences and Pediatrics, Cumming School of Medicine
The study of well-being has received growing interest across the social and health sciences, along with the concept of flourishing. However, despite growing research interest in flourishing, several limitations exist in the current evidence base. Our group will conduct a multi-methods project that seeks to evaluate the research question: How do children and youth interpret and experience flourishing, and what are the psychological, social, behavioural, and environmental factors that influence their current and long-term flourishing?

A Pilot Study of UPLIFTS
Principal Investigator: Dr. Elizabeth Condliffe, Clinical Associate Professor, Pediatric Rehabilitation Medicine, Cumming School of Medicine
UPLIFTS - Upright Participation for Learners: Implementation of Flexible use of roboT-assisted walking in Schools
Robot-assisted walking can improve health and participation for children who cannot walk due to conditions like cerebral palsy, Spina Bifida, or Rett Syndrome. However, access is limited due to high costs and the need for adult support. Schools offer a promising setting to expand equitable access. A study was done to identify barriers and facilitators to school-based implementation and the research team have selected strategies to address them. This pilot study will test those strategies to optimize the approach before launching a multisite trial aimed at sustainable, equitable school-based access to robot-assisted walking.

Ecological momentary assessment to measure thought regulation and predict affect in youth with neurodevelopmental conditions
Principal Investigator: Dr. Julia Kam, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Arts
The inability to regulate our thoughts is associated with negative impacts on affective well-being. This catalyst project aims to develop an ecological momentary assessment tool to assess regulation of thought content and provide feasibility data to show that it can be used in youth with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and/or obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). We will investigate if dysregulation of thought content is a transdiagnostic process that underlies affective wellbeing in these conditions, and if thought dysregulation can be used to make person-specific predictions about affective well-being using machine learning.
Previous Catalyst Grant Recipients
Project | Principal Investigator and Research Team | Year |
---|---|---|
Identifying early developmental risk and protective factors to prevent chronic pain in children | Dr. Kathryn Birnie, Dr. Melanie Noel, Dr. Sheri Madigan, Dr. Serena Orr, Dr. Sheila McDonald & Dr. Suzanne Tough | 2021 |
Heterogeneity in brain networks in children born preterm and the relation to risk of behavioral and mental disorder | Dr. Signe Bray & Dr. Emma Towlson | 2021 |
Using Machine Learning to Predict the Effects of Maternal and Early Childhood Exposure to Neurotoxic Chemical Elements and Essential Nutrients on Neurodevelopmental Outcomes | Dr. Deborah Dewey & Dr. Nils Forkert | 2020 |
Fibre for Thought: Reducing Pain and Anxiety by Gut-Brain Axis Modulation | Dr. Gerald Giesbrecht, Dr. Melanie Noel & Dr. Alfred Yeung | 2020 |
The Effects of Maternal Infection on Placenta and Developing Brains | Dr. Deborah Kurrasch, Dr. Myriam Hemberger & Dr. Sarah McFarlane | 2020 |
Cross-disorder approach to the study of gut microbiome in neurodevelopmental disorders | Dr. Davide Martino & Dr. Laura Sycuro | 2020 |
Restoring Protein Translation in Fragile X Syndrome | Dr. Ray Turner & Dr. David Schriemer | 2020 |