Neuro Innovation for Social Impact
By framing ANA's priorities around neuro innovation for social impact, we aim to demonstrate how the Association is advancing applied neuroscience research to practice and how our members are contributing to impactful innovations that benefit society at large.
Here are some examples of what we have been getting involved in:
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ANA's Strategic Priorities for gathering Interest from Social Impact Investors:
1. Health Innovation: ANA is committed to advancing neuroscience research that directly impacts health outcomes such as preventive brain health measures or innovative mental health solutions that remain underutilised or untapped. By translating early-stage research, applied research, clinical trials, technology integration, and the translation of existing research into practice, neuroscience can drive meaningful and accessible improvements in global health.
2. Educational Outreach: ANA’s role in integrating neuroscience into educational practices could involve supporting research or initiatives to enhance processes, learning, and teaching methods, potentially through technological innovations like AI-driven personalised learning systems as just one example. Another is using neuroscience-based insights to design strategies that improve focus, memory retention, and emotional regulation in learners. Tailoring approaches to diverse needs, such as neurodivergent individuals.
3. Social innovation: ANA advances social innovation by supporting the application of neuroscience to address societal challenges, particularly those affecting vulnerable populations. This includes advocating for evidence-based practices in public policy, developing community-focused initiatives, and collaborating with stakeholders to bridge neuroscience research with real-world solutions.
4. Sustainable Neuroscience Practices: Advocate for sustainable practices within neuroscience research and applications, promoting innovations that are scalable, environmentally conscious, and ethically developed. Such as green lab practices or long-term sustainability of particular interventions.
5. Cultural Contributions of Neuroscience: Neuroscience can enrich cultural understanding and creativity, potentially funding projects at the intersection of neuroscience and the arts (cultural differences on neural processes) or neuroscience and technology (neurological basis of entrepreneurialism), fostering a more inclusive understanding of brain function across different populations and lifespans.​​
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Investing in Social Impact
There are various investment strategies involving social impact. Each of these strategies shares a common interest in aligning investments with broader social, environmental, and ethical goals, with the expectation of strong governance. Each differs in principles, reach, and intensity of focus on social and financial outcomes. ANA is aligned with 4, 5 and 6.
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1. ESG Investing: This strategy integrates environmental, social, and governance (ESG) criteria into risk and opportunity management in investment decision-making. Typically for larger organisations, albeit strong governance
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2. Responsible Investment (RI): This involves incorporating ESG factors into investment decisions to manage risk and generate sustainable, long-term returns. RI strategies can include screening the supply chain to actively engaging in the governance of companies to improve their practices.
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3. Socially Responsible Investing (SRI): SRI goes a step further by specifically excluding investments in businesses that conflict with the investor's values (like tobacco or firearms) and including those that adhere to ethical principles. It's more value-driven, focusing on ethical considerations and positive social impact.
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4. Social Impact Investing: This focuses on creating positive social or environmental impacts alongside generating a financial return. Impact investors actively seek out opportunities to invest in areas such as research, education, and healthcare, to address regional and global challenges directly through their investments.
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​5. Sustainable Investment: This broader category encompasses any investment strategy that seeks long-term environmental and societal implications alongside financial returns. It includes but is not limited to RI, SRI, and ESG, focusing on generating long-term sustainable outcomes.
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6. Philanthropy and Non-Profit Sector: These involve activities and organisations dedicated to promoting welfare or social change regardless of financial return. This sector often relies on donations and grants but increasingly is engaging with investment-based approaches to achieve sustainable funding and greater impact.
