University of Minnesota-Twin Cities
Grant Information
This grant supports the University of Minnesota’s effort to strengthen connections between addiction recovery communities and neuroscience researchers through the Minnesota Innovations in Recovery Network (MIREN). Building on over a decade of neuroscience-informed mental health education in marginalized communities, the project will create a sustained platform for collaborative engagement. A community–academic advisory board will bring together neuroscientists and individuals with lived experience of substance use disorder to co-design culturally responsive neuroscience tools that address stigma, cognitive challenges, and motivation in recovery.
The project will surface community-driven neuroscience research goals to guide future research studies and inform the development of a neuroscience-informed addiction treatment toolkit. These neuroscience-informed tools will be piloted in workshops and widely shared through digital and print formats. By centering community expertise, building trust, and fostering mutual understanding, this project reflects the Dana Foundation’s mission to advance neuroscience that benefits society and its commitment to empathy and collaborative approaches to improve health and well-being.
This grant supports the Dana Frontiers program’s objectives to develop engagement resources and to pilot multidirectional engagement opportunities to embed community perspectives in research, policy, and decision-making.