Celebrating the 2024 successes of IAMHRF Members

IAMHRF Members represent the world’s largest funders of mental health research. They are government funders, philanthropic foundations, and fundraising charities who invest their resources across the full research spectrum from basic biomedical sciences to translational and health services research, as well as health promotion and illness prevention. The past year has been marked by significant developments in their work – advances that address pressing challenges and set the stage for sustainable, evidence-based solutions with tangible impact on mental health.

Each of these achievements is impressive in its own right – and collectively, they show a breadth and depth of strength in mental health research right now. The successes of IAMHRF members, of course, include new innovations – but they also showcase what it takes to create the strategy, culture of collaboration, and infrastructure to make research happen in a way that creates equity in who benefits from them.

• Strategy lays the groundwork for sustainable change addressing both immediate needs and long-term challenges. USAID’s Mental Health Position Paper emphasised the importance of social determinants and commits to integrating mental health across all its programs as an intersectional priority. Meanwhile, HRB finalised its first-ever National Mental Health Research Strategy, placing mental health research at the centre of system transformation.
• Collaboration that unifies people and organisations behind a common goal can help create the shared understanding and embedded networks that are critical for real-world impact and sustainability. In Canada, the Integrated Youth Services (IYS) movement, led by GBF and CIHR, has provided accessible, community-driven care to young people. Globally, the Being Initiative has mapped youth mental health landscapes across 13 countries, empowering youth-led organisations to address local challenges.
• Infrastructure is an important enabler of collaboration and knowledge exchange across researchers and communities. MRC, on behalf of UKRI, launched a Mental Health Research Platform to support an integrated, holistic approach that aims to break down traditional silos in mental health research. It will link and collaborate across disciplines—including biological, social, computational, and medical sciences—and work internationally to unlock new opportunities for advancing care and treatment for severe mental illness.
• Innovation in the form of new evidence-based interventions that can be implemented in the real world is the prize. The Wellcome-funded AVATAR2 trial demonstrated the potential of digital therapy for individuals who hear voices. MQ Mental Health Research challenged assumptions about the internet’s effect on youth mental health, emphasising the importance of safe online spaces, and ZonMw’s Action Program “Grip on Misunderstanding” focused on evidence-based interventions for individuals with misunderstood behaviour, bridging gaps in care.
• Equity in mental health research means taking proactive steps to address known inequities and disparities – whether between groups of people or across regions. An equitable approach centres on lived experience – including those ‘on the ground’ whose experience of the specific context is critical to ensuring research (and its implementation) meets the needs of that setting. MHI’s Holding Space manual supports inclusive care for individuals with invisible disabilities, while GCC’s Being Global Gathering brought together youth voices and innovators to scale mental health solutions in low- and middle-income countries.

We recognise that there are still challenges to overcome in mental health research – but we also hope that reflecting on the successes of IAMHRF members can provide inspiration and fuel for the future. We’ve loved seeing NIMH do just this as they celebrate the impact they’ve had as part of their 75th anniversary.