A philanthropic programme with a focus on the psychedelic sector has been launched to harness the power of innovative mental health approaches for social change.
In a bid to advance education, expand access and support the wider ecosystem of mental health care, the Impact programme has been launched by biopharmaceutical company atai Life Sciences.
atai says it has established the programme on the position that, while a for-profit model is the swiftest and most robust means of unlocking new modalities for patients in need, this model alone cannot address all aspects of the escalating global mental crisis.
The programme aims to harmonise commercial and non-profit entities, with its initial focus on the psychedelic sector due to its emerging potential in tackling the growing mental health crisis.
atai co-founder and CEO, Florian Brand, commented: “The launch of atai Impact is a very proud moment for everyone at atai Life Sciences and for me, personally. While we believe a for-profit model is the best way to get new treatments to patients in need, not all aspects of the global mental health crisis can be effectively addressed by this model alone.
“I’ve been moved by the huge volume of support, internally and externally, that we have had in bringing atai Impact to life and by the commitment of so many of our staff, founders and investors who’ve already joined me in contributing a portion of their own company equity to this important programme.
“We are in active discussions with multiple stakeholders towards meaningful initiatives that we believe can help make a real difference to the future of psychedelic medicine and mental health care worldwide.”
The programme will operate across three central pillars including: education, to help destigmatise mental health, promote better understanding of the potential of psychedelics in mental health care, and foster the next generation of neuro-innovators; access, to support equal access to innovative and effective mental health support; and ecosystem, to contribute to the sustainability of diverse stakeholder communities and environments, including indigenous resources.
It will be initially funded by 1 per cent of the gross proceeds from atai Life Sciences’ June 2021 IPO and founders’ contributions.
