Norrsken Mind is awarding eight grants totaling EUR 1.2 million (SEK 14 million) to support research and non-profit projects in psychedelic science. During this grant cycle, the Foundation is funding a clinical trial on psilocybin-assisted therapy for anorexia at Lund University, research at Karolinska Institutet and the University of Copenhagen on the psychotherapeutic component of psilocybin treatments, a report on reimbursement pathways in Europe for psychedelic therapy, and patient advocacy efforts.

This year’s research grants include full funding for a randomized controlled trial (RCT) with 40 participants to investigate psilocybin-assisted therapy as a treatment for anorexia nervosa at Lund University. Additionally, co-funding is awarded for a planned study with 120 participants at Copenhagen University, which compares psilocybin and psychotherapeutic support with a medical support model of treating depression with psilocybin. 

Funding has also been awarded to analyze psychotherapeutic data from two RCTs on psilocybin-assisted therapy for depression: PSIPET, a completed trial at Karolinska Institutet, and CAPSI, a publicly funded, ongoing trial with 100 cancer patients in Sweden. 

Grants for non-profit initiatives include support for patient advocacy efforts through the Psychedelic Participant Advocacy Network (PsyPAN), education and stakeholder engagement through Drug Science’s Medical Psychedelics Working Group and the Psychedelic Access and Research European Alliance (PAREA), and a public report on reimbursement pathways for psychedelic therapies in Europe led by Blossom.

Since 2023, Norrsken Mind has supported its grantees and their impactful projects with a total of EUR 2.2 million (SEK 25 million), including multiple clinical trials, epidemiological research, and studies of the neurobiological, cognitive and psychotherapeutic mechanisms behind psilocybin therapy.

More details about funded projects is available at Norrskenmind.org/projects. 

Featured grant recipients

‍Project: Psilocybin-assisted therapy for Anorexia Nervosa: A randomized controlled trial 
Grantee: Pouya Movahed Rad, Senior researcher at Lund University

Project: The psychotherapeutic component of psilocybin depression treatments
‍Grantees: Maria Beckman, Senior researcher at Karolinska Institutet, Johan Lundberg, Professor at Karolinska Institutet, and Dea Siggaard Stenbæk, Associate

Project: The Psilocybin Setting Trial
‍Grantees: Maria Beckman, Senior researcher at Karolinska Institutet, Dea Siggaard Stenbæk, Associate Professor at the University of Copenhagen, and Johan Lundberg, Professor at Karolinska Institutet

‍Project: The establishment of the 1971 treaty for the international control of psychedelic compounds
‍Grantees: Måns Bergkvist, Service specialist at Uppsala University, Damon Barrett, Senior Lecturer at the University of Gothenburg, Björn Johnson, Professor at Lund University, and Johan Edman, Professor at Stockholm University

‍Project: Reimbursement pathways for psychedelic therapies in Europe
Grantees: Floris Woljswijk, Founder of Blossom, and Martin Gisby, independent market access consultant at Magnetar Access

‍Project: Psychedelic Participant Advocacy Network
‍Grantee: Psychedelic Participant Advocacy Network (PsyPAN)

Project: Drug Science Medical Psychedelics Working Group
Grantee: Drug Science

Project: Psychedelic Access and Research European Alliance
‍Grantee: Psychedelic Access and Research European Alliance (PAREA)

‍Contact

Marcus Stråth
co-Managing Director
Marcus@norrskenmind.org

Emma Christersson
co-Managing Director
‍Emma@norrskenmind.org

About Norrsken Mind

Norrsken Mind is a foundation focused on supporting research on psychedelic substances and their potential to treat mental health disorders. We aim to improve the understanding of psychedelic-assisted therapies and catalyse progress towards treatment implementations in Europe. Norrsken Mind funded the first modern Swedish clinical trial using psilocybin-assisted therapy to treat depression at Karolinska Institutet.