The Hospital das Clínicas da Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo (HCFMUSP) Institute of Psychiatry (IPq) launched the National Center for Research and Innovation in Mental Health (CISM) on March 15, 2023. The new center aims to enhance mental health awareness in the state of São Paulo by implementing innovative interventions to improve mental and physical health indicators.

The initiative is the result of a partnership between IPq-HCFMUSP, the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), the Federal University of São Paulo (Unifesp), the Banco Industrial do Brasil (BIB), and the municipalities of Indaiatuba and Jaguariúna, São Paulo. The project has a financial contribution of R$ 40 million, with R$ 20 million from the São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP) and the remaining R$ 20 million from BIB.

Among the focus areas are the study of the development of mental disorders in young people, considering genetic and environmental factors, the development and testing of new technologies for intervening in mental disorders, and the implementation of effective interventions in the community that can be applied through public health policies in São Paulo and Brazil.

"The CISM has the potential to transform mental health research in the country, making it more consistent and socially driven. We will develop new ideas with innovative potential and provide systematic interventions that will have a significant impact in the real world, influencing the lives of people who need care the most in our communities," said Prof. Dr. Eurípedes Constantino Miguel Filho, Head of the Department of Psychiatry at FMUSP, responsible researcher, and coordinator of CISM.