Houston Emerges as Global Center for Brain Health Innovation

Business and policy leaders outline plans to fuel workforce development and innovation in bid to accelerate $260 billion local GDP growth potential.

HOUSTON, May 22, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Protecting and enriching human brain health and performance may be one of the most important economic strategies that businesses and governments pursue as they seek to strengthen workforces, mitigate the surging costs of brain-related diseases and drive economic growth.

That was the primary conclusion of a pivotal two-day meeting of global business and policy leaders in Houston to discuss strategies to establish the region as the global epicenter for brain health research, workforce development and innovation. The meeting, “Brain Capital: The New Competitive Edge in a Shifting Economy,” was organized by UsAgainstAlzheimer’s and finished with a series of recommendations for improving brain health that will be taken next to the Calgary, Canada G7 Summit in June and the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

The conference in Houston was the latest in a series of global milestones to elevate urgent brain health challenges and opportunities facing the world. Plans to showcase recommendations at the G7, UN General Assembly and the G20 events are part of a Brain House Tour that started at the 2025 World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos by a key partner organization, the Davos Alzheimer’s Collaborative.

“Brain disorders represent an imminent crisis that we can avoid if we prioritize brain health innovations and nurture the brain capital of the global workforce today,” said George Vradenburg, Chairman of the Davos Alzheimer’s Collaborative. “We can unlock $26 trillion in global economic opportunities by boosting labor productivity, sparking new products and services and extending healthy working years. But that requires businesses and policymakers to work together with shared urgency.”

Brain health conditions currently are responsible for more than $1 trillion in lost productivity globally. These costs are expected to balloon to nearly $16 trillion globally by 2030, a call to action for businesses, health systems, and governments to address the issue in a transformative and coordinated manner. However, according to a new analysis presented by the McKinsey Health Institute today, there is potential for significant economic opportunity from investing in brain health interventions. In Texas, where brain health conditions make up the bulk of health issues that cost employers, investing in brain health initiatives could drive $260 billion in local GDP impact.

Within the past two years, Houston has topped the FT-Nikkei Investing in America rankings as the best U.S. destination for foreign investment, largely due to the Houston Energy Transition Initiative that has diversified the industry base of the region. According to the Greater Houston Partnership, the city now has more than 1,700 foreign-owned companies operating there, with 17 foreign banks and 50 foreign-owned companies that plan to move to or expand operations to Houston.

“Brain capital will be an essential currency as we prepare workers to thrive and evolve with the technologies, societal shifts and economic uncertainties of the coming decades,” said Eric Mullins, chairman and chief executive officer of Lime Rock Resources and a member of the board of directors of the Greater Houston Partnership. “The steps that Houston is taking to invest in brain health will unlock capital for R&D, model best practices in employee well-being and prepare our workforce to compete on the global stage.”

To help fuel the state’s transformation as a brain health economy leader, the Texas Legislature recently passed legislation to establish the Dementia Prevention Research Institute of Texas (DPRIT).

“Too many families in Texas know the ravages of Dementia,” said Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick. “That is why I made DPRIT one of my top priorities this session. Because of DPRIT, and its $3 billion investment over 10 years, Texas will become the premier destination for Dementia prevention and research in the world. Texans will have access to the best Dementia care right here at home. I am proud of the legislature’s commitment to this unprecedented investment in Dementia prevention and, ultimately, a cure. I know Texas families will benefit for generations to come. I look forward to DPRIT receiving Texas voters’ approval of the program’s creation in November.”

The role that Houston can play in applying best practices in workforce development will be an important benchmark as other companies look to strengthen cognitive skills and prevent Dementia-related diseases. “We need to see greater collaboration between multinational companies and governments at the regional and national levels to shape the workplace environment of the future,” said Gale Moutrey, Vice President of Global Brand and Corporate Communications at Steelcase. “Elevating the recommendations from this important meeting to the G7 and the World Economic Forum will ensure we are creating a blueprint for other companies and countries to follow.”

Additional information on the program, speakers and outcomes of the “Brain Capital: The New Competitive Edge in a Shifting Economy” event can be found here.

About UsAgainstAlzheimer’s
UsAgainstAlzheimer’s is engaged in a relentless pursuit to end Alzheimer’s, the sixth leading killer in America. Our work centers on prevention, early detection and diagnosis, and equal access to treatments regardless of gender, race, or ethnicity. To achieve our mission, we give voice to patients and caregivers while partnering with government, scientists, the private sector, and allied organizations -- the people who put the “Us” in UsAgainstAlzheimer’s. For more information, visit us at UsAgainstAlzheimer’s and follow us on LinkedIn and Instagram.

About the Davos Alzheimer’s Collaborative
The Davos Alzheimer's Collaborative (DAC) is a pioneering worldwide initiative to prevent Alzheimer’s disease and improve brain health. DAC is extending global research beyond its current focus on traditional Western European ethnic populations to the Global South, where the vast majority of those with Alzheimer’s live. By introducing lower-cost screening and diagnostic tools as well as new treatment and prevention modalities in primary care and community health settings, DAC is driving implementation of health system solutions that are appropriate for worldwide application. DAC also promotes the vital importance of brain health throughout the lifespan by addressing cardiometabolic and lifestyle factors, especially in early and mid-life. Absent effective action at scale around the world, by 2050, more than 150 million families and half a billion people will be personally impacted by dementia, creating a social, financial, economic, and global security disaster of historic proportions. DAC was launched in Davos in 2021 by the World Economic Forum and the Global CEO Initiative on Alzheimer's Disease. For more information, please visit: davosalzheimerscollaborative.org. 

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Nicole Smith
Email: nicole.smith@finnpartners.com