Care for people with dementia is a major concern in many European countries. In the context of an ageing population, an increasing number of European citizens are likely to be affected by mental disorders, dementia or neurodegenerative diseases (such as Alzheimer’s). Addressing these challenges is of particular concern to policy makers at regional, national, EU and international levels. Public-private partnerships are addressing this issue which also confirms the overall endorsement of the research, business and policy-making community in this field. Leading European research organisations have a proven scientific record of excellence in the fields of neurology, genetics, neurophysiology... which make it an ideal theme for this programme.There is a growing need to address mental health issues in a comprehensive way and a need to coordinate policy, research and enterprise into a more efficient partnership. By working with leading regional clusters in an open dialogue with key stakeholders, the NEURO-RESCUE project will set up new models for mental health research that guarantee a systematic multidisciplinary approach. More than a public-private partnership and more than a network of clusters, NEURO-RESCUE will be an innovative and integrative regional research model. This model will aim to address: research, economic and societal issues in a cross sectoral fashion.The NEURO-RESCUE project will address these challenges by aiming to bridge the gap between research into mental disorders and the implementation of innovative solutions. This will be carried out by:(i) SWOT Analysis: with a mapping analysis exercise and an opportunities and finance/demand exercise..(ii) Joint Action Plan definition: create a shared research & innovation action plan to achieve the vision of an integrated neurosciences research system(iii) Joint Action Plan implementation: to prepare for the implementation of this action plan in the period following project completion.