In 2025, Norrsken Mind awarded grants totaling EUR 1.1 million (SEK 11.8 million) across eight psychedelic research and non-profit initiatives. The funded projects span clinical research examining the effects psilocybin, a comparative analysis of interventions for treatment-resistant depression, development of evidence assessment frameworks, research infrastructure in the Netherlands, and practitioner training in Ukraine, as well as policy work to explore early access to psychedelic therapies in the EU.

The 2025 research portfolio features the Open Psilocybin Study at Leiden University, a rigorous clinical study examining the effects of low-to-medium doses of psilocybin on the brain, body, and self-perception. It also includes a multi-criteria decision analysis by Drug Science to evaluate the benefits and safety of various treatments for treatment-resistant depression.

To facilitate future implementation of psychedelic therapies, Norrsken Mind is supporting the Psychedelic Access and Research European Alliance (PAREA) to advance early access in the EU through regulatory sandboxes, an emerging tool within EU pharmaceutical legislation. Additionally, a grant is awarded to establish the Independent Psychedelic Evidence Assessment Working Group, which brings together multidisciplinary experts to develop new standards and guide stakeholders in evaluating evidence from psychedelic research.

Funding is also awarded to Heal Ukraine Trauma to expand a group ketamine-assisted psychotherapy training program for practitioners working with populations affected by war, and to Psynapse, an initiative developing shared infrastructure to enable more effective and collaborative psychedelic research in the Netherlands.

As part of Norrsken Mind’s commitment to help drive public funding to the field, we are supporting the development of a Horizon Europe application for a proposed clinical trial involving psychedelic therapy. The total project budget is expected to be in the range of EUR 6-8 million. 

“The psychedelic field is approaching a watershed moment, with increasing patient access and marketing authorizations seemingly on the horizon. As a result, questions about the implementation of psychedelic therapies are moving from if to how. Our grants in 2025 reflect Norrsken Mind’s strategic focus on addressing the most pressing challenges in this rapidly evolving landscape. Rigorous evidence, healthcare system readiness, patient-centered care models, and scalability pressures are key themes going forward. We are proud to back our exceptional grantees in their efforts to tackle these issues,” says Marcus Stråth and Emma Christersson, Co-Managing Directors at Norrsken Mind. 

Since 2023, Norrsken Mind has supported research and non-profit initiatives with a total of EUR 3.4 million (SEK 37.1 million), advancing the foundation’s mission to improve scientific understanding and enable responsible access to psychedelic medicine.

More information about each project is available at Norrskenmind.org/projects.

‍Funded Projects 2025

‍Open Psilocybin Study (OPS) at Leiden University

The OPS is a multi-session experimental research project led by Michiel van Elk, Associate Professor at Leiden University, in collaboration with the Centre for Human Drug Research. The study investigates how low-to-medium doses of psilocybin affect the brain, body, and self-perception compared with placebo in 40 healthy participants. By generating detailed neural, cognitive, and physiological data, the project aims to advance mechanistic understanding of psychedelic effects across a dose range that remains relatively underexplored.

‍Independent Psychedelic Evidence Assessment Working Group (IPEA-WG)

The IPEA-WG is developing rigorous, multidisciplinary standards for evaluating evidence related to psychedelic therapies. The group is led by Eduardo Schenberg, MSc, PhD (University of Lisbon), with co-chairs Franklin King, MD (Massachusetts General Hospital) and Marion Haberkamp, MD (German Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices, BfArM). The work integrates clinical, neuroscientific, regulatory, and ethical perspectives to support clinical and policy decisions.

‍Horizon Europe 2025 Application 

Norrsken Mind is supporting the development of a Horizon Europe application for a proposed clinical trial involving psychedelic therapy. The total project budget is expected to be in the range of EUR 6-8 million. 

‍Psynapse – Research Infrastructure for Psychedelic Science

Psynapse is developing an infrastructure to support psychedelic research in the Netherlands with shared data frameworks, protocol templates, and collaboration tools to improve research quality, transparency, and coordination across sites.

‍Psychedelic Access and Research European Alliance (PAREA) – Regulatory Sandboxes

PAREA is exploring the use of regulatory sandboxes, an emerging tool in EU pharmaceutical legislation, to support early and responsible access to psychedelic therapies. The project aims to develop sandbox models for these treatments, drawing on existing national frameworks and engaging with EU regulators to generate real-world evidence, inform regulatory pathways, and support healthcare system preparedness.

‍Heal Ukraine Trauma (HUT) – Group Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy Training

HUT is scaling Ukraine’s first Group Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy training program. The initiative equips Ukrainian mental health professionals with evidence-based tools to treat war-related trauma among veterans and civilians, contributing to increased mental health capacity in the region.

‍Drug Science – Comparing Treatments for Treatment-Resistant Depression

Drug Science will gather a team of experts and patient representatives to compare the benefits and harms of treatments for treatment-resistant depression using a multi-criteria decision analysis. The project will include evaluating a wide range of interventions, providing an evidence-based overview for clinicians, patients, and policymakers.

‍Borealis Psychedelic Science Summit 2025

Organized by the Swedish Network for Psychedelic Science (NPV), the Borealis Psychedelic Science Summit 2025 brought together more than 300 participants from 21 countries. The event was the first psychedelic science conference in Sweden since 2018, serving as a key gathering for the Nordic psychedelic research community.

‍Contact

Marcus Stråth
Co-Managing Director
Marcus@norrskenmind.org

Emma Christersson
Co-Managing Director
Emma@norrskenmind.org

‍About Norrsken Mind

Norrsken Mind is a non-profit foundation dedicated to advancing psychedelic science in Europe. We fund high-quality research examining the therapeutic potential of psychedelics for mental health disorders, along with non-profit initiatives that help lay the foundation for the future integration of these treatments into healthcare. By mobilising philanthropic capital, offering grants, and facilitating partnerships, Norrsken Mind aims to create the conditions necessary for psychedelic treatments to be rigorously studied, responsibly implemented, and ultimately accessible to patients in need.

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