Ian Hickie talking about strategic partnerships with government, community and industry

Partnerships

Our research is underpinned by strategic collaborations

New solutions require new collaborations. To this end, we partner with community groups, health services, industry, and academia to provide the best outcomes for people affected by brain and mind disorders.

The Brain and Mind Centre is uniquely positioned to develop translational research that makes a real difference to people's lives. Our dedicated research laboratories are co-located with clinical services. This means we can integrate cutting-edge research with safe and effective clinical care. We leverage our research capacity by joining forces with the community, health care providers, industry, and researchers from across the world.

Connecting with the community

We pride ourselves on our patient-centred research. Our partnerships with  patient communities puts people at the centre of our research. We work directly with patient communities to provide expert clinical care and partner with organisations such as MS Australia and Parkinson's NSW to ensure our expertise is available to those who need it most. Our Youth Mental Health team works closely with headspace, the National Youth Mental Health Foundation providing early intervention and mental health services to 12-25 year olds. The Camperdown headspace clinic is located at the Brain and Mind Centre, facilitating continuous improvements to mental health services for the benefit of young people across Australia.

We work closely with the Sydney Local Health DistrictNorthern Sydney Local Health DistrictWestern Sydney Local Health District and the Sydney Children’s Hospitals Network, all of which are part of Sydney Health Partners, a collaboration between the University of Sydney and its affiliated medical research institutes including Brain and Mind Centre. In 2015, Sydney Health Partners was recognised as a National Health and Medical Research Council Advanced Health Research and Translation Centre – one of only four in Australia.

Partnering with industry

We work closely with a variety of progressive companies to translate new technologies and research discoveries into innovations that benefit the economy and society. By bringing together research expertise with commercial clout, we help to make cutting-edge treatments for brain and mind disorders more easily available for those that need them.

Our multiple sclerosis research group has established successful partnerships with Novartis, Biogen and Sanofi Genzyme, leading to funding for research trials and patient access to new drugs.

Similarly, our Youth Mental Health team has partnered with PricewaterhouseCoopers to develop InnoWell, a new company championing digital health care.

We are proud to partner with Southern Radiology, one of Australia’s largest medical imaging providers. By working with their team of specialist diagnostic imaging radiologists, we can pool our resources and work together to study changes that occur in the brain. 

Collaborating with a global academic network

Our researchers form collaborative partnerships with fellow academics, institutes and universities throughout Australia and the world. By sharing knowledge, resources and facilities, we offer the best chance of finding solutions to some of society’s greatest health challenges. We are proud to partner with The Group Of Eight in Australia and their affiliates. 

We work closely with the Woolcock Institute. In 2016, the Woolcock NeuroSleep Clinic was established and is now located at the Brain and Mind Centre’s Camperdown site to advance research in translational sleep and circadian neurobiology.

Similarly, the Cerebral Palsy Alliance’s research institute employs a number of researchers across disciplines, dedicated to improving outcomes for patients. In 2015, this research institute formed an affiliation with the University of Sydney and is now located at the Brain and Mind Centre Camperdown research site.