The Brain and Mind Centre has unveiled its Strategy 2026–2030, setting out an ambitious vision to transform brain and mind health through world-leading research, clinical care, technology and innovation.
The strategy, Healthier brains. Stronger minds. Better lives., outlines how the Centre will accelerate the translation of discoveries into practical solutions that improve outcomes for individuals, families and communities
The strategy comes at a time when Australia faces growing challenges in mental health, neurodevelopmental disorders and dementia, while advances in neuroscience, artificial intelligence and digital health are creating new opportunities to improve prevention, diagnosis and treatment. The Brain and Mind Centre's unique model brings together discovery science, clinical services, lived experience, data and technology within a single ecosystem, enabling faster pathways from research to real-world impact.
The future of brain and mind health depends on our ability to connect discovery with implementation. Through this strategy, we are committing to earlier intervention, more personalised care, stronger partnerships and the translation of world-leading research into practical solutions that improve lives. Our vision is simple: healthier brains, stronger minds and better lives for all.
Professor Ian Hickie AO and Professor Ben Colagiuri
Co-Directors, Brain and Mind Centre
Over the next five years, the Brain and Mind Centre will focus on three Strategic Priorities:
- Improving child neurodevelopment and youth mental health care
- Advancing brain and mind sciences through discovery and innovation
- Promoting healthy brain ageing and reducing the impact of neurodegeneration
These priorities are supported by strategic platforms spanning neuroscience and biomarkers, artificial intelligence and digital health, and lived experience and co-design, alongside strong partnerships with health services, industry, government and communities.
Translating research into real-world impact
A central feature of the strategy is the Centre's commitment to research translation and measurable societal impact.
The strategy highlights a number of examples already demonstrating this approach, including: (Insert links to research pages where applicable)
- The Australian Child Neurodevelopment Registry, which connects children, families, clinicians and researchers to improve neurodevelopmental care.
- The national Medicare Mental Health Check In service, where the Brain and Mind Centre leads innovation and improvement efforts to expand access to digital mental health support across Australia.
- The Hybrid Virtual Memory Clinic, which is improving access to specialist dementia assessment and care in regional and rural communities.
- The MSBase Imaging Repository, one of the world's largest imaging repositories for multiple sclerosis research, supporting international collaboration and precision medicine approaches.
- Translation and commercialisation initiatives including Kinoxis Therapeutics and partnerships developing next-generation therapies for mental health, dementia and substance use disorders.
Towards 2030
By 2030, the Brain and Mind Centre aims to deliver earlier intervention, more precise diagnosis, increasingly personalised care and stronger health systems through integrated research and clinical innovation. The strategy emphasises the use of artificial intelligence, advanced neuroimaging, biomarkers, digital health technologies and lived experience partnerships to improve outcomes across the lifespan.
The Centre's vision is underpinned by a commitment to multidisciplinary collaboration, bringing together expertise from neuroscience, psychology, psychiatry, engineering, data science and clinical care to tackle some of the most complex challenges in brain and mind health.
Launching the strategy, BMC Co-Directors Professor Ian Hickie AO and Professor Ben Colagiuri outlined a future focused on accelerating impact, strengthening partnerships and ensuring every breakthrough has a pathway to better care, healthier communities and population-level benefit.
The Strategy 2026–2030 provides a roadmap for how the Brain and Mind Centre will continue to lead discovery, translation and innovation, while delivering on its vision to create healthier brains, stronger minds and better lives.