The new partnership builds on a shared vision to improve the brain health of Australians through innovation and research excellence in neuroscience.
UNSW Sydney and NeuRA have signed a new 10-year affiliation agreement, reaffirming their commitment to improving the lives of people with brain and nervous system disorders. Commencing on 1 January 2026, the new partnership builds on the success of the original affiliation inked in 2007.
For the first time the agreement will create an Affiliation Council to strengthen collaboration between the two organisations, paving the way for joint investment in research programs, upgraded facilities and the recruitment of leading academic and research staff.
UNSW Vice-Chancellor and President Professor Attila Brungs said the new 10-year agreement reaffirmed the strong and collaborative partnership between UNSW and NeuRA.
"From advances in dementia and mental health to discoveries of new treatment paradigms and the clinical translation of novel diagnostics, UNSW and NeuRA have worked on high-impact research to improve the lives of people affected by brain and nervous system conditions," Prof. Brungs said.
"This renewed partnership builds on our deep links and great successes while opening the door to a new chapter. Together, we're taking a significant leap forward - deepening our shared commitment to creating positive societal change and advancing research that makes a real difference, now and for generations to come."
The new agreement will also underpin a three-way model with South-Eastern Sydney Local Health District to develop and roll out the infrastructure needed for at-scale implementation of emerging therapies for Alzheimer's disease.
"This agreement creates opportunities to collaborate on increasingly profound breakthroughs in diagnosis and the treatment of society's most pressing concerns," NeuRA's CEO, Scientia Professor Matthew Kiernan, said.
"It formally aligns the curiosity and agility of a globally recognised medical research institute with the academic power of one of Australia's highest-ranked universities and also opens up opportunities to align with industry and expedite those outcomes.
"The links between NeuRA and UNSW go back to our founding, but this agreement equips us to pursue research at the cutting edge of neuroscience and brain health."
The affiliation reflects one of the pillars of the UNSW Strategy: Progress for All : Enabling Healthy Lives. One of the main goals is to lead world-class research in precision medicine and technology, and to work with partners and collaborators to turn those discoveries into real-world improvements in people's health and wellbeing.
The renewed partnership also reflects the three missions in NeuRA's new research strategy, NeuRA Forward 2025-30. They include protecting brain health across the lifespan, developing science-based strategies that prevent loss of function and protect quality of life, and advancing precision brain diagnostics using neuroscience, genomics and artificial intelligence.
Unlocking mysteries of the brain
UNSW's affiliation with NeuRA is one of its longest-running partnerships, and the organisations collaborated on numerous projects to address neurodegeneration, mental health and healthy ageing.
Some of the successful outcomes of the partnership include:
- Formation of the UNSW Ageing Futures Institute , led by Conjoint Senior Principal Research Scientist at NeuRA and Scientia Professor Kaarin Anstey. Prof. Anstey is internationally renowned for her research in the fields of dementia epidemiology, dementia risk reduction, and older driver safety.
- Formation of the Centre for Pain IMPACT at NeuRA, which aims to improve the lives of individuals suffering from chronic pain, led by UNSW academics Professor Sylvia Gustin and Professor James McAuley. More than two dozen joint projects between UNSW and the Centre for Pain IMPACT are researching, developing and testing practical treatments for pain.
- UNSW contributed funding to the establishment of the Sydney Brain Bank at NeuRA in 2009. The biobanking facility collects, characterises, stores and distributes human brain and spinal cord tissue for research into disorders of the brain and mind.
- Support for Australia's leading researchers in falls prevention across NeuRA's Falls, Balance & Injury Research Centre and the School for Clinical Medicine at UNSW. Their research focuses on understanding human balance and fall risk factors to develop effective prevention strategies.
Dean of UNSW Medicine & Health Professor Cheryl Jones said UNSW was excited about its recommitment to NeuRA.
"Over the next decade, we will work together to discover solutions in neuroscience and brain health through world-class biomedical research at our Randwick Health and Innovation Precinct," she said.
"From internationally renowned research into dementia risk reduction to testing new therapies for human balance and falls prevention in older adults - this collaboration continues to provide meaningful change for people in Australia and around the world."
