Neuroscience Research Australia

What Neuroscience Research Australia does

Neuroscience Research Australia (NeuRA) is an independent, not-for-profit medical research institute established in 1991 (operating since 1992) and headquartered at the Margarete Ainsworth Building in Randwick, New South Wales, within the Randwick Health & Innovation Precinct and affiliated with the University of New South Wales. The institute conducts basic, translational and clinical neuroscience research across dementia, Parkinson's disease, motor neurone disease, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, depression, chronic pain, falls prevention and road safety, employing 400+ researchers and staff and producing 352 original research publications, 33 active trials and 128 active projects in FY2024.

NeuRA's core technology platform comprises proprietary brain atlases (including The Rat Brain in Stereotaxic Coordinates, a high-resolution MRI atlas of the mouse brain, a 3D cross-modality atlas of the human brainstem, and a comprehensive in vivo MRI atlas of the human brain), the Sydney Brain Bank — Australia's only dedicated brain tissue repository for neurodegenerative disease research — the NeuRA Imaging facility (MRI), and the Transurban Road Safety Centre, Australia's first research-dedicated crash test lab. Adjacent translational assets include the PainWaive EEG neurofeedback system and digital tools such as Fallscreen, QuickScreen and the StandingTall balance app.

NeuRA's revenue model is diversified across NHMRC and ARC government research grants (subscription/recurring), individual donations, regular giving, gifts in wills and corporate engagement (donations), pharmaceutical-sponsored clinical trials and industry partnerships including licensing of atlas IP and co-development with biotech (licensing/royalties and professional services). The institute operates a hybrid go-to-market combining community-led participant recruitment, donor engagement and fundraising with sales-led industry partnerships and clinical trial contracting. The CEO is Professor Matthew Kiernan, and the institute's most prominent scientist is Professor George Paxinos AO, whose brain atlases are the most cited publication in neuroscience.

Name

Neuroscience Research Australia

Legal name

Neuroscience Research Australia

Website

https://neura.edu.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

1992

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Neuroscience Research Australia (NeuRA) is an independent, not-for-profit medical research institute in Randwick, NSW, conducting neuroscience research on dementia, Parkinson's, schizophrenia, chronic pain and falls for patients, clinicians, pharma partners and academic collaborators.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Medical Research Services

NAICS

Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714), Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (54171), Medical Laboratories (621511)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731), Services-Medical Laboratories (8071)

akta.pro primary industry

General Neurology (HLAKAIAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Cognitive & Behavioral Neurology (Dementia/Memory Disorders) (HLAKAIAH), Movement Disorders (Parkinson’s, Tremor, Dystonia) (HLAKAIAC), Neuromuscular Medicine (ALS, Myasthenia, Neuropathy) (HLAKAIAD), Neurodiagnostic Centers (EEG/EMG/NCS) (HLAFAKAK)

Keywords

• Neuroscience research
• Brain atlases
• Clinical trials
• Brain tissue banking
• Neurodegenerative disease research

Headquarters

HQ city

Randwick

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Government Research Grants: Funding from National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC), Australian Research Council (ARC), and other government bodies to support scientific research programs.
2. Donations and Fundraising: Individual donations, regular giving programs, gifts in wills, and corporate engagement to support research activities.
3. Clinical Trial Revenue: Partnerships with pharmaceutical and biotech companies conducting clinical trials at NeuRA facilities.
4. Industry Partnerships and Collaborations: Strategic partnerships with pharmaceutical companies, healthcare organizations, and research institutions for co-development and research collaboration.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Neuroscience Research Australia conducts independent medical research into brain and nervous system disorders including dementia, Parkinson's disease, motor neurone disease, schizophrenia, chronic pain, and falls prevention. The institute produces proprietary brain atlases, operates the Sydney Brain Bank tissue repository, runs clinical trials via Neuroscience Trials Australia, and translates research into clinical practice through partnerships with UNSW and South Eastern Sydney Local Health District.

Product overview

Neuroscience Research Australia (NeuRA) is an independent, not-for-profit medical research institute that conducts neuroscience research rather than selling commercial products. Its primary offerings are research publications, scientific atlases of brain anatomy, and the Sydney Brain Bank facility. Key products include various MRI/DTI brain atlases (mouse brain, human brainstem, in-vivo human brain) developed by Professor George Paxinos and collaborators, research publications on neurodegenerative diseases, dementia, and psychiatric conditions, and the Sydney Brain Bank which collects and stores brain tissue for research.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• High Resolution MRI Atlas of the Mouse Brain
• 3D Cross-Modality Atlas of the Human Brainstem
• Caress the Detail: Comprehensive MRI Atlas of the In Vivo Human Brain A comprehensive in-vivo MRI atlas defining approximately 800 brain structures, intended as a gold standard for science and clinical practice, available as both a tablet application and web service.
• Sydney Brain Bank A wholly-owned facility of NeuRA that collects, characterises and stores brain tissue for research into neurodegenerative disease including dementia, Parkinson's disease, motor neurone disease, and other neurological conditions.
• Neuroscience Trials Australia A clinical trial unit supporting patient identification and enrollment activities for pharmaceutical-sponsored clinical trials in Australia, including Phase 1b registrational trials for Parkinson's disease therapies.
• NeuRA Health Apps (Fallscreen, QuickScreen, ASRB, Falls Health Literacy Scale) A suite of digital tools and apps for assessing falls risk, balance, and health literacy, made available to clinicians, researchers, and the general public.

Quantifiable outcome

• Vision tests can predict dementia risk up to 12 years before diagnosis
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• University of New South Wales (UNSW Sydney)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNeuRA is an affiliated medical research institute of UNSW, located on the UNSW campus. The partnership includes joint research projects, shared facilities, academic appointments, and collaboration on the 10-year strategy 'Progress for All'. UNSW Chancellor David Gonski AC has expressed pride in NeuRA's calibre and contributions to the university.
• South Eastern Sydney Local Health District (SESLHD)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFoundation partner of NeuRA, bringing clinical and research expertise in neurodegeneration, dementia and mental health. Joint vision to lead the Randwick Health & Innovation Precinct response to dementia and implement new models of care for Alzheimer's disease, neurodegeneration, and mental health.
• Parkinson's AustraliamajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership established to support patient identification and enrollment in Serina Therapeutics' Parkinson's disease clinical trial in Australia.
• Neuroscience Trials AustraliamajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEstablished to support patient identification and enrollment activities for clinical trials conducted in Australia, including Serina Therapeutics' Phase 1b registrational trial for SER-252.
• UNSW Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing (CHeBA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on brain health and dementia research, including the investigation of the brain microbiome and its influence on healthy brain ageing. Led by Dr Karen Mather at CHeBA working with Dr Claire Shepherd at NeuRA.
• Microbiome Research Centre at UNSWmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with Dr Fatima El-Assaad to investigate the existence of the brain microbiome using cutting-edge techniques to examine brains from healthy and neurodegenerative disease cases.
• Duke University (Al Johnson)majorTechnology or IntegrationCollaboration with Professor Al Johnson (Professor of Radiology, Physics, and Biomedical Engineering) for construction of electronic brain atlases combining MRI, magnetic resonance microscopy, and histological images.
• University of QueenslandmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration through the Centre for Advanced Imaging for MRI atlas development, including Professor Markus Barth and collaboration on population-based atlases and high-resolution imaging.
• University of Wollongong (Associate Professor Mark Schira)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on 3D Cross-Modality Atlas of the Human Brainstem and ARC-funded child brain atlas project (AU$670,000 grant) for MRI atlas development.
• University of SydneymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on research including mixed neurodegenerative pathologies case series, dementia research, and cancer-related cognitive impairment studies with Professor Janette Vardy.
• Autism CRC Australian Autism BiobankmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration providing samples from over 580 autistic children for hair cortisol and autism research, supported by Early Life Determinants of Health (ELDoH) Clinical Theme.
• Alfred HealthmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on case series examining neurodegenerative pathologies in former elite-level Australian rugby players, published in Journal of Neuropathology and Applied Neurobiology.
• Harvard Medical SchoolmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on research examining CTE and neurodegenerative pathologies in former athletes.
• Flinders UniversitymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with Professor Raymond Chan on cancer-related cognitive impairment research, including studies on candesartan for prevention.
• Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS) at University of QueenslandmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on PFAS chemicals research in human brains, analyzing brain-to-serum concentration ratios of PFAS substances.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health: Australia's largest independent medical research institute focused on neuroscience and mental health, headquartered in Melbourne. Operates the same not-for-profit, UNSW-equivalent model (university-affiliated), runs clinical trials and brain research across overlapping disease areas including dementia and Parkinson's.
• Queensland Brain Institute (QBI): University of Queensland-based neuroscience research institute working on dementia, motor neurone disease, mental health and brain imaging. Directly comparable as another Australian, university-affiliated neuroscience-focused institute delivering basic-to-translational research.
• Garvan Institute of Medical Research: Sydney-based, UNSW-affiliated independent medical research institute with overlapping focuses on genomics, immunology and neurodegeneration. Closest geographic and structural peer inside the same Australian medical research ecosystem.
• Montreal Neurological Institute-Hôpital (The Neuro): McGill-affiliated brain research institute combining basic neuroscience with clinical care across Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, epilepsy and rare neurological disease. Highly comparable translational neuroscience model with brain imaging and biobanking capability.
• UK Dementia Research Institute (UK DRI): National UK research consortium funded by the MRC, Alzheimer's Society and Alzheimer's Research UK, focused on discovery science and translational dementia research. Direct peer on dementia and neurodegeneration focus and non-profit multi-centre research model.

Broad incumbents

• Allen Institute for Brain Science: Large, well-funded US brain research organisation producing large-scale atlases and open neuroscience resources (including the Allen Brain Atlas). Adjacent technology and atlas-publishing overlap with NeuRA's Paxinos-led brain mapping franchise, and a broader scientific scope with much larger resources.
• Max Planck Institute for Brain Research: European basic-research neuroscience institute focused on neural circuits, development and disease. Comparable not-for-profit, government-funded basic neuroscience model at a broader international scale than NeuRA.
• Salk Institute for Biological Studies: Independent not-for-profit US biomedical research institute with significant neuroscience and neurodegeneration groups. Comparable operating model (independent research institute, grant-funded) though with a broader biological sciences mandate.

Others

• Howard Hughes Medical Institute (Janelia Research Campus): Large US biomedical research organisation funding and operating labs including Janelia's brain research and imaging programs. Comparable as a deep-pocketed funder of academic neuroscience infrastructure and atlas-style outputs, though not a direct translational research peer.

Regional players

• Centre for Brain Research at the University of Auckland: University-hosted neuroscience research centre in New Zealand covering neurodegeneration, stroke, brain imaging and dementia. Comparable as a regional Asia-Pacific neuroscience research peer, though NeuRA and this centre typically do not directly compete for the same sponsor trial patients.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/neuraustralia
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/neuraustralia
• Facebookfacebook.com/NeuroscienceResearchAustralia
• LinkedInau.linkedin.com/company/neuroscience-research-australia
• Instagraminstagram.com/neuraustralia

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Neuroscience Research Australia