Meeting for Minds

What Meeting for Minds does

Meeting for Minds is an international not-for-profit organization, registered in Australia on 10 October 2014, that integrates people with lived experience of mental illness (PLEX) as equal partners in brain and behavioural science research. Its core program, SYNERGIES, structures workshops and forums in which PLEX, academic researchers, and clinicians jointly design, conduct, and disseminate research aimed at hard-to-treat psychotic and mood disorders, particularly schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and treatment-resistant depression. The organization operates across five countries — Australia (Perth/Fremantle), France (Paris, in association with the Philippe & Maria Halphen Foundation), Israel, Sweden, and Switzerland (Geneva/Lausanne) — supported by named regional teams and country-specific pages on its Squarespace-hosted website.

The organization runs an event- and content-driven platform comprising biennial international Synergies Forums, regular Café Scientifiques in Geneva and Lausanne, the MINDHACK hackathon, the PIECES feature film, Pub Yarns in Perth, and the 20Peace community stillness initiative (launched 2020, expanded to Geneva in 2025). Its underlying technology stack is conventional non-profit infrastructure — Squarespace, GiveNow crowdfunding, TWINT and UBS bank transfers for Swiss donations, Eventbrite and Humanitix for event ticketing, Mailchimp/Infoodle for newsletters, SoundCloud for audio, and Grassrootz for peer-to-peer fundraising. The technical backbone is therefore not a source of competitive advantage; the proprietary asset is the SYNERGIES co-production model itself.

Meeting for Minds generates no commercial revenue. Its operating model is donation-funded, with streams including one-off gifts, peer-to-peer crowdfunding, e-card donations, event tickets (free or 'prix libre'), TWINT and bank-transfer donations, and selective project grants from government and foundation sources — most notably the AUD $2.95 million MRFF grant for the ALIGNED study (May 2020) and the AUD $2.5 million NSW Government grant announced in 2015. It is donor-supported, governed by its co-founders (Maria Halphen, Susie Hincks, Hon. Keith Wilson), and operates with fewer than 20 named staff and leaders across its five countries.

Name

Meeting for Minds

Legal name

Meeting for Minds

Website

https://meetingforminds.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Meeting for Minds is an international Australian-founded not-for-profit (est. 2014) that integrates people with lived experience of mental illness as equal partners in brain and behavioural science research through its SYNERGIES program, operating across Australia, France, Israel, Sweden, and Switzerland.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Mental Health Research Non-Profit

NAICS

Business Associations (813910), Professional Organizations (81392)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYTHAHACAD

Medical, Scientific & Healthcare Congress Organizers

Travel & Hospitality/MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences & Exhibitions)/Professional Conference Organizers (PCOs) & Meeting Planners

Keywords

• Mental health research
• Lived experience collaboration
• Brain science charity
• Mental illness advocacy
• Research co-production

Headquarters

HQ city

Mosman Park

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Charitable donations: Not-for-profit organisation that solicits one-off and ongoing donations from individuals to fund research, events and operations; donor-supported model with no commercial product sales.
2. Community crowdfunding (GiveNow, Australia): Australian supporters create personal GiveNow fundraising pages on behalf of Meeting for Minds for birthdays, workplace challenges or personal stories; funds raised go to the organisation.
3. TWINT and bank-transfer donations (Switzerland): Switzerland branch accepts donations via TWINT mobile-payment app (QR code) and direct bank transfers to a UBS CHF account (0240 - 912813.01X, IBAN CH160024024091281301X, SWIFT UBSWCHZH80A).
4. Australia support options (donate, e-card, crowd fundraising): Three named Australian support flows: Donate Now, Send E-card and Crowd Fundraising, providing multiple low-friction ways for supporters to contribute or fundraise on behalf of the organisation.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Meeting for Minds is a not-for-profit international organisation that co-produces brain and behavioural science research by bringing people with lived experience of mental illness (PLEX) together with academic and clinical researchers as equal partners. It delivers this through the SYNERGIES programme, supporting research projects (e.g., MAPS pilot, ALIGNED study), and a portfolio of public events and content (Café Scientifiques, Pub Yarns, World in a Brainstorm forum, 20 Peace, PIECES film, newsletters), funded by donations, crowdfunding, and grants across Australia, France, Israel, Sweden and Switzerland.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• SYNERGIES: A flagship program of Meeting for Minds that brings researchers and people with lived experience of mental illness (PLEX) together in collaborative research and discussion forums.
• 20 peace
• GP Down South

Products and services

• SYNERGIES Flagship programme that brings researchers and people with lived experience of mental illness (PLEX) together in collaborative brain and behavioural science research, documented via SYNERGIES films.
• Café Scientifique Recurring informal public science events in Geneva and Lausanne where researchers present accessible neuroscience topics (epigenetics, neurofeedback, schizophrenia, opioids, cerebellum) to the public, followed by Q&A and discussion.
• Pub Yarns Community events in Perth pubs fostering honest conversations about fatherhood, youth mood disorders and lived experience, featuring researchers, lived-experience advocates and Q&A discussions.
• 20 Peace Community wellness initiative offering 20 minutes of tech-free stillness for disconnection and reconnection to self, others and surroundings, with local ambassadors and shared sessions (e.g., Jardin Anglais in Geneva).
• World in a Brainstorm Forum Landmark hybrid forum in brain and behavioural science research bringing together researchers, clinicians and people with lived experience of mental illness, hosted at DADAA in Fremantle with worldwide virtual access.
• MINDHACK Hackathon 24-hour hackathon event partnering with Spacecubed where students develop tools and methods to foster systematic collaboration between research scientists and people with lived experience of mental illness.
• ALIGNED Study Multi-state Australian research study (NSW, Victoria, Western Australia) that works with consumer advocates and PLEX to investigate whether genetic testing for antidepressant response and/or brain MRI imaging can predict treatment response in depression.
• MAPS Research Project Pilot research project in pharmacogenetics focusing on antidepressant response, conducting preliminary research on psychiatric genetics and biomarkers for mental illness treatment response.
• PIECES Film Award-winning Australian feature film co-produced by Meeting for Minds, directed by Martin Wilson, documenting an art teacher and her recovery class creating a backdrop for a dance performance and uncovering personal stories of mental illness.
• Meeting for Minds Newsletter Periodic email newsletter distributed via Mailchimp providing updates on M4M activities, SYNERGIES projects, events and research milestones to subscribers globally.

Quantifiable outcome

• Co-developed the ALIGNED study which secured AUD $2.95M from the Australian MRFF to investigate genetic testing and brain MRI for predicting antidepressant treatment response in depression.
• +2 more outcomes

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration8 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered minor, core and flagship.

• Coraasp (Lausanne)minorGTM or Marketing Partner · 2 June 2026La Coraasp partnered on the June 2026 Café Scientifique 'Le Cervelet, ce petit géant de l'esprit' alongside SYNAPSY (UNIGE) and the Semaine du Cerveau.
• Neurocentre, Université de Genève (UNIGE)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 March 2026The PIECES film was screened at the Semaine du Cerveau 2025 hosted by the Neurocentre of the University of Geneva (14 March 2025, Uni Dufour, Geneva). The Neurocentre also partners on the recurring Café Scientifiques.
• Swim for Empowerment (Leigh Farnell)minorGTM or Marketing Partner · 22 February 2025Beneficiary charity of Leigh Farnell's '20-25' solo Rottnest 20km (22 Feb 2025) and 25km Port to Pub swim (15 Mar 2025), with donations routed via Grassrootz to Meeting for Minds.
• CHUV (Lausanne University Hospital)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 29 September 2024Café Scientifique 'La Neuromodulation rencontre avec des techniques innovantes' was held in Lausanne in September 2024 in connection with CHUV and tagged as CHUV collaboration.
• SYNAPSY (UNIGE)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 May 2021Launched a new collaboration between Meeting for Minds and SYNAPSY, a UNIGE centre dedicated to mental-health neuroscience, on the occasion of the Café Scientifique 'Quand le cerveau joue faux' with Professor Alan Carleton. SYNAPSY co-supported subsequent Café Scientifiques, including the June 2026 edition with Professor Indrit Bègue.
• Technion AustraliaminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 11 April 2021Technion Australia co-hosted the free April 2021 webinar 'A window into a Brain With Mental Disorders' featuring Prof. Dorit Ben-Shachar, Prof. Ian Hickie and Dr Norman Swan, in collaboration with Meeting for Minds.
• Lundbeck FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 May 2016Dr Anne-Marie Engel, Director of Research at the Lundbeck Foundation, spoke on patient/family collaboration with researchers at the 2016 international 'Synergies' Forum. The Foundation grants approximately AUD 100 million per year with a special focus on brain health.
• SpacecubedminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 20 May 2016Meeting for Minds partnered with Spacecubed to host Australia's first mental-health hackathon, MINDHACK, on 20–21 May 2016 in Perth, with judging by Maria Halphen and other community leaders.
• University of Notre Dame Australia / UWA School of Psychiatry and Clinical NeuroscienceminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 12 April 2016Co-sponsored the Australian Workshop 2016 at Notre Dame University, Fremantle, with the School of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience at UWA; facilitated by Anne McKenzie (Telethon Kids Institute / UWA School of Population Health).
• Mazra (Mazor) Mental Health Centre, IsraelcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 31 March 2016Spring School 2016 in Acre, Israel was co-organised with the Mazra Mental Health Centre (led by Prof Ilana Kremer). The community that formed from the Spring School continued to meet and run collaborative research projects with Mazra; Prof Kremer also spoke at the 2016 international 'SYNERGIES' Forum.
• Weizmann Institute of SciencecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 31 March 2016Weizmann Institute is the host institution for Israel CEO Dr Isaac (Tsachi) Shariv and hosted faculty/students participating in the Spring School 2016 (Libi Herztberg, Avital Hahamy). Israel operations remain coordinated through Weizmann until conditions allow broader collaboration.
• Philippe & Maria Halphen Foundation (PMHF)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 November 2015Meeting for Minds operates in France in association with the Philippe & Maria Halphen Foundation, founded by Maria Halphen in 2013 in memory of her husband Philippe and housed under the auspices of the French Académie des Sciences. The partnership shares values around mental-health research (schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, treatment-resistant depression) and underwrites the Grand Prix Halphen awarded at the Académie des Sciences in Paris (Krebs 2014, Mallet 2015, Fossati 2016, Pessiglione 2020, Turecki 2022).
• Karolinska InstitutetcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2014Dr Per Hamid Ghatan, Senior Physician and Research Development Manager at Karolinska Institutet, has been an advisor to Meeting for Minds since 2014 and is also Meeting for Minds' Medical Leader and Advisor in Sweden; he presented Project M4M Sweden at the 2016 'SYNERGIES' Forum.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Broad incumbents

• Mind (UK): Major UK mental-health charity providing information, support, campaigning and research funding — comparable to M4M in mission (lived experience, research awareness, stigma reduction) but operating at national scale with significantly larger resources.
• Mental Health Foundation (UK): UK charity focused on prevention, public mental-health research and stigma reduction. Comparable to M4M's public-engagement and science-communication programmes (e.g. Cafés Scientifiques, PIECES film) at greater scale and longer history.
• NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness): Largest US grassroots mental-health advocacy organisation with education, support groups, public-awareness campaigns and research advocacy — overlaps with M4M's stigma-reduction, awareness and PLEX-empowerment goals but at much larger scale and broader scope.

Direct peers

• One Mind (One Mind PsyH): Non-profit focused on accelerating brain-disease and mental-health research through public-private partnerships and lived-experience engagement, comparable to M4M in mission and in leveraging collaborations with academic and clinical partners.
• Brain & Behavior Research Foundation: US-based non-profit that funds brain and behaviour research into mental illness, including schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and depression — closely comparable to M4M's mission and researcher/PLEX-facing model, with a longer track record and significantly larger donor base.
• Black Dog Institute: Australian not-for-profit medical research institute focused on mood disorders, depression, suicide prevention and lived-experience research, headquartered in Sydney. Operates a national institute, clinician training and public engagement programmes parallel to M4M's Australian/SYNERGIES work.
• MQ: Transforming Mental Health Research: International mental-health research charity funding interdisciplinary research and advocating for lived-experience involvement. Shares M4M's emphasis on consumer/PLEX participation in research design and translation across multiple countries.

Others

• Wellcome Leap: US-based non-profit programme of the Wellcome Trust funding bold, interdisciplinary programmes in mental-health and brain science. Tangentially comparable to M4M as a mental-health research funder, though operating at vastly larger scale and with a venture-style funding model.
• Treatment Advocacy Center: US non-profit focused on eliminating barriers to treatment for severe mental illness including schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Adjacent to M4M in target population and policy/research advocacy, though its mission centres on treatment access rather than co-produced brain research.

Emerging players

• Schizophrenia Research Foundation (India): India-based non-profit dedicated to schizophrenia research and rehabilitation with family/carer involvement. Comparable niche focus on schizophrenia and lived-experience engagement, though geographically distinct and at a smaller research scale than M4M's cross-country operation.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/meetingforminds
• Xx.com/meetingforminds

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles17 records

Subsidiaries5 records

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 Meeting for Minds