Mindgardens Neuroscience Network

Mindgardens Neuroscience Network is an Australian translational research organisation dedicated to mental health, drug and alcohol, and behavioural neuroscience. Established in 2018 through a $7 million grant from the Commonwealth, it is a company limited by guarantee and a registered charity with deductible gift recipient (DGR) status, based in the Randwick Health and Innovation Precinct in Sydney, New South Wales. Mindgardens describes itself as the first translational research centre in Australia to focus exclusively on disorders that involve the brain, emotions, nervous system and thinking processes. The network brings together clinicians, researchers, patients and their families to address urgent challenges in its three focus themes: mental health (from anxiety and depression to psychosis treatment and molecular biology), drug and alcohol (understanding how people respond to addiction treatments), and behavioural neuroscience (when the brain's signals go wrong). Its mission is to bridge gaps that have held the sector back — tackling decades-long delays between original discoveries and changes to practice, amplifying missing voices including those of consumers, breaking down barriers between academic researchers and frontline workers, and scaling up pilot programs into efficient, responsive models of care. Mindgardens operates through collaboration and partnership, providing a framework for its Member organisations to work together effectively and efficiently. It is committed to high quality training, education and support systems for clinicians, researchers, health managers, peer workforce and community, building a learning ecosystem. Its flagships include the Mindgardens Functional Neurological Disorders Clinic, the NSW Tertiary Referral Service for Psychosis, MindLabs (described as the engine room of Mindgardens' approach to innovation), and the Keeping the Body in Mind program. The network also produces resources such as the Youth Service Integration Resource Kit and hosts events including MindLabs Psychosis Webinars. Professor Jackie Curtis AM was appointed inaugural Executive Director in April 2020. She is a psychiatrist and was previously Clinical Director of Youth Mental Health at the South Eastern Sydney Local Health District. Her research has focused on early psychosis and youth mental health, including improving cardiometabolic health of people living with serious mental disorders. She developed and implemented the internationally recognised Keeping the Body in Mind program and is co-founder and Co-Chair of the iphYs international working group. The organisation has published strategies including the Mindgardens Strategy 2021-2025 and the Mindgardens Psychosis Flagship Strategy 2025-2027, and has made submissions to the NSW Mental Health Commission and the Productivity Commission.

Mindgardens Neuroscience Network was established in 2018 as a research partnership, launched with a $7 million grant from the Commonwealth. It was created to improve the lives of people who experience mental health, drug and alcohol and neurobehavioural disorders, and to bridge the gaps that have held the sector back — including decades-long delays between original discoveries and changes to practice. The network is a company limited by guarantee, established in the Randwick Health and Innovation Precinct in Sydney, New South Wales. It is a registered charity with deductible gift recipient (DGR) status. From its founding, Mindgardens has operated as a collaboration framework for its Member organisations, combining their strengths to deliver patient-centred health and wellbeing outcomes. In April 2020, Professor Jackie Curtis AM was appointed inaugural Executive Director. A psychiatrist and previously Clinical Director of Youth Mental Health at the South Eastern Sydney Local Health District, Curtis brought decades of research and clinical work focused on early psychosis and youth mental health. She developed and implemented the internationally recognised Keeping the Body in Mind program, which demonstrated that antipsychotic-induced weight gain can be prevented with lifestyle intervention. She is also co-founder and Co-Chair of the iphYs international working group advocating for improved physical health for youth experiencing psychosis. Mindgardens published its Strategy 2021-2025, focusing on driving better outcomes through research and innovation translation; maximising the impact of collaboration, co-design and partnerships; and building a learning healthcare hub/ecosystem. It has made submissions to the NSW Mental Health Commission Strategy for Mental Health and Wellbeing in NSW and to the Productivity Commission's Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Agreement Review. It also published a Research Governance Statement and a Statement about Lived Experience Engagement, and a Review of the burden of disease for neurological, mental health and substance use disorders. By 2025, Mindgardens had developed its Psychosis Flagship Strategy 2025-2027, aiming to close the psychosis research-to-practice gap through a new Psychosis Centre, collaborative partnerships and a learning healthcare ecosystem. Its MindLabs platform, described as the engine room of Mindgardens' approach to innovation, published an Impact Report capturing the perspectives of thousands of attendees since its inception. The network continues to host events such as MindLabs Psychosis Webinars and to produce resources such as the Youth Service Integration Resource Kit for youth mental health service providers.

• 2026

  Mindgardens celebrates innovation and leadership at the 2026 SESLHD CORE Awards.

• 2025

  Mindgardens Psychosis Flagship Strategy 2025-2027 is published, aiming to close the psychosis research-to-practice gap.

• 2021

  Mindgardens Strategy 2021-2025 is published, focusing on research translation, collaboration and building a learning healthcare ecosystem.

• 2020

  Professor Jackie Curtis AM is appointed inaugural Executive Director in April 2020.

• 2018

  Mindgardens Neuroscience Network is established as a research partnership through a $7 million grant from the Commonwealth.

Australia's first translational research centre focused exclusively on disorders of the brain, emotions, nervous system and thinking processes, bridging research and everyday practice through collaboration.

• Mindgardens Functional Neurological Disorders Clinic

  A flagship clinical service for functional neurological disorders.

• NSW Tertiary Referral Service for Psychosis

  A flagship research project and tertiary referral service for psychosis.

• MindLabs

  The engine room of Mindgardens' approach to innovation, hosting webinars and publishing impact reports.

• Keeping the Body in Mind

  An internationally recognised program demonstrating that antipsychotic-induced weight gain can be prevented with lifestyle intervention.

• Youth Service Integration Resource Kit

  A guide to working together for youth mental health service providers.

1. 1Mindgardensmindgardens.org.au
2. 2Who we are - Mindgardensmindgardens.org.au
3. 3Corporate information - Mindgardensmindgardens.org.au
4. 4Team - Mindgardensmindgardens.org.au
5. 5Mindgardens Neuroscience Network - Wikidatawikidata.org