Call to join bionic brain race

Date

February 24, 2014

Bridie Smith

Science Editor, The Age

Professor Bob Williamson from the Australian Academy of Science. Photo: Joe Armao

Australia must join the ambitious international race to build a bionic brain in order to share the health and economic benefits from such a prestigious global project.

This means committing, within the coming year, to fund long-term brain research projects, according to the Australian Academy of Science.

Without this, the nation will miss its chance to work at the forefront and deliver results for common neurological conditions such as Alzheimers and Parkinson’s disease.

Launched on Tuesday, the Inspiring Smarter Brain Research in Australia report recommends the federal government invest $250 million over 10 years to establish a coordinated research unit called AusBrain.

Using the skills from researchers across the country, AusBrain would allow collaboration between scientists, including neuroscientists, geneticists and computer scientists.

It’s a task that has fuelled the EU decision to allocate more than €1 billion to a human brain project.

Last year, the United States joined the race when Barack Obama dedicated $US1 billion to a decade-long project.

Growing international research, including in China and Norway, has sparked fear that Australian researchers could miss out.

“If we’re not there . . . we’re not going to be there in the development and we’re not going to be there in the commercial exploitation,” said Bob Williamson, former secretary for science policy at the Australian Academy of Science.

Shedding light on normal brain function was just as vital, Professor Williamson said.