MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit
We are delighted to announce that the University of Cambridge has approved our proposal for the new Cambridge Mind and Brain Institute (CMBi). An evolution of the renowned CBU, the new Institute will integrate discovery science with clinical innovation to transform our understanding of, and treatments for mental, cognitive, and brain health.
Centred at the current Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit site on Chaucer Road, the new Institute will serve as a cross-School hub, building upon existing joint research and teaching across Departments, and catalysing new collaborations across the wider University, external partners, collaborators and policy makers.
The new Institute’s mission will be to translate behavioural and cognitive neuroscience into real-world impact. By integrating discovery science with clinical innovation, we aim to better identify, characterise, prevent and treat conditions affecting mental, cognitive and brain health. We believe that future interventions—whether psychological, neurostimulation-based or pharmacological—must be grounded in a deep understanding of how healthy function develops and gives way to dysfunction, and progress depends on deep and genuine integration of our local strengths in both discovery and translational research. The Institute will facilitate this by (1) harnessing existing strengths across SCM, SBS and the University, linking discovery science with clinical innovation, (2) co-locating advanced facilities and expertise in neuroimaging, biomarker collection, scientific computing, and state-of-the-art neurostimulation together with flexible testing spaces, and (3) training a new generation of early-career researchers who are deeply fluent in both basic and clinical science.
This approval marks a significant milestone, and we now continue with the implementation phase as we work towards the Institute’s formal launch in April 2027. We look forward to sharing further updates as we move forward.
