NeuRA Next

NeuRA Next is a group of young philanthropists passionate about driving progress in neuroscience research across Australia. Established under Neuroscience Research Australia (NeuRA), our mission is to support ground-breaking discoveries by raising vital funds for the next generation of neuroscience leaders.

Funds raised by NeuRA Next go directly to the Pearl PhD Program - a pioneering initiative empowering early-career researchers to explore bold, innovative ideas in brain and nervous system science.

Our most recent event: NeuRA Next Gala

When the NeuRA Next community comes together, it doesn’t mess about.

It’s with delight and pride that we can reveal the annual NeuRA Next Gala, held at The Fullerton Hotel in October, raised an incredible $63,800 towards the next generation of neuroscience research, thanks to the generosity of more than 200 guests, corporate partners and auction donors.

When we launched NeuRA Next less than 18 months ago, our goal was to build a new philanthropic network of young professionals passionate about accelerating medical breakthroughs by supporting the next generation of neuroscientists.

Seeing a packed ballroom of emerging leaders in society step up to back early-career scientists proves just how much impact this generation can make when we work together.

A special thank you to our Principal Sponsor, Nexon, whose shared commitment to transformation and innovation played a pivotal role in making our evening at the Fullerton Hotel possible. We are also deeply grateful to all of our generous auction prize donors, our guests who brought such incredible energy to the room and the NeuRA Philanthropy team for the months of hard work behind the scenes to bring this marquee event to life.

We are just getting started. If you’d like to learn more about the Pearl PhD Program or get involved with NeuRA Next, reach out or visit the NeuRA website.

Our first PhD Pearl

We are delighted to announce that NeuRA PhD candidate Martjie Venter has joined our PhD Pearl Program thanks to funds raised by NeuRA Next at its inaugural event. Martjie will be leading research into the implementation of a new treatment for chronic lower back pain called graded sensory motor retraining, which looks at retraining a person's nervous system, helping them move better, and ultimately improving their pain and function.

“When I first heard that I'm going to be the recipient of a PhD Pearl (award) thanks to NeuRA Next, I was super excited, super grateful,” said Martjie. “It’s going to make a huge difference in my studies as a PhD candidate. It'll allow me to undergo further upskilling and training in clinical trials design, which is really essential for testing this new treatment for chronic lower back pain, as well as allowing me to attend conferences where I can disseminate some of these findings, which is a really important part of research.”

“Really there's not enough effective treatments for chronic lower back pain out there in clinical practise, and this is really frustrating for people who are in pain, but also for clinicians who want to help them. So this is really what's driven me to research - to try to create some change there.”

Our Founding Committee Members

• Alexander Benze von Fritz
• Sophie Utz
• Lucas Hejtmanek 
• Emily Harris (nee Hartman)
• Amelia de Haan (nee Hurley)

Our previous events

NeuRA After Dark: Thursday 21 May 2026 at Margarete Ainsworth House

Guests were invited to step behind the curtain at Neuroscience Research Australia, exploring our work through private lab tours, exclusive insights into ongoing research and hearing a thought-provoking ‘In Conversation’ with Dr Aidan Cashin, Karly McAfee and Martjie Venter, discussing research around chronic pain.

This was a unique snapshot of the next-gen of neuroscience from some of NeuRA's early and mid-career researchers.

Inaugural Dinner: Friday 13 June, The Royal Yacht Squadron, Kirribilli

One of the most important parts of our work at NeuRA is translating research into practical outcomes for people at all stages of life.

So it was rewarding to see Dr Hayley North deliver a powerful address on building brain health and resilience to the audience at the inaugural NeuRA Next fundraising dinner– all of it informed by the most recent science and the array of research undertaken at NeuRA.

The members of NeuRA Next are passionate about driving progress in neuroscience research across Australia, and the event at Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron was the first in support of that aim.

The significant funds already raised by NeuRA Next go directly to the Pearl PhD Program - a pioneering initiative empowering early-career researchers to explore bold, innovative ideas in brain and nervous system science.

Get Involved

Interested in joining NeuRA Next, or attending one of our events? Please submit your details below.