About Our Work
Profound economic transitions are on the horizon, such as clean energy and digital transitions, offering the potential to unlock greater socio-economic sustainability, productivity, and well-being. Yet, history has shown such transitions are difficult.
To push these transitions, the workplace increasingly demands analytical thinking, creativity, and resilience. Humanity urgently need more advanced skills to push vital economic transitions – such as the digital and energy transitions -to drive global sustainability.
Unfortunately, these “brain skills” needs come at a time of historically poor brain health, exemplified by high and rising rates of mental and neurological disorders across the lifespan. These disorders cost the global economy $2.2 trillion per year, an amount that is increasing at 5% per year. Loneliness is rising while educational outcomes are failing. Artificial intelligence is yielding an exponential increase in brain hacking, mis- and disinformation, addictive social media algorithms, and cybercrime. There is no silver bullet for solving our brain challenges; we need a systemic set of policies to stop and reverse the loss of brain capital and to chart a course to a more productive, creative, and flourishing nation.
Brain capital encompasses social, emotional, and cognitive brain resources and is a new economic asset pioneered by the Brain Capital Alliance.
Just as with the clean energy economy, the brain economy will require major transitions across most major sectors. No single technology, policy, or actor can achieve these critical shifts. Rather, it will take a community of people working together across systems to employ innovative solutions and accelerate change.
Fortunately, we are living through a neuroscience renaissance, exemplified by advances in basic brain science, i.e., brain imaging, gene editing, microsensors, brain-computer interfaces, and artificial intelligence. Thus, there are increasing opportunities to better screen, diagnose, manage, and prevent these challenges.
The Brain Economy Hub’s mission is to pioneer and advance the brain economy, aka brain-positive economic transformation, into global economic discourse and activities. The intent is to stop and reverse the global loss of brain capital.
The Hub is a global coordination and leadership hub for the brain economy. Project and personnel resources function in three key areas:
- Ecosystem: Convening, alliance, dialogue, and lobbying
- Technical: Data, research, and policy recommendations
- Innovation: Innovation and investment
“Brain Capital produces the best explanations I’ve seen of the very major problem of so many siloed, artificially isolated brain-based issues.”
Hon Andrew Robb AO, former Australian Trade and Investment Minister
