Neuroscience Institute of Schizophrenia and Allied Disorders (NISAD): 10 years of Australia's first virtual research institute

Objective: To review the first 10 years of operation of the Neuroscience Institute of Schizophrenia and Allied Disorders (NISAD), Australia's first virtual research institute. Method: Narrative description of the evolution of NISAD. Results: Since inception in 1996, NISAD has developed a wide range of activities to enhance existing efforts and develop new initiatives in schizophrenia research, initially throughout New South Wales, but increasingly on a national scale. This involved the initial development of critical research infrastructure to provide the foundation, with the subsequent focus on developing a multidisciplinary programme of schizophrenia research, across the basic to applied research spectrum. While the primary focus has been the scientific domain, NISAD has also played a leading role in increasing public awareness of schizophrenia as a disease amenable to scientific investigation. Conclusion: NISAD has succeeded in building a framework to apply the latest developments in neuroscience to the study of schizophrenia and has formed a multidisciplinary network of clinicians and neuroscientists who are actively collaborating on a range of research initiatives. The 'virtual institute' structure of NISAD has proven cost-efficient and consistent with innovative thinking about research resource management.