Based at UQ’s Queensland Brain Institute, Professor Götz, has spent more than two decades investigating Alzheimer’s disease and pioneering the use of therapeutic ultrasound as a potential treatment. His research and commercialisation efforts have helped place Brisbane on the global map in this rapidly advancing field.

With BEDA providing the strategy, government engagement and pitch support that got the bid over the line, Prof Götz and his team secured a conference that will showcase Australian research excellence to an international audience, while strengthening Brisbane’s reputation as a destination for world-class medical science.

Showcasing Brisbane’s research excellence on a global stage

Globally, 57 million people live with dementia, of which Alzheimer’s is the most common form. In Australia, the statistics are equally sobering. Nearly half a million people are affected by the disease, now the leading cause of death in the country, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

Prof Götz is part of a global community of researchers and entrepreneurs fighting to turn that tide, and he sees ISTU as the ideal stage to show the world how much of that fight is being led from Brisbane.

“A lot of people are not aware of what’s happening here, economically, culturally and also scientifically,” Prof Götz says. “So bringing ISTU to Brisbane helps visualise what we are doing.

“Australian universities punch above their weight. Having the ISTU 2027 conference here in Brisbane gives us an opportunity to showcase the quality and the quantity of what’s being done.”

Given the academic calibre of ISTU’s delegates, Prof Götz says the conference has implications well beyond Brisbane. “By having clinicians, the biotech and medtech industries, and academia working together, I think it’s a powerful group of stakeholders contributing to a really positive outcome for Australia more generally,” he says.

Early impact and long-term benefits

Securing ISTU has already delivered tangible benefits for Brisbane’s research community, strengthening international partnerships and raising the city’s profile across the Asia-Pacific, long before the first delegate lands in 2027.

“Even during the planning phase, the increased exposure helped us gain the attention of many Asia-Pacific organisations in the therapeutic ultrasound space,” he says. “We have been invited to present in Korea, Japan and China. It really helped us strengthen those interactions and facilitate collaborations.”

A conference is more than a venue for presenting research, he adds. The real value lies in what happens between the sessions. Beyond the immediate research agenda, Prof Götz sees ISTU as a chance to leave something lasting, by growing Australia's therapeutic ultrasound community and creating career pathways for local students and researchers.

“It’s such a unique opportunity to foster and initiate collaborations, and to work together,” he says. “Having international researchers come to Brisbane provides a unique opportunity for Australian industry, for face-to-face meetings they might otherwise never have. It provides tremendous opportunities for students, postdocs and the local industry to engage.”

He also hopes the event will draw more local researchers into the field. “This conference will give us the opportunity to showcase this area of research and possibly attract other researchers into the space by collaborating with us, or potentially starting their own research programs,” he says.

Prof Götz’s own work sits at the interface between basic and translational research, and he says the city’s strengths there will not be lost on arriving delegates. “Australia and Brisbane are perfectly positioned to conduct clinical trials,” he says.

Connections and community: Why Brisbane is an ideal host for global conferences

The research world already holds Australian universities in high regard, Prof Götz says. But add the momentum Brisbane has built over the past decade, along with its connectivity, accessibility and delegate experience, and ISTU's international visitors are in for an especially eye-opening welcome.

“Brisbane has transformed at such a pace, it’s just unbelievable,” he says. “Brisbane is so perfectly connected to Europe, to the US, across the Asia Pacific and onto Europe. Even within Australia, there are great connections to all major cities. And the visitor experience is wonderful – you can come to Brisbane at any time of the year, and it’s just a beautiful destination.”

Brisbane’s compact geography and excellent transport links also mean delegates can connect with unusual ease; something international visitors tend to notice immediately.

“The collaborative ecosystem here in Brisbane is terrific,” he says. “We have hospitals and universities working together. You can sit together, have a coffee, and just start new collaborations. There’s this entrepreneurial spirit and openness to pursue new ideas. I think that’s an outstanding characteristic of Brisbane.”

Deep expertise: How BEDA supported the successful bid

“Without BEDA, we would not have the conference here. I have to be absolutely honest about that,” Prof Götz says.

BEDA’s most valuable contribution, he says, was the combination of deep expertise and end-to-end execution, from the earliest conversations about whether to bid at all, through to standing alongside him at the final pitch.

The agency led the development of a competitive bid document aligned to ISTU’s requirements; coordinated venue, accommodation and delegate-experience planning into a whole-of-city offer; and shaped the value proposition that would resonate with international decision-makers.

“For me, this whole bidding process was really exciting, but sometimes one is a bit concerned about how things will work out. With BEDA being there, it was a really enjoyable experience,” he says. “I didn’t do it on my own. The BEDA team was presenting with me. That was amazing.”

Having organised conferences himself earlier in his career, Prof Götz understands the complexity involved – and the value of an experienced team that removes the guesswork from positioning, hosting feasibility and producing pitch materials of a calibre he could not have assembled alone.

Just as importantly, BEDA engaged the right stakeholders across government and the research sector, positioning ISTU within Brisbane’s broader health and life sciences ecosystem and securing government support on the university’s behalf. For Prof Götz, that financial backing was decisive.

“Financial feasibility is imperative before a university can even consider hosting an event like this,” he says. “BEDA helped secure the support that made it viable, and that was key. They provided expert guidance in strategy, in marketing, and in attracting additional funding resources.

“Knowing I’m dealing with experts who have done this over and over again and know what they’re doing… this actually showed in the result we got. Brisbane really has the talent, the infrastructure and the ambition. And with BEDA’s support, bringing a conference home is easier than you think.”