Background: The Australian Schizophrenia Research Bank (ASRB) was established in 2007 to collect linked clinical, cognitive, neuroimaging and genetic data in people with schizophrenia and matched controls, and is the first of its kind developed in Australia. Methods: Participants were assessed using a comprehensive assessment battery developed based on advice from a collaboration of schizophrenia research specialists. The three-hour battery consists of socio-demographic questions including medical and family history, neurological evaluation (NES), neuropsychological assessment and cognitive performance measures (WTAR,WASI, RBANS, LNS, COWAT), a diagnostic interview that includes drug and alcohol history (DIP; Castle et al., 2006) to confirm (or screen for) diagnosis, ratings for symptoms (SANS) and general functioning (GAF), and questionnaires of childhood adversity, personality disorder (IPDE) and psychosis proneness (SPQ). Results: The sample currently comprises 550 people with schizophrenia (mean age=39.66years; SD=10.98) and 250 healthy controls (mean age=37.37years; SD=13.14). Compared to the controls, the schizophrenia sample had a higher proportion of males (cases 66.80%; controls 46.40%), fewer living in married or defacto relationships (cases 15.80%; controls 53.60%) and fewer years of education (cases 12.93, SD=2.91; controls 15.13, SD=3.14). Schizophrenia participants also had lower premorbid IQ (cases 103.17, SD=13.17; controls 111.83, SD=8.76), current IQ (cases 102.29, SD=15.62; controls 118.24, SD=10.20) and RBANS scores (cases 82.55, SD=15.59; controls 96.24, SD=15.88)consistent with performance reported previously for Australian samples (Loughland et al., 2007). Discussion: These findings are broadly consistent with those reported previously in the Australian Low Prevalence Disorders Study (Castle, 1999), suggesting the ASRB sample is broadly representative of people with schizophrenia living in Australia. The ASRB is a unique schizophrenia resource that is accessible to approved Australian researchers in 2010 and international scientists in 2011.