We are proud to have won the 2025 WP Engine Agency Partner Program Award for Business Transformation

The Client

The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health is Australia’s premier brain research institute and the largest of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere. Dedicated to advancing understanding and treatment of neurological and mental health conditions such as dementia, epilepsy, and stroke, The Florey collaborates with leading researchers, healthcare providers, and the community to drive groundbreaking innovations in brain health.

The Challenge

Modernise The Florey’s website to enhance user engagement. The outdated site, built on ExpressionEngine with unsupported plugins, limited usability and efficient management. The Florey required a modern solution that improved functionality for scientific communities, students, donors, and the public while ensuring seamless content updates and long-term scalability.

The Solution

Spark Digital transformed The Florey Institute’s website into a modern, scalable, and user-friendly platform, improving accessibility, engagement, and efficiency. Previously constrained by an outdated system with usability challenges and disconnected tools, the site made content updates difficult, limiting interactions with researchers, students, and donors.

By re-platforming to WordPress on WP Engine’s managed infrastructure, Spark Digital introduced a responsive design that improved navigation and showcased Florey’s research with greater impact. Seamless integrations with MailerLite and Blackbaud streamlined email marketing and fundraising, enhancing audience engagement. A structured content approval workflow reduced bottlenecks, while Advanced Custom Fields (ACF) enabled flexible content management and facilitated the migration of over 500 content types.

Switching to a scalable hosting environment reduced costs and reliance on IT support, allowing internal teams to manage updates efficiently. These improvements resulted in a 9.7% increase in page views, an 8.21% rise in unique visitors, and a 40.15% boost in donation form views.

The project’s success earned Spark Digital a WP Engine Agency Partner Award for “Business Transformation,” recognising its expertise in delivering impactful digital experiences that drive long-term institutional growth.