Nowadays, instead of merely following convention, the development of science and technology (in China) requires novel, innovative thoughts and skills. Under this notion, the China Brain Project, placing the systematic together with the novel in a “one body, two wings” model, was released to the public to encourage multi-disciplinary collaborations and efforts for the fast development of brain science in order to keep up with the international trend. We believe that neurosurgeons should take a more important role in the China Brain Project in the future, as the academic questions on brain science that clinical neurosurgeons deal with (and strive to answer) can be considered important origins to brain science development. By tapping into the field of clinical neurosurgery, the China Brain Project can take on a different and perhaps a more fast-developing path than other brain projects around the world. The abundance of clinical resources on brain disease and the well-developed multi-level, multi-path brain banking in China can serve as an important basis for this specific brain project developing strategy. Summarizing significant scientific questions and perspectives on brain science from neurosurgery clinics; then developing multi-disciplinary research platforms on cohorts of brain disease patients while paying more attention to changes in brain functions that cannot be easily studied in other primates, such as language and psychological developments after brain operations, can be a more innovative and unique strategy for advancing brain science. We can construct scientific, rigorous research databanks for brain disease cohorts and real-time brain science research operation rooms in order to integrate clinical neuroimaging with brain science research techniques. This may be the novel strategy we need to generate breakthroughs in brain science. © 2019, Science Press. All right reserved.