The Human Brain Project brings together neuroscientists, computer and robotics experts to build a unique Information and Communications Technology (ICT)-based infrastructure for brain research. This project is one of the first two FET Flagships launched in 2013 by the EU and is one of Europe's biggest ever research initiatives.
The EU-funded core project coordinates:
- 116 partners from universities, research institutes and companies in 19 countries,
- 7 partnering projects that contribute to the strategic research roadmap,
- more than 800 researchers across Europe and countries associated to Horizon 2020.
The Human Brain Project is very active in finding collaboration with ongoing initiatives in the same domain in Europe and beyond (USA, Japan and Canada).
Accelerate the understanding of the brain
The Human Brain Project (HBP) helps researchers to access and share collections of brain data from different species (from mice to humans) allowing to:
- accelerate the understanding of the brain through modelling and simulation in computers and robots,
- enable further development of targeted new treatments and diagnosis for patients,
- trigger new approaches for future computing, including neuromorphic (brain inspired) systems for AI (artificial intelligence) and robotics,
- advance the development of supercomputers and massive data storage.
Responsible Research and Innovation is also a very important dimension of HBP. In addition to ethics management, the Flagship carries out foresight and philosophy work and citizens’ engagement.
These are some key indicators of the project (HBP figures by mid-2017):
- more than 700 scientific publications,
- more than 2.300 users of the ICT platform (of which 1.400 are external to HBP).
You can find a collection of achieved results in this Human Brain Project leaflet and in this updated HBP highlights and achievements web page . Stay tunned to the Human Brain Project website to discover the project's latest news.
HBP's findings and approaches are regularly showcased at events such as Society for Neuroscience (SFN) annual meeting, and shared with the scientific community, especially with the young researchers, through dedicated workshops organised by the HBP's education programme.
How to join the Human Brain Project
Contributing to the HBP Flagship's objectives and strategic roadmap is possible through calls for expression of interest —which are open when new expertise and ideas are required in the core project — or through the project partnering mechanism. This mechanism is designed for the research projects funded at national, transnational or European level which want to join the HBP initiative to contribute and benefit from the network and visibility.
Relevant links
- The Human Brain Project review (2016-2017)
- Leaflet with a HBP overview
- HBP activity report (2013-2016)
- EC Vice President Ansip's blog post: Future and emerging technologies: investing in Europe's future, improving people's lives
- FET Flagships: lessons learnt
- Blog post:The Human Brain Project and the Graphene Flagships are moving ahead to the next stage of their 10-Year Voyage
- Blog post: News from the FET Flagships – The Voyage Continues.