Lab work as part of the production of the digital human brain atlas of the Human Brain Project. Credit: Mareen Fischinger.
An independent expert report has said the EU’s flagship programme, The Human Brain Project, has significantly advanced neuroscience.
The European Commission has released the ten-year assessment of the Human Brain Project (HBP), an EU-Flagship initiative that concluded in 2023.
The report, ‘Human Brain Project 10 years assessment’, was authored by a panel of independent scientific experts and their assessment of the HBP’s development and results over the full ten years comes to a strongly positive conclusion.
The report highlights that the HBP made major contributions and had a transformative impact on brain research.
One of the main outcomes of the HBP is EBRAINS, the open research infrastructure that continues to push neuroscience research forward.
The HBP brought together more than 500 scientists, clinicians and engineers from all over Europe, to establish new ways of studying human brain complexity through advanced computational methods and cutting-edge technologies.
The report highlights notable achievements of the HBP, including leading digital brain atlases, advanced brain simulation platforms across scales, the application of cognitive modelling and personalised medicine, as well as remarkable advances in neuromorphic computing, neuro-inspired robotics and AI.
Vision
Brain researcher Katrin Amunts, who served as scientific director of the Human Brain Project from 2016 to 2023 and is currently joint CEO of EBRAINS, said: “It was our vision to achieve a change in the way neuroscience is done in the age of digital tools and computing.
“We are glad to have succeeded in this and that this is now also being recognised from the outside.
“The success of the HBP was only possible due to the work of so many excellent colleagues across Europe over the years.”
André Syrota, former chair of the HBP stakeholder board and current chair of the governing board of EBRAINS, added: “The legacy of the HBP flagship, coupled with the new research infrastructure provided by EBRAINS, will continue to drive advancements in brain health, brain-derived technologies, and collaborative research worldwide.”
The Human Brain Project was the largest brain science project in Europe and stands among the biggest research projects ever funded by the EU and was one of the three flagship projects of the EU.
At the interface of neuroscience and information technology, the HBP investigated the brain and its diseases with the help of highly advanced methods from computing, neuroinformatics and artificial intelligence, and drove innovation in fields like brain-inspired computing and neurorobotics. As a lasting contribution to the global science community, the HBP created EBRAINS, an open European research infrastructure that allows scientists and technology experts to seamlessly collaborate, accelerating advancements in the fields of neuroscience, computing and brain-related medicine.
