EBRAINS showcases European research infrastructures at FENS 2026 Satellite Symposium

Organised in the framework of the European Partnership for Brain Health, the symposium showcased practical examples of how researchers can directly benefit from EBRAINS' digital services, advanced brain atlases, neuroinformatics, modelling, simulation, AI and high-performance computing to accelerate scientific discovery and support the development of personalised medicine.

The event was opened by Philippe Vernier, Joint-CEO of EBRAINS, who highlighted the growing importance of integrated European research infrastructures in enabling collaborative, data-driven neuroscience across disciplines and national borders. He also emphasised EBRAINS' role in fostering collaboration across the European neuroscience community, reducing duplication of efforts between laboratories and creating a connected research ecosystem where data, tools and expertise can be more effectively shared.

A central feature of the symposium was the series of scientific use cases presented by the EBRAINS National Nodes, demonstrating how researchers are already applying EBRAINS services in cutting-edge neuroscience projects.

Marta Suarez Pinilla (UPM – Universidad Politecnica de Madrid), researcher from the Spanish National Node, presented ‘’How Cognitive and Clinical Neuroscience benefit from EBRAINS’’, showcasing applications ranging from digital brain twins for dementia prevention to neurotechnology for neurodevelopmental disorders and secure federated analysis of paediatric datasets. The Spanish node work illustrated how EBRAINS platform supports every stage of the research workflow, from human brain atlas, FAIR data integration to advanced brain modelling and simulation.

The German National Node represented by Nicola Palomero-Gallagher (Forschungszentrum Jülich) showcased the latest developments in EBRAINS brain atlases, highlighting how multimodal, multi-species atlases are supporting neuroscience research and paving the way for more personalised approaches to diagnosis and treatment, including microanatomy and surgery planning. Participants also explored tools such as the siibra Explorer, siibra Python and QUINT workflow enabling researchers to integrate anatomical, receptor architecture and imaging data from different species within common EBRAINS reference spaces.

Representing the Italian National Node, Egidio D’Angelo (University of Pavia)  demonstrated how computational models reproduce neuronal circuits across multiple biological scales. His presentations highlighted the growing ecosystem of EBRAINS modelling tools, including simulators, such as NEURON, scaffold builders, HPC systems and neuromorphic computing technologies that allow increasingly realistic simulations of brain function while supporting future clinical applications.

The French National Node with Damien Depannemaecker (Inserm and Aix-Marseille University) focused on Virtual Brain Twins, presenting flexible modelling workflows that can be tailored to specific scientific and clinical questions. The session demonstrated how EBRAINS provides the digital building blocks required to construct patient-specific brain models that can evolve over time as new clinical data become available.

Lastly, Paul Tiesinga from the Dutch National Node showcased advances in neurotechnology, high-field MRI and imaging infrastructures, illustrating how cutting-edge technologies can be combined with EBRAINS digital services to better understand brain function and neurological disorders.

The symposium also highlighted the importance of collaboration across European Research Infrastructures. Linda Chabaane (Euro-BioImaging ERIC) and Anna Sanchez Calle (EATRIS) presented complementary services supporting imaging, translational research, data management and access to advanced technologies, demonstrating how integrated infrastructure ecosystems can accelerate biomedical discovery.

A key element of the programme was the session moderated by Ulrike Busshof (DLR Project Management Agency), who guided discussions on the strategic role of European Research Infrastructures within the European Partnership for Brain Health. By bringing together experts from multiple infrastructures and scientific domains, the session emphasised the importance of coordinated European investments, interoperability and long-term collaboration to maximise scientific impact and facilitate researchers' access to advanced services across Europe.

A shared vision

Throughout the day, participants had the opportunity to engage directly with infrastructure experts, explore practical research workflows and discuss future collaborations.

The symposium reinforced a shared vision: by connecting data, digital services, computing resources and scientific expertise, European Research Infrastructures are enabling a new generation of collaborative neuroscience capable of addressing some of the most pressing challenges in brain health, including dementia, Parkinson's disease, epilepsy and other neurological and psychiatric disorders.

The discussions continued throughout FENS Forum 2026, where EBRAINS scientists delivered presentations at the EBRAINS booth, demonstrating how the research infrastructure supports cutting-edge neuroscience through its data, tools and digital services – available to researchers across Europe and beyond.