Independent expert report: The Human Brain Project significantly advanced neuroscience

The newly published “Human Brain Project 10 years assessment” provides an analysis of the HBP’s progress and impact during its decade-long runtime.

The European Commission (EC) has released the 10-year assessment of the Human Brain Project (HBP), an EU-Flagship initiative that concluded in 2023. The report was authored by a panel of independent scientific experts. Their assessment of the HBP’s development and results over the full 10 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, neuroinspired robotics and AI.

“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 that we have succeeded and that this is now also being recognised from the outside”, says Katrin Amunts. The brain researcher served as Scientific Director of the Human Brain Project from 2016 to 2023 and is currently joint CEO of EBRAINS. “The success of the HBP was only possible due to the work of so many excellent colleagues across Europe over the years.”

“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”, adds André Syrota, former Chair of the HBP Stakeholder Board and current Chair of the Governing Board of EBRAINS.

MEDIA CONTACT

press@ebrains.eu

Find the full report at:
https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/library/human-brain-project-10-years-assessment

Key quote from the Report “Human Brain Project 10 years assessment”:

“In summary, the HBP significantly contributed to advance understanding of the brain and transform the related research fields to allow a more holistic approach and the use of brain-inspired technologies. Developments driven by the HBP have had a transformative impact on several brain research, and technology-related fields and showed to have the potential of a transformative impact in brain health.

“The scientific results of the project have made an important and influential contribution towards a better understanding of the human brain. Substantial progress was made in bringing neuroscience significantly closer to new clinical and industrial applications. Computational neuroscience took the step towards medical applications through personalised patient brain models, which now enable the implementation of digital twin approaches.

Furthermore, it served as a bridge between brain research and AI, with HBP showcasing the advantages of brain-inspired algorithms, neuromorphic hardware, and neurorobotics. The basic understanding of the brain has been enriched by the multimodal and multiscale approaches facilitated by the HBP.

Crucially, HBP flagship followed a rigorous programme to ensure the sustainability of its developments: it established the EBRAINS infrastructure as a lasting offering to the scientific community. Moreover, it successfully fostered a new multidisciplinary community in Europe, converging under the paradigm of “digital neuroscience”. (p. 5)

A press dossier [Folder-link] includes further key excerpts from the 61-page report in a short compilation (3.5 pages).

The HBP report was released simultaneously with the 10 years assessment of the Graphene Flagship, which ran parallel to the HBP.

ABOUT THE HUMAN BRAIN PROJECT

The Human Brain Project (HBP) was the largest brain science project in Europe and stands among the biggest research projects ever funded by the European Union. It was one of the three FET 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. Find further information in the HBP overview brochures.

ABOUT EBRAINS

The EBRAINS digital research infrastructure, a key outcome and legacy of the EU-funded Human Brain Project (HBP), was officially launched in 2019. Two years later, in 2021, EBRAINS was included in the Roadmap of the European Strategy Forum on Research Infrastructures (ESFRI). EBRAINS’ mission is to foster brain-related research and help translate the latest scientific discoveries into innovation in medicine and industry, for the benefit of patients and society. It draws on cutting-edge neuroscience and offers an extensive range of brain data sets, atlases, modelling and simulation tools, easy access to high-performance and neuromorphic computing resources. After the conclusion of the HBP, EBRAINS is completing the transition into a sustainable infrastructure through the EBRAINS 2.0 project, running from 2024-2026. Visit www.ebrains.eu to learn more.