EBRAINS (European Brain Research Infrastructures) is an EU digital research infrastructure that connects neuroscience and medicine with brain-inspired AI and computer technology. The German national node of the pan-European project has now been officially founded. The coordinator of EBRAINS Germany is Forschungszentrum Jülich, the partners are Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Heidelberg University, the Central Institute of Mental Health in Mannheim, the Heidelberg Institute for Theoretical Studies and the Bernstein Network for Computational Neuroscience. In addition to Germany, national EBRAINS nodes are currently active or being set up in ten countries across Europe.
Cooperation in research
The founding institutions and researchers behind EBRAINS Germany combine strong expertise in computational neuroscience, clinical research and informatics. They are thus setting an important milestone in the promotion of cooperation in research – both nationally and in Europe. The partners offer a platform for scientific exchange and unique tools for neuroscience, medical applications and industry.
“For its members, EBRAINS Germany offers the opportunity to actively shape the future of EBRAINS and to develop tailor-made solutions for new research approaches together with German and European partners,” says Prof. Katrin Amunts, Joint Chief Executive Officer of EBRAINS and Director at the Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine at Forschungszentrum Jülich. “This will help to ensure that digital tools can be used even better for medical applications and that findings about the structure and function of the brain can be incorporated into innovative technologies and artificial intelligence.”
Large data sets
Prof. Dr. Andreas Meyer-Lindenberg, Chairman of the Board of the CIMH and Medical Director of the Clinic of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, says on the occasion of the founding of EBRAINS Germany: “Progress in the treatment of mental illness requires a deep understanding of brain function and its disorders. In this area, we have built up large data sets and expertise in analysis and modeling, which we want to contribute to EBRAINS. The in-depth collaboration with excellent partner institutions within the German Center for Mental Health will further increase the effectiveness of these approaches.”
About EBRAINS
The EBRAINS research infrastructure was developed as part of the Human Brain Project. It has the status of an international non-profit association under Belgian law based in Belgium and has been available to a broad scientific public since 2019. In 2021, it was selected for the roadmap of the European Strategy Forum on Research Infrastructures (ESFRI). EBRAINS is a freely accessible digital platform where scientists from various disciplines can share and use data, models and software. EBRAINS offers a wide range of FAIR data, a comprehensive brain atlas, modeling and simulation tools, and access to computational resources on supercomputers and neuromorphic platforms. Information about the tools and services available on the web portal www.ebrains.eu
EBRAINS 2.0
The European Commission is providing a total of 38 million euros up to and including 2026 for the further development of the EBRAINS research infrastructure. The EBRAINS 2.0 project was launched in January 2024 and aims to establish a new standard for brain atlases, combine data obtained at different scales and advance so-called “digital twin” approaches through modeling and simulation. With a focus on the development of tools, models and workflows, EBRAINS facilitates research into brain organization, disease mechanisms and biomarkers. The open platform supports the development of computational disease models and promotes collaboration, diversity of approaches and integration in neuroscience. The overall goal is to deepen the understanding of brain structure and function in order to achieve advances in brain medicine and neuroinspired technology. The project involves 59 partner institutions from 16 European countries.