The Human Brain Project aims to put in place a cutting-edge research infrastructure that will allow scientific and industrial researchers to advance our knowledge in the fields of neuroscience, computing, and brain-related medicine.
The HBP’s governance structure is designed to let science take centre stage, and ensures that the Project is run effectively and transparently.
The HBP Consortium drives the Project’s research forward. Click here to find out more about the 116 institutions taking part in SGA1.
The HBP is committed to Responsible Research and Innovation, and Ethics Management forms an integral part of the Project.
One of the HBP's main objectives is to create and operate six cutting-edge ICT Platforms, which are at the core of the emerging HBP research infrastructure.
A selection of the HBP's past advances is available here.
HBP researchers regularly publish their ground-breaking work, which is listed here.
The HBP is divided into 12 Subprojects, each of which has a different focus.
One of the main objectives of the HBP is to create and operate six ICT-based Platforms, which are the core of the emerging HBP Research Infrastructure.
Find out how to access the Platforms here.
SP1 performs targeted mapping of the structure and function of the adult mouse brain, generating the data required to constrain and validate high-fidelity models and reconstructions.
SP2 generates neuroscientific concepts, knowledge, data sets and tools contributing to a better understanding of the multi-level and multi-scale organisation of the human brain.
SP3 addresses ambitious systems and cognitive neuroscience questions. It aims to bridge from basic anatomy and physiology to mapping, cognition, theory and modelling. It also provides specifications for data and tools that are accessible to the HBP community via the Platforms.
SP4 provides solid theoretical and mathematical foundations for different areas of HBP research. Theoretical insights from mathematics make a valuable contribution to many SPs, from the modelling of low-level biological processes, to the analysis of large-scale patterns of brain activity and the formalisation of new paradigms of computation. SP4 also operates the European Institute for Theoretical Neuroscience.
The HBP aims to make it easier for scientists to organise and access the huge volumes of heterogeneous data, knowledge and tools produced by the international neuroscience community. SP5 contributes to these efforts by offering a new range of tools designed for the construction of multi-level brain atlases, and for the analysis and interpretation of large volumes of structural and functional data.
SP6 provides the Brain Simulation Platform, a collaborative platform for the data-driven predictive reconstruction and simulation of brain models. It supports community-driven reconstructions and simulations, and comparisons between models based on different tools and approaches.
SP7 provides the HBP and the broader European neuroscience community with supercomputing, Big Data, and Cloud capabilities, as well as the system software, middleware, interactive computational steering and visualisation support necessary to create and simulate multi-scale brain models, and to address the hard-scaling challenges of whole brain modelling.
SP8 aims to achieve a multi-level understanding of the similarities and differences among brain diseases, and to use this knowledge to improve the classification, diagnosis and treatment of these diseases. It will also provide researchers with the tools to access and analyse large amounts of anonymised clinical data via the Medical Informatics Platform.
SP9 designs, implements and operates the Neuromorphic Computing Platform. This Platform allows non-expert neuroscientists and engineers to perform experiments with configurable Neuromorphic Computing Systems, implementing simplified versions of brain models developed on the Brain Simulation Platform, and on generic circuit models.
The Neurorobotics Platform offers scientists and technology developers a software and hardware infrastructure that allows them to connect pre-validated brain models to detailed simulations of robot bodies and environments, and to use the resulting neurorobotic systems in in silico experiments and technology development.
SP11 is home to the Project Coordination office, which manages and coordinates the Core Project and acts as the intermediary between the HBP and the European Commission.
The objective of SP12 is to assist the HBP in pursuing a policy of Responsible Research and Innovation. SP12 will monitor scientific and technological results as they emerge, analyse their social and philosophical implications, and work to involve researchers, decision-makers, and the general public in a far-reaching conversation about future research directions.
Co-Design Projects involve multi-disciplinary input from a number of different Subprojects, and are led by senior HBP scientists.
Find out how to access the HBP Platforms here.
The HBP Education Programme offers a wide range of training opportunities for early-career scientists, including workshops and an annual school.
New partners are brought into the project via Calls for Expressions of Interest. This ensures a fair, transparent, and measured process.
Partnering Projects help the HBP to achieve its science, technology and innovation objectives, and enhance the alignment of the Core Project and related national and regional activities.
Current HBP employment opportunities are listed here.
Click here to see HBP news.
The HBP hosts a wide range of events on a regular basis.
Each year, members of the HBP come together to celebrate the work carried out on behalf of the Project. The Summit provides a great opportunity to foster productive working relationships and learn about the HBP’s latest achievements.
The Framework Partnership Agreement (FPA) describes the HBP's overall plan for the duration of the Project.
All HBP Subprojects complete Deliverables that are agreed with the European Commission. These range from documents, such as reports, to data sets and prototypes. Deliverables are one of the ways in which the HBP is able to track and assess its progress.
HBP Press Releases are available here.
Many HBP Reports are submitted as Deliverables. Those that are not Deliverables, or that are prepared by external groups, are provided here.
1st PCP pilot JULIA now available at Jülich Supercomputing Centre
Three New Bodies to Govern the Human Brain Project
Sixth SpiNNaker Workshop
HBP Report
The HBP Pilot Report was published in April 2012. The report summarizes the results of the Human Brain Project Preparatory Study in which nearly three hundred experts in neuroscience, medicine and computing – worked together to develop the HBP vision for brain research and its applications. Download it here!
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