Human Brain Project

Understanding the human brain is one of the greatest challenges facing 21st century science. If we can rise to the challenge, we can gain profound insights into what makes us human, develop new treatments for brain disease and build revolutionary new computing technologies. Today, for the first time, modern ICT has brought these goals within sight.

An Overview of the Human Brain Project

The Human Brain Project (HBP) is a European Commission Future and Emerging Technologies Flagship that aims to accelerate our understanding of the human brain, make advances in defining and diagnosing brain disorders, and develop new brain-like technologies.

The HBP is organized in thirteen subprojects, spanning strategic neuroscience data, cognitive architectures, theory, ethics and society, management and the development of six new informatics-based platforms including:

• Neuroinformatics (searchable atlases and analysis of brain data)
• Brain Simulation (building and simulating multi-level models of brain circuits and functions)
• Medical Informatics (analyzing clinical data to better understand brain diseases)
• Neuromorphic Computing (brain-like functions implemented in hardware)
• Neurorobotics (testing brain models and simulations in virtual environments)
• High Performance Computing (providing the necessary computing power)