Human Brain Project

The Human Brain Project (HBP) was a large-scale, multidisciplinary scientific research initiative launched by the European Union in 2013, aimed at advancing the understanding of the human brain through the integration of neuroscience, computing, and medicine. Coordinated by the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) in Switzerland, the project brought together over 500 scientists from more than 100 institutions across Europe. It was one of the European Commission’s Future and Emerging Technologies (FET) Flagship programmes and concluded in 2023 after a decade of research and technological development.

Background and Objectives

The origin of the Human Brain Project can be traced to growing scientific interest in understanding the brain’s structure and function at multiple scales from molecular processes to complex cognition. Neuroscience had produced vast quantities of data, yet these findings remained fragmented across different research domains. The HBP was conceived to unify this information using computational models and advanced digital tools.
Its primary goals included:

• Developing a comprehensive digital model of the human brain, integrating data from neuroanatomy, electrophysiology, and imaging studies.
• Building high-performance computing (HPC) and simulation platforms to analyse and model neural processes.
• Creating tools for medical applications, particularly in diagnosing and treating neurological and psychiatric disorders.
• Advancing artificial intelligence (AI) and neuromorphic computing inspired by biological neural architectures.

The overarching ambition was to simulate the human brain’s activity in silico, thereby opening new avenues for both neuroscience and computational technologies.

Structure and Organisation

The HBP was structured around six core research platforms collectively referred to as the EBRAINS infrastructure, which was developed during the course of the project and later became its enduring legacy. These platforms included:

1. Neuroinformatics Platform – for data storage, organisation, and access to brain research data.
2. Brain Simulation Platform – enabling computer simulations of brain structures and networks.
3. High Performance Computing Platform – providing advanced computational capacity for brain modelling.
4. Medical Informatics Platform – designed to use clinical data to inform research on brain diseases.
5. Neuromorphic Computing Platform – developing computer architectures modelled on neural systems.
6. Neurorobotics Platform – for testing brain-inspired algorithms in robotic systems.

Coordination was managed through a central office at EPFL, with significant contributions from partner institutions such as Forschungszentrum Jülich (Germany), the University of Heidelberg, and the University of Oslo, among others.

Research Approach and Methodology

The project adopted a multi-level and integrative approach, combining data-driven neuroscience with computational modelling. Key research activities involved:

• Data integration: Consolidating heterogeneous data from brain imaging, electrophysiology, and genetics.
• Simulation and modelling: Constructing detailed models of brain regions such as the neocortex and hippocampus to understand information processing.
• Computational neuroscience: Developing algorithms that replicate neural dynamics and learning processes.
• Clinical neuroscience: Translating findings into diagnostic tools for disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease, epilepsy, and depression.

The use of supercomputers, including the Jülich Supercomputing Centre’s systems, enabled simulations of neural circuits containing millions of neurons, providing insights into connectivity and cognitive processes.

Achievements and Technological Innovations

Over its decade of operation, the Human Brain Project made several notable contributions:

• Creation of EBRAINS: A lasting digital research infrastructure offering access to curated brain data, computing resources, and simulation tools to the global scientific community.
• Advances in neuromorphic computing: The development of systems such as SpiNNaker (University of Manchester) and BrainScaleS (Heidelberg University) that mimic the structure and processing of biological neural networks.
• Progress in data-driven brain mapping: The HBP contributed to projects like the Human Brain Atlas, a detailed digital map integrating multimodal data about brain anatomy and function.
• Medical applications: Through the Medical Informatics Platform, the HBP fostered collaborations between hospitals and researchers, enabling the study of neurological diseases using anonymised clinical datasets.

In addition, the project helped stimulate progress in machine learning, robotics, and high-performance computing by providing biologically inspired computational frameworks.

Challenges and Criticisms

Despite its scientific achievements, the Human Brain Project faced criticism and controversy during its early years. Some neuroscientists argued that the goal of fully simulating the human brain was overly ambitious and premature, given the limited understanding of basic neural principles. Others criticised the project’s governance, particularly in its initial phase, for lack of transparency and exclusion of certain research groups.
In 2014, an open letter signed by hundreds of researchers led the European Commission to conduct an internal review, which resulted in restructuring and clearer research priorities. The project subsequently shifted from the goal of full-scale brain simulation towards building an enabling infrastructure for neuroscience  the EBRAINS platform.
Technical challenges also included the enormous complexity of data integration, the need for standardisation across laboratories, and the computational limits of simulating realistic neural networks.

Legacy and Significance

When the Human Brain Project concluded in 2023, its most enduring outcome was the establishment of EBRAINS, a permanent European digital research infrastructure for neuroscience and brain medicine. EBRAINS continues to operate under the European Strategy Forum on Research Infrastructures (ESFRI) roadmap, offering open access to data, tools, and computing facilities.
The HBP’s influence extended beyond neuroscience, impacting fields such as:

• Artificial Intelligence: by advancing neuromorphic and cognitive computing models.
• Medical Science: through improved diagnostic frameworks and patient data integration.
• Ethics and Society: via research on neuroethics, data privacy, and the implications of simulating consciousness.

Moreover, the project contributed to the training of a new generation of computational neuroscientists skilled in data analysis, modelling, and interdisciplinary collaboration.

Global Context and Comparisons

The Human Brain Project operated alongside similar initiatives worldwide, notably the U.S. BRAIN Initiative (Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies) launched in 2013, and Japan’s Brain/MINDS project. Together, these programmes reflect a global effort to unravel the complexities of brain structure and function using advanced technology and data science.
The HBP’s integrative approach, combining neuroscience, medicine, and computing, distinguished it as one of the most ambitious projects in European science. It laid the groundwork for future brain research infrastructure, fostering international cooperation and technological innovation in understanding one of the most intricate systems known to science the human brain.