EBRAINS Belgium

Summary:

European Brain ReseArch INfrastructureS (EBRAINS) is a new digital research infrastructure (RI), created by the EU funded Human Brain Project (HBP), that gathers an extensive range of data and tools for brain-related research. It draws on cutting-edge neuroscience, big data, computing, robotics and related technologies to help translate the latest scientific discoveries into innovation in medicine and industry, for the benefit of patients and society.

EBRAINS is a so-called “European Strategy Forum on Research Infrastructures” (ESFRI) initiative. ESFRI is a strategic instrument to develop the scientific integration of Europe and to strengthen its international outreach.

EBRAINS is currently in the process of setting up these National Nodes, making the most of the preparatory phase of the RI (according to ESFRI RI life cycle). The bulk of the services, ranging from data management and curation, through brain atlases, modeling, and simulation to neurorobotics and the Medical Informatics Platform, is already available for the benefit of researchers while further releases and improvements are ongoing.

EBRAINS PREP is an ESFRI Preparation Phase Project, which will place the EBRAINS research infrastructure (RI) developed by the Human Brain Project (HBP) on a sustainable footing. It will put in place the organisational framework that will allow EBRAINS to complete the subsequent Implementation Phase successfully and so start its Operation Phase. The new organisational framework will allow EBRAINS to evolve from the largely EC-funded, HBP-developed RI into a sustainable "Hub-and-Node" RI on the ESFRI Roadmap.

The objectives of EBRAINS PREP are the following:

• Objective 1: To put in place a financial, legal and governance framework for EBRAINS and prepare a plan to ensure the sustainable offering of the Service Capability by the Central Hub and the Nodes.
• Objective 2: To obtain the legally binding commitment of EBRAINS Consortium Partners to offer services needed by the brain research community by setting up EBRAINS Nodes.
• Objective 3: To deliver a complete overall technical design and associated cost estimate for the Service Capability.
• Objective 4: To decide the legal structure that EBRAINS will adopt for the Operation Phase and produce draft statutes for EBRAINS in that structure.

The Operation Phase RI will focus more on the processing, managing and sharing of data of all sorts, even those generated outside the RI, but will retain an important role in providing cutting-edge data-generating tools and services. While staying true to its roots in supporting basic research, it will expand its activities to support clinical research and innovative exploitation of brain-related technologies. The evolving RI offering will be determined with the help of a new governance structure, which focuses on determining the priority needs of the broad brain research community. The Operation Phase EBRAINS will be funded primarily by long-term commitments by the EU Member States and Associated Countries that are home to a Node in the EBRAINS RI.

Role of UHasselt

• UHasselt is National Node Lead with Liesbet M. Peeters being the Head of Node and Ilse Vermeulen being the Node Manager
• Liesbet M. Peeters is member of the National Node Board (NNB)
• UHasselt is involved in EBRAINS PREP