HBP SGA1 · Project

Brain-Inspired Computing Platforms and Medical Data Tools from Europe's Largest Neuroscience Effort

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Imagine trying to build a working map of the human brain — not just a picture, but something you can actually run on a computer like a simulation. That's what 138 research teams across 19 countries set out to do. They built shared platforms where scientists can simulate brain circuits, test ideas about brain diseases using real hospital data, and even design computer chips that work more like neurons than traditional processors. Think of it as creating the Google Maps of the brain, except instead of roads, you're mapping billions of nerve connections — and then letting doctors and engineers use that map to solve real problems.

By the numbers

EUR 89,000,000

EU contribution for SGA1 phase alone

138

Partner organizations in the consortium

Countries represented in the consortium

Total deliverables produced

University partners contributing research

SME partners in the consortium

The business problem

What needed solving

Companies in pharma, AI hardware, and robotics face a common bottleneck: understanding how the brain processes information would unlock better drugs for neurological diseases, more efficient computing chips, and smarter robots — but no single company can afford the basic neuroscience research needed. The brain's complexity requires massive collaborative infrastructure that no private entity can build alone.

The solution

What was built

The project built four major platforms: a Brain Simulation Platform for running virtual brain circuit models, a Medical Informatics Platform (MIP) for federating hospital brain data with a completed validation plan, a High-Performance Analytics and Computing Platform for large-scale brain simulations, and neurorobotics tools. A total of 44 deliverables were produced across these platforms.

Audience

Who needs this

Pharma R&D teams developing treatments for Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, or epilepsyAI chip companies designing neuromorphic or brain-inspired processorsRobotics companies building adaptive autonomous systemsHospital networks wanting to pool neurological patient data without sharing raw recordsHPC centers looking for next-generation brain simulation workloads

Business applications

Who can put this to work

Pharmaceutical & Clinical Research

enterprise

Target: Pharma companies and hospital networks developing treatments for neurological disorders

If you are a pharma company struggling to identify biomarkers for Alzheimer's or Parkinson's disease — this project built a Medical Informatics Platform (MIP) that federates hospital brain data across multiple sites without moving sensitive patient records. The MIP validation plan was delivered, meaning the tool was tested against real clinical workflows. With 138 partner institutions feeding data, the platform offers scale no single hospital could match alone.

Semiconductor & Computing Hardware

enterprise

Target: Chip designers and AI hardware companies building energy-efficient processors

If you are a computing hardware company looking for next-generation processor architectures — this project advanced neuromorphic computing, designing chips that mimic how real neurons process information. These chips use a fraction of the power of traditional GPUs for specific AI tasks. The High-Performance Analytics and Computing Platform delivered during SGA1 provides benchmarks and simulation tools that hardware teams can build on.

Industrial Robotics & Automation

mid-size

Target: Robotics companies developing autonomous systems with adaptive learning

If you are a robotics company whose machines need to learn and adapt in unpredictable environments — this project developed neurorobotics tools that let engineers test brain-inspired control algorithms in virtual environments before deploying them on physical robots. With 94 universities contributing neuroscience research, the models behind these controllers are grounded in actual biology, not just statistical shortcuts.

Frequently asked

Quick answers

What would it cost to access these platforms or tools?

The Human Brain Project platforms (Brain Simulation, Medical Informatics, HPC, Neurorobotics) were built as open research infrastructure. Access for research purposes has been available through the EBRAINS platform, which succeeded HBP. Commercial licensing terms would need to be negotiated with the coordinator (EPFL) or the EBRAINS AISBL entity.

Can these tools work at industrial scale?

The High-Performance Analytics and Computing Platform was specifically designed for large-scale brain simulations requiring supercomputer-level resources. The Medical Informatics Platform was validated across multiple hospital sites. However, these are research-grade platforms — industrial deployment would require additional engineering for production reliability and support.

What is the IP situation and how can I license the technology?

With 138 partners across 19 countries and EUR 89,000,000 in EU funding, the IP landscape is complex. EU-funded project results are typically owned by the partners who generated them, with the EU retaining access rights. Any licensing would need to go through the specific partner that developed the component you need.

How mature is the Medical Informatics Platform for clinical use?

A dedicated MIP validation plan (Deliverable D8.6.4) was produced, indicating the platform reached a stage where systematic clinical testing was being designed. Based on available project data, the platform was functional but still in validation rather than routine clinical deployment.

Can the neuromorphic computing tools integrate with our existing AI infrastructure?

The neuromorphic computing work focused on fundamentally different chip architectures from standard GPUs and TPUs. Integration with existing AI pipelines would require specialized interfaces. The HPC platform deliverables document interoperability across the project's own sub-platforms, but enterprise IT integration was not the primary design goal.

Is there ongoing support and development after the project ended?

The Human Brain Project transitioned into the EBRAINS research infrastructure, which continues to maintain and develop the platforms. EBRAINS is now recognized as a permanent European research infrastructure. This means the tools are actively maintained, unlike many EU projects that end when funding stops.

What regulatory considerations apply to the medical data tools?

The Medical Informatics Platform was designed with federated data architecture — hospital data stays at the hospital, and only aggregated results are shared. This approach was specifically designed to address European data protection requirements. However, any clinical deployment would still need to comply with local medical device and data regulations.

Consortium

Who built it

This is one of the largest EU research consortia ever assembled — 138 partners across 19 countries with EUR 89,000,000 in EU funding for just this phase. The consortium is overwhelmingly academic: 94 universities and 37 research organizations versus just 2 industry partners and 3 SMEs (1% industry ratio). This tells a business person two things: first, the scientific depth is unmatched — you're dealing with the best neuroscience labs in Europe. Second, the commercial translation gap is wide — almost no one in this consortium was thinking about products, customers, or market fit. The coordinator, EPFL in Switzerland, is a world-class technical university but not a commercialization engine. Any company looking to use these results will need to invest in bridging from research prototype to production-grade tool.

ECOLE POLYTECHNIQUE FEDERALE DE LAUSANNECoordinator · CH
ACADEMISCH ZIEKENHUIS LEIDENparticipant · NL
INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY AUSTRIAparticipant · AT
UNIVERSIDAD POMPEU FABRAparticipant · ES
INSTITUT NATIONAL DE RECHERCHE EN INFORMATIQUE ET AUTOMATIQUEparticipant · FR
LINNEUNIVERSITETETparticipant · SE
UNIVERSIDADE DO MINHOparticipant · PT
CONVELOP - COOPERATIVE KNOWLEDGE DESIGN GMBHparticipant · AT
THE UNIVERSITY COURT OF THE UNIVERSITY OF ABERDEENparticipant · UK
HEINRICH-HEINE-UNIVERSITAET DUESSELDORFparticipant · DE
UNIVERSITE DE LIEGEparticipant · BE
L'AZIENDA SOCIO SANITARIA TERRITORIALE (ASST) GRANDE OSPEDALE METROPOLITANO NIGUARDAparticipant · IT
DEUTSCHES ZENTRUM FUR NEURODEGENERATIVE ERKRANKUNGEN EVparticipant · DE
UNIVERSITEIT ANTWERPENparticipant · BE
HELSINGIN YLIOPISTOparticipant · FI
THE UNIVERSITY OF HERTFORDSHIRE HIGHER EDUCATION CORPORATIONparticipant · UK
TECHNISCHE UNIVERSITAET GRAZparticipant · AT
INSTITUT NATIONAL DE LA SANTE ET DE LA RECHERCHE MEDICALEthirdparty · FR
UNIVERSITE LYON 1 CLAUDE BERNARDparticipant · FR
UNIVERSITAETSKLINIKUM AACHENparticipant · DE
KUNGLIGA TEKNISKA HOEGSKOLANparticipant · SE
THE UNIVERSITY OF MANCHESTERparticipant · UK
FZI FORSCHUNGSZENTRUM INFORMATIKparticipant · DE
THE UNIVERSITY OF SHEFFIELDparticipant · UK
STICHTING VUparticipant · NL
IMPERIAL COLLEGE OF SCIENCE TECHNOLOGY AND MEDICINEparticipant · UK
FORSCHUNGSZENTRUM JULICH GMBHparticipant · DE
UNIVERSITATSMEDIZIN GREIFSWALD KORPERSCHAFT DES OFFENTLICHEN RECHTSparticipant · DE
UNIVERSITE DE GENEVEparticipant · CH
KONINKLIJKE NEDERLANDSE AKADEMIE VAN WETENSCHAPPEN - KNAWparticipant · NL
INSTITUT JOZEF STEFANparticipant · SI
WEIZMANN INSTITUTE OF SCIENCEparticipant · IL
UNIVERSITEIT GENTparticipant · BE
Bloomfield Science Museum Jerusalem (BSMJ)participant · IL
EUROPEAN MOLECULAR BIOLOGY LABORATORYparticipant · DE
ETHNIKO KAI KAPODISTRIAKO PANEPISTIMIO ATHINONparticipant · EL
UNIVERSITAT BASELparticipant · CH
STICHTING RADBOUD UNIVERSITEITparticipant · NL
RHEINISCH-WESTFAELISCHE TECHNISCHE HOCHSCHULE AACHENparticipant · DE
UNIVERSITATSKLINIKUM BONNparticipant · DE
TECHNISCHE UNIVERSITAET MUENCHENparticipant · DE
COMMISSARIAT A L ENERGIE ATOMIQUE ET AUX ENERGIES ALTERNATIVESparticipant · FR
POLYTECHNEIO KRITISparticipant · EL
DEBRECENI EGYETEMparticipant · HU
UNIVERSIDAD DE GRANADAparticipant · ES
ISTITUTO SUPERIORE DI SANITAparticipant · IT
RUPRECHT-KARLS-UNIVERSITAET HEIDELBERGparticipant · DE
UNIVERSITAET BERNparticipant · CH
BAUHAUS-UNIVERSITAET WEIMARparticipant · DE
CENTRE HOSPITALIER REGIONAL ET UNIVERSITAIRE DE LILLEparticipant · FR
SIB SWISS INSTITUTE OF BIOINFORMATICSparticipant · CH
FUNDACIO INSTITUT DE BIOENGINYERIA DE CATALUNYAparticipant · ES
UPPSALA UNIVERSITETparticipant · SE
UNIVERSITEIT MAASTRICHTparticipant · NL
HITS GGMBHparticipant · DE
INSTITUT DU CERVEAU ET DE LA MOELLE EPINIEREparticipant · FR
AALTO KORKEAKOULUSAATIO SRparticipant · FI
DE MONTFORT UNIVERSITYparticipant · UK
UNIVERSITY OF HAMBURGparticipant · DE
FORTISS GMBHparticipant · DE
UNIVERSITY OF LEEDSparticipant · UK
CENTRE HOSPITALIER UNIVERSITAIRE VAUDOISparticipant · CH
SCUOLA SUPERIORE DI STUDI UNIVERSITARI E DI PERFEZIONAMENTO S ANNAparticipant · IT
IDRYMA IATROVIOLOGIKON EREUNON AKADEMIAS ATHINONparticipant · EL
SABANCI UNIVERSITESIparticipant · TR
HUN-REN KISERLETI ORVOSTUDOMANYI KUTATOINTEZETparticipant · HU
THE UNIVERSITY OF SUSSEXparticipant · UK
ECOLE NORMALE SUPERIEUREparticipant · FR
NORGES MILJO-OG BIOVITENSKAPELIGE UNIVERSITETparticipant · NO
UNIVERSITAT TRIERparticipant · DE
SCUOLA NORMALE SUPERIOREparticipant · IT
UNIVERSITY OF THE WEST OF ENGLAND, BRISTOLparticipant · UK
MEDIZINISCHE UNIVERSITAT INNSBRUCKparticipant · AT
TAMPEREEN KORKEAKOULUSAATIO SRparticipant · FI
UNIVERSITE GRENOBLE ALPESparticipant · FR
UNITED KINGDOM RESEARCH AND INNOVATIONparticipant · UK
FUNDACIO DE RECERCA CLINIC BARCELONA-INSTITUT D INVESTIGACIONS BIOMEDIQUES AUGUST PI I SUNYERparticipant · ES
CONSIGLIO NAZIONALE DELLE RICERCHEparticipant · IT
KARLSRUHER INSTITUT FUER TECHNOLOGIEparticipant · DE
UNIVERSITE DE BORDEAUXparticipant · FR
UNIVERSITA DEGLI STUDI DI PAVIAparticipant · IT
BERGISCHE UNIVERSITAET WUPPERTALparticipant · DE
INSTITUT PASTEURparticipant · FR
UNIVERSITAT DE BARCELONAparticipant · ES
EIDGENOESSISCHE TECHNISCHE HOCHSCHULE ZUERICHparticipant · CH
CHARITE - UNIVERSITAETSMEDIZIN BERLINparticipant · DE
JOHANN WOLFGANG GOETHE-UNIVERSITAET FRANKFURT AM MAINparticipant · DE
TEL AVIV UNIVERSITYparticipant · IL
UNIVERSITAETSKLINIKUM HAMBURG-EPPENDORFparticipant · DE
UNIVERSITETET I OSLOparticipant · NO
POLITECNICO DI TORINOparticipant · IT
CENTRE HOSPITALIER UNIVERSITAIRE DE GRENOBLEparticipant · FR
UNIVERSITAT ZURICHparticipant · CH
DANMARKS TEKNISKE UNIVERSITETparticipant · DK
CENTRE HOSPITALIER UNIVERSITAIRE DE LIEGEthirdparty · BE
UNIVERSIDAD DE CASTILLA - LA MANCHAparticipant · ES
UNIVERSITA DEGLI STUDI DI MILANOparticipant · IT
KAROLINSKA INSTITUTETparticipant · SE
FONDEN DEMOCRACY Xparticipant · DK
HUMBOLDT-UNIVERSITAET ZU BERLINparticipant · DE
TECHNISCHE UNIVERSITAT DARMSTADTparticipant · DE
HOSPITAL CLINIC DE BARCELONAthirdparty · ES
THE HEBREW UNIVERSITY OF JERUSALEMparticipant · IL
UNIVERSIDAD REY JUAN CARLOSparticipant · ES
THE CHANCELLOR, MASTERS AND SCHOLARS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF OXFORDparticipant · UK
CYBERBOTICS SARLthirdparty · CH
ATHENS UNIVERSITY OF ECONOMICS AND BUSINESS - RESEARCH CENTERparticipant · EL
UNIVERSITE D'AIX MARSEILLEparticipant · FR
UNIVERSIDAD AUTONOMA DE MADRIDparticipant · ES
SICHH SWISS INTEGRATIVE CENTER FOR HUMAN HEALTH SAparticipant · CH
UNIVERSITY OF GLASGOWparticipant · UK
FONDAZIONE EUROPEAN BRAIN RESEARCHINSTITUTE RITA LEVIparticipant · IT
UNIVERSITY COLLEGE LONDONparticipant · UK
CINECA CONSORZIO INTERUNIVERSITARIOparticipant · IT
UNIVERSITAETSKLINIKUM FREIBURGparticipant · DE
CENTRE NATIONAL DE LA RECHERCHE SCIENTIFIQUE CNRSparticipant · FR
KATHOLIEKE UNIVERSITEIT LEUVENparticipant · BE
UNIVERSITAET BIELEFELDparticipant · DE
UNIVERSITY OF SURREYparticipant · UK
OSTERREICHISCHE STUDIENGESELLSCHAFTFUR KYBERNETIK VEREINparticipant · AT
STICHTING NEDERLANDSE WETENSCHAPPELIJK ONDERZOEK INSTITUTENparticipant · NL
MIDDLESEX UNIVERSITY HIGHER EDUCATION CORPORATIONparticipant · UK
UNIVERSITATSSPITAL BASELthirdparty · CH
UNIVERSIDAD POLITECNICA DE MADRIDparticipant · ES
THE UNIVERSITY OF EDINBURGHparticipant · UK
LABORATORIO EUROPEO DI SPETTROSCOPIE NON LINEARIparticipant · IT
FUNDACAO D. ANNA DE SOMMER CHAMPALIMAUD E DR. CARLOS MONTEZ CHAMPALIMAUDparticipant · PT
BARCELONA SUPERCOMPUTING CENTER CENTRO NACIONAL DE SUPERCOMPUTACIONparticipant · ES
UNIVERSITEIT VAN AMSTERDAMparticipant · NL
KING'S COLLEGE LONDONparticipant · UK
CARDIFF UNIVERSITYparticipant · UK
SORBONNE UNIVERSITEparticipant · FR
TECHNISCHE UNIVERSITAET DRESDENparticipant · DE
ISTITUTO NAZIONALE DI FISICA NUCLEAREparticipant · IT

How to reach the team

The coordinator is ECOLE POLYTECHNIQUE FEDERALE DE LAUSANNE (EPFL) in Switzerland. The project has transitioned to EBRAINS (ebrains.eu) as a permanent research infrastructure. Contact through EBRAINS may be more productive for current access to tools and platforms.

Order a report on this consortium See ECOLE POLYTECHNIQUE FEDERALE DE LAUSANNE profile →

Next steps

Talk to the team behind this work.

SciTransfer can help you identify which specific HBP platform component matches your business need, navigate the complex IP landscape across 138 partners, and arrange introductions to the right research team — saving you months of figuring out who owns what in Europe's largest brain research project.

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