HBP SGA3 · Project

Europe's Brain Research Platform Delivers AI, Robotics and Medical Data Tools for Industry

digitalTestedTRL 5

Imagine building a Google Maps for the human brain — that's essentially what 162 organizations across 19 countries did with EUR 150 million. They created EBRAINS, an open digital platform where you can explore 3D brain atlases, run brain simulations on supercomputers, and test brain-inspired robots in virtual environments before building them for real. The practical payoff? Robots that learn to grab and sort warehouse items the way your hand does, rehabilitation devices guided by brain activity simulations, and a Health Data Cloud for medical research. Think of it as the infrastructure layer that lets companies plug brain science into their products without needing a neuroscience lab.

By the numbers

EUR 150,000,000

EU contribution to the project

162

consortium partner organizations

countries represented in the consortium

total deliverables produced

EBRAINS service categories launched

industry partners in the consortium

SMEs participating in the project

demonstrator deliverables completed

The business problem

What needed solving

Companies building intelligent robots, rehabilitation devices, or AI systems face a fundamental challenge: replicating even basic brain functions like object recognition, learning, and adaptive movement requires deep neuroscience expertise and massive computational resources that individual companies cannot afford. Building brain-inspired technology from scratch means years of research and millions in investment, with no guarantee the approach will work at scale.

The solution

What was built

The EBRAINS digital research infrastructure with 6 service categories covering brain data, 3D brain atlases, simulation workflows, AI and robotics tools, medical data analytics, and HPC access. Concrete demonstrators include: warehouse manipulation robots that learn object recognition and handling (GROW), mobile unmanned systems with memory-based contextual awareness for industrial settings (PROMEN-AID), a closed-loop upper-limb neurorehabilitation simulator with transfer to physical systems, a Health Data Cloud platform, and full brain simulations corresponding to different brain states and consciousness levels.

Audience

Who needs this

Warehouse and logistics automation companies needing adaptive robotic manipulationMedical device manufacturers developing brain-computer interfaces or neurorehabilitation toolsAI platform companies seeking brain-inspired cognitive architecturesPharmaceutical companies needing brain simulation for drug discovery and testingDefense and security firms developing autonomous unmanned systems with contextual awareness

Business applications

Who can put this to work

Industrial Robotics & Warehouse Automation

mid-size

Target: Robotics integrators and warehouse automation providers

If you are a warehouse automation company struggling with robots that can't handle irregular objects or adapt to new tasks — this project developed cognitive architectures demonstrated in real industrial warehouse settings (GROW demonstrator) that learn to recognize and manipulate objects after a learning stage, hosted on the EBRAINS platform. The system was tested with 162 consortium partners contributing across 78 deliverables.

Medical Devices & Neurorehabilitation

enterprise

Target: Rehabilitation technology and medical device manufacturers

If you are a medtech company developing upper-limb rehabilitation devices — this project built a closed-loop neurorehabilitation simulator that integrates brain activity simulation with physical therapy systems. The prototype connects brain models to the ISMORE rehabilitation simulator with transfer to physical hardware, letting you test rehab protocols virtually before clinical trials.

AI & Computing

any

Target: AI platform companies and HPC service providers

If you are an AI company looking for brain-inspired computing approaches — this project created 6 integrated service categories on EBRAINS, from neuromorphic computing access to brain simulation workflows running on European HPC infrastructure. With 103 universities and 43 research organizations feeding data and models into the platform, it offers a depth of neuroscience-validated AI architectures unavailable elsewhere.

Frequently asked

Quick answers

What would it cost to access EBRAINS tools and services?

EBRAINS is designed as a European research infrastructure with open access to many services. The project offered Vouchers and High-Level Support Teams to help new users get started. Commercial licensing terms for specific tools would need to be negotiated directly with EBRAINS or the individual partner that developed the component.

Can these brain-inspired robotics solutions work at industrial scale?

The GROW demonstrator was tested in industrially relevant warehouse settings, and the PROMEN-AID system was demonstrated on a real-world mobile unmanned system in an industrial environment. However, these are demonstrators — scaling to full production lines would require engineering integration with your existing systems. The 11 industry partners in the consortium can provide integration guidance.

Who owns the IP and how is it licensed?

IP is distributed across 162 partner organizations in 19 countries. EBRAINS as the coordinating entity (based in Belgium) manages platform-level access. Individual tools and models may have separate licensing from the university or research institute that developed them. A freedom-to-operate analysis would be needed for specific components.

Is the platform still maintained after the project ended in September 2023?

EBRAINS was designed to become a permanent European research infrastructure, with the goal of joining the ESFRI roadmap. The platform continues to operate at ebrains.eu. Ongoing maintenance and development are supported through the infrastructure's sustainability plan beyond the Flagship funding.

How do I integrate EBRAINS tools with our existing systems?

The project organized services into 6 clear categories: data services, brain atlases, simulation workflows, AI and robotics workflows, medical data analytics, and HPC access. Engagement and Facility Hubs located across Europe offer hands-on support, unique equipment, and local compute infrastructure to help with integration.

What regulations apply to using the Health Data Cloud for medical data?

The Health Data Cloud demonstrator (D6.7) was built as a functional platform for medical data analytics. Based on available project data, the project included responsible research and innovation considerations. Any medical data use would need to comply with GDPR, the European Health Data Space regulations, and applicable medical device regulations in your jurisdiction.

Is there technical support available for new adopters?

Yes. The project established High-Level Support Teams specifically to help new users adopt EBRAINS services. Additionally, Engagement and Facility Hubs across Europe provide local support, training, and access to specialized equipment. The 13 SMEs in the consortium also represent potential integration partners.

Consortium

Who built it

This is one of Europe's largest research consortia with 162 partners across 19 countries, backed by EUR 150 million in EU funding. The consortium is overwhelmingly academic: 103 universities and 43 research organizations make up 90% of participants, with only 11 industry partners (7%) and 13 SMEs. For a business considering adoption, this means the science is deep and peer-reviewed, but commercial packaging is still maturing. The low industry ratio signals opportunity — companies that engage now as early adopters or integration partners face less competition and can shape how these tools evolve for commercial use. EBRAINS, the coordinator based in Belgium, serves as the single entry point to this massive network.

EBRAINSCoordinator · BE
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
INDOC RESEARCH EUROPE GGMBHparticipant · DE
UNIVERSIDADE DO MINHOparticipant · PT
CONVELOP - COOPERATIVE KNOWLEDGE DESIGN GMBHparticipant · AT
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
ROBOTNIK AUTOMATION SLparticipant · ES
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
GENERAL EQUIPMENT FOR MEDICAL IMAGING SAparticipant · ES
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
GEORG-AUGUST-UNIVERSITAT GOTTINGEN STIFTUNG OFFENTLICHEN RECHTSparticipant · DE
BIT & BRAIN TECHNOLOGIES SLparticipant · ES
UNIVERSITA DEGLI STUDI DI NAPOLI FEDERICO IIparticipant · IT
RUPRECHT-KARLS-UNIVERSITAET HEIDELBERGparticipant · DE
ATHINA-EREVNITIKO KENTRO KAINOTOMIAS STIS TECHNOLOGIES TIS PLIROFORIAS, TON EPIKOINONION KAI TIS GNOSISparticipant · EL
UNIVERSITAET BERNparticipant · CH
SCUOLA INTERNAZIONALE SUPERIORE DI STUDI AVANZATI DI TRIESTEparticipant · IT
BAUHAUS-UNIVERSITAET WEIMARparticipant · DE
OSLO UNIVERSITETSSYKEHUS HFparticipant · NO
CENTRE HOSPITALIER REGIONAL ET UNIVERSITAIRE DE LILLEparticipant · FR
SIB SWISS INSTITUTE OF BIOINFORMATICSparticipant · CH
FUNDACIO INSTITUT DE BIOENGINYERIA DE CATALUNYAparticipant · ES
UNIVERSITA DEGLI STUDI DI TORINOparticipant · IT
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
ECOLE POLYTECHNIQUE FEDERALE DE LAUSANNEparticipant · CH
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
FONDAZIONE ISTITUTO ITALIANO DI TECNOLOGIAparticipant · IT
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
AI2LIFE SRLparticipant · IT
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
BIOMAX INFORMATICS AGparticipant · DE
POLITECNICO DI MILANOparticipant · IT
UNIVERSIDAD DE CASTILLA - LA MANCHAparticipant · ES
INGLOBE TECHNOLOGIES SRLparticipant · IT
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
UNIVERSITE PARIS-SACLAYthirdparty · FR
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
ERASMUS UNIVERSITAIR MEDISCH CENTRUM ROTTERDAMparticipant · NL
ATHENS UNIVERSITY OF ECONOMICS AND BUSINESS - RESEARCH CENTERparticipant · EL
UNIVERSITE D'AIX MARSEILLEparticipant · FR
UNIVERSIDAD AUTONOMA DE MADRIDparticipant · ES
CENTRE HOSPITALIER REGIONAL DE MARSEILLE ASSISTANCE PUBLIQUE-HOPITAUX MARSEILLEparticipant · FR
SICHH SWISS INTEGRATIVE CENTER FOR HUMAN HEALTH SAparticipant · CH
UNIVERSITY OF GLASGOWparticipant · UK
MAX-PLANCK-GESELLSCHAFT ZUR FORDERUNG DER WISSENSCHAFTEN EVparticipant · DE
FONDAZIONE EUROPEAN BRAIN RESEARCHINSTITUTE RITA LEVIparticipant · IT
UNIVERSITY COLLEGE LONDONparticipant · UK
HOCHSCHULE STRALSUNDparticipant · DE
CINECA CONSORZIO INTERUNIVERSITARIOparticipant · IT
UNIVERSITAETSKLINIKUM FREIBURGparticipant · DE
CENTRE NATIONAL DE LA RECHERCHE SCIENTIFIQUE CNRSparticipant · FR
KATHOLIEKE UNIVERSITEIT LEUVENparticipant · BE
LABVANTAGE BIOMAX GMBHparticipant · DE
ALPINE INTUITION SARLparticipant · CH
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
UNIVERSITA DEGLI STUDI DI ROMA LA SAPIENZAparticipant · IT
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

EBRAINS is the coordinating organization, based in Belgium. As a research infrastructure entity, they have dedicated engagement teams for new users and industry partners.

Order a report on this consortium See EBRAINS profile →

Next steps

Talk to the team behind this work.

Want to explore how EBRAINS robotics or medical simulation tools could fit your product roadmap? SciTransfer can connect you with the right team inside this 162-partner network — contact us for a targeted introduction.

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