Social, ethical & reflective work in the Human Brain Project

The HBP is characterised by a profound and broad interdisciplinarity, and it is unique among the large international Brain Initiatives in having included social sciences and humanities in the core research from its very beginning devoting approximately 5% of the budget to this end. The Ethics & Society research in the HBP has likewise been…

What it is that makes us human

Including society and ethics in brain science

What is it that makes us human? Our brain is more complex than the brain of other animals. It has made us able to use tools, control fire, build supercomputers and explore the universe. Digital tools allow us to learn more about the brain. What we learn is embedded in, and dependent on growing worlds…

Organising committee for Future for Responsible Research

The future of Responsible Brain Research 

How can we continue to build even more responsible practices of brain research?  This was the central question on the Human Brain Project’s (HBP) online conference on February 2nd, 2023. Work on responsible research and innovation (RRI) in the HBP has taken many forms, including Europe-wide citizen engagement, dialogue, engagement and co-creation with stakeholder and…

Photo by Florian Roost on Unsplash

A vision on socially beneficial development of the EBRAINS infrastructure

What is EBRAINS and why the need for an Ethics and Society vision? The emerging European research infrastructure EBRAINS is one of the main legacies of the 10-year EU flagship Human Brain Project or HBP, as it is often called. From the start, the European Commission and partners in the project recognised the need for reflection…