About us

The Declaration of Intent

The Declaration of Intent to establish the International Brain Initiative was announced on 8 December 2017 at a meeting of representatives from some of the world’s major brain research projects, supported by The Kavli Foundation and hosted by the Australian Academy of Science in Canberra.

The Declaration, made by representatives from Japan, Korea, Europe, the United States of America and Australia, is designed to speed up progress on ‘cracking the brain’s code’. Other member nations now include China and Canada.

Read the full Declaration of Intent.

Current Funders and Support

Fonds de recherche du Québec, and the Institute of Neuroscience, Mental Health and Addiction of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. Operational support for the IBI is also provided by the Japan Brain/MINDS Beyond and WorldView Studios.

Vision

The vision of the IBI is to catalyze and advance neuroscience through international collaboration and knowledge sharing, unite global ambitions, and disseminate discoveries for the brain health and wellness.

Aspirations

1. Among scientists: Leverage resources and expertise available in different countries to provide the best value for investment, minimise duplication of effort, maximise reproducibility of results, and standardise data collection and sharing.
2. In large-scale research programs: Identify areas of greatest potential global impact and coordinate large-scale and interdisciplinary research program. As new capabilities arise, articulate and help resource large-scale equipment and facilities to be utilised by groups around the world.
3. In innovative funding solutions: Promote strategic investment in global initiatives and leverage private foundation projects and their interaction with public sectors to maximise global efforts.
1. Between countries: Support an interface between countries to promote involvement in the International Brain Initiative and enable synergistic interactions.
2. Between research fields: Promote interdisciplinary approaches to neuroscience and training across different fields to drive neuroscience discovery and innovation.
3. Between global research efforts: Provide a platform for collaboration between existing global research efforts and international neuroscience-relevant societies to establish means of interacting with brain researchers.
1. To global citizens: Engage in a meaningful dialogue with citizens, patients, and all stakeholder communities around the world to understand their interests and communicate transparently about the opportunities and challenges arising from the latest research in neuroscience and brain-inspired artificial intelligence.
2. To accelerate discovery: Implement mechanisms for the rapid dissemination of information and global data sharing to accelerate discovery.
3. To drive research translation and application: Promote the acquisition of standardised data so that commercial risk is reduced for translation and provide a platform for engagement with industry to provide translation of discoveries.
1. To empower future generations of neuroscientists: Through innovative transdisciplinary training that embraces a global research perspective and the benefits of neuroscience for all.
2. For international collaboration: Develop innovative and dynamic models for international research collaboration including public and private stakeholders.
3. To promote brain health: Practice a culture of sharing data related to brain diseases to enable integrated application and translation to improve brain health on a global scale.
4. For ethical neuroscience practice: Advance neuroscience with neuroethics as an integral part of the global neuroscientific enterprise.

Timeline

March 2023

The IBI announces its new round of activity, reaches out to prospective new national initiatives to join the conversation and activity, and invites ideas for new Working Groups. Having established a structure and entities within which to exchange ideas, present challenges, and achieve goals, the IBI will continue their support of global brain initiatives and the neuroscience community at large.

January 2023

With a new structure in place to exchange ideas, tackle challenges, and pursue the goals of a global neuroscience, the IBI revitalizes its support of brain initiatives worldwide.

December 2022

Funding from the Fonds de Recherche du Québec and the Institute for Neuroscience Mental Health and Addiction of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research is secured to move the IBI into the next generation of global neuroscience impact. Japan Brain/MINDS Beyond offers additional funding for IBI operations.

January 2022

IBI transitions from the leadership of the Kavli Foundation to full autonomy. The IBI Secretariat finds its home for 2022-2025 at the University of British Columbia. Existing Working Groups revitalize their efforts; new Working Groups come online.

February 2020

Strategy Committee confirms the IBI Strategic Plan 2020-2025.

January 2020

The IBI Data Standards and Sharing Working Group is initiated during a January 2020 roundtable discussion in Tokyo, Japan.

September 2019

Coordinating Body Meeting in Daegu, South Korea.

July 2019

During the first annual IBI Strategy Retreat, held in Vancouver, Canada, the IBI Strategy Committee drafted a 5-year strategic outlook to guide the forward momentum of the IBI.

May 2019

The Global Neuroethics Working Group hosted a workshop in Uppsala, Sweden to explore the intersection of neuroscience, ethics, and public engagement.

March 2019

IBI Coordinating Body Meeting in Shanghai, China.

November 2018

The initial IBI stakeholders gather in La Jolla, California to confirm the organization’s structure and discuss the 2019 outlook.

July 2018

Presentation of the final IBI Vision and Aspirational Goals occurs in Geneva.

May 2018

At the first official meeting of the International Brain Initiative in Daegu, Korea, attendees solidified the IBI’s mission by drafting the Vision and Aspirational Goals, above.

December 2017

During the Brains at the Dome Workshop, the Declaration of Intent for the International Brain Initiative was announced, marking a historical day for neuroscience.

An introduction to the International Brain Initiative: https://youtu.be/GXRQcU_oHCA

February 2017

Key players in the imminent creation of the International Brain Initiative met at the UN Headquarters to prioritize common challenges across global brain initiatives.

September 2016

The concept of an international collaboration amongst large-scale government-sponsored neuroscience initiatives is introduced at the Rockefeller Meeting.

April 2016

Over 75 stakeholders from academia, industry, non-profit institutions, and governments assembled to discuss “grand challenges” in neuroscience research at the Global Brain Workshop at Johns Hopkins University.