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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.

Learn more about the participating brain initiatives

Vision

Catalyzing and advancing neuroscience research through international collaboration and knowledge sharing, by uniting diverse ambitions to expand scientific possibility, and disseminating discoveries for the benefit of humanity.

Aspirational Goals

  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. Of 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. Of ethical neuroscience practice: Advance neuroscience with neuroethics as an integral part of the global neuroscientific enterprise.

 

Frequently Asked Questions about the IBI

 

Timeline of IBI Development and Progress

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

2016

September 2016

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

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.

2017

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.

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.

2018

July 2018

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

November 2018

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

March 2019

IBI Coordinating Body Meeting in Shanghai, China

2019

May 2019

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

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.

September 2019

Coordinating Body Meeting in Daegu, South Korea

January 2020

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

2020

February 2020

Strategy Committee confirms the IBI Strategic Plan 2020-2025

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.
See what’s coming up next for the IBI

2021

The International Brain Initiative is representated by some of the world's major brain research projects:

Japan Brain/MINDS the Australian Brain AllianceThe Human Brain Project

 The Canadian Brain Research Strategy The U.S. Brain Initiative Korea Brain InitiativeChina

 

Other organisations participating in the International Brain Initiative include: 

The Kavli Foundation 

incf IBRO logo

Simons Foundation

Korea Brain Research Institute

 

Our vision is to catalyse and advance neuroscience through international collaboration and knowledge sharing, uniting diverse ambitions and disseminating discoveries for the benefit of humanity.© International Brain Initiative, 2018