The European University of Brain and Technology

From health & healthcare to learning & education, Neuroscience has a key role in addressing some of the most pressing challenges that we face in Europe today. Whether the challenge is the translation of fundamental research to advance the state of the art in prevention, diagnosis or treatment of brain disorders or explaining the complex interactions between the brain, individuals and their environments to design novel practices in cities, schools, hospitals, or companies, brain research is already providing solutions for society at large.

Neuroscience has also a great promise to become an applied science, to provide brain-centred or brain-inspired solutions that could benefit the society and kindle a new economy in Europe. The European University of Brain and Technology (Neurotech^EU) aims to be the backbone of this new vision by bringing together eight leading universities and 250+ partners from all regions of Europe.

Neurotech^EU will educate students across all levels (bachelor’s, master’s, doctoral as well as life-long learners) and train the next-generation multidisciplinary scientists, scholars and graduates, provide them direct access to cutting-edge infrastructure for fundamental, translational and applied research to help Europe address this unmet challenge.

The need for urgent action

Brain disorders and mental health are a leading cause of disability and a significant burden on society. In Europe alone, brain disorders account for 24% of all disease-related burden annually, claiming 1.2 million lives, leaving another 21 million individuals with a disability (Raggi & Leonardi, 2019). According to the OECD (Health at a Glance: Europe 2018), mental health problems cost EU >4% of the GDP every year. With the senior population growing ten times faster than the rest of the world’s population, one in four Europeans in 2050 will be 65+ years old (UN World Population Prospect, 2012). The societal and economic impact of brain disorders is thus projected to significantly soar in the coming decades as the European population ages and life expectancy increases. Neurotech^EU has an actionable plan to provide the necessary multidisciplinary, intersectoral and personalized training to extend education beyond mobility, universities beyond institutional borders.