Organizing Towards a strengthened European cooperation in Brain health research conference under the Hungarian presidency

Project Information

HUPRES-BRAIN

Grant agreement ID: 101194046

DOI

10.3030/101194046

Project closed

EC signature date 22 August 2024

Start date 1 September 2024

End date 31 January 2025

Funded under

• Health

Total cost

€ 298 250,00

EU contribution

€ 298 250,00

Coordinated by

NEMZETI KUTATASI FEJLESZTESI ES INNOVACIOS HIVATAL
Hungary

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - HUPRES-BRAIN (Organizing Towards a strengthened European cooperation in Brain health research conference under the Hungarian presidency)

Reporting period: 2024-09-01 to 2025-01-31

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

The National Research, Development and Innovation Office organized “Towards a strengthened European cooperation in Brain health research” conference under the Hungarian Presidency of the Council of the European Union.
The conference addressed diverse topics related to brain health, from healing injuries to neuroscience and mental health. The brain, its functions and its complexity despite intensive research efforts globally, still remains a mystery, especially when it comes to preserving its health. Brain health is an emerging and growing concept that encompasses neural development, plasticity, functioning, and recovery including mental health aspects in a life course perspective. By addressing a topic highly important for the European society, the conference aimed at promoting the importance of a multistakeholder approach in order to maximize societal impact of Brain Health research, gathered feedback on challenges and good practices of cooperation and discussed possible ways towards an effective and dynamic pan-European research and innovation cooperation. The conference provided various plenary and interactive formats for engaging stakeholders in the discussions and receive input from different groups of stakeholders including researchers, policymakers, funding agency representatives, and patient organizations or stakeholder associations representing the general public.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

“Towards a strengthened European cooperation in Brain health research” conference under the Hungarian Presidency of the Council of the European Union was organized by National Research, Development and Innovation Office on 8-10 December 2024.
The project consisted of the conference organization process, the completion of the event, and the preparation of three follow-up materials.
The conference was organized in a hybrid format: plenary sessions and panel discussions were livestreamed for maximizing outreach, sharing the insightful thoughts of speakers and findings from fruitful panel discussions, with the recordings available on YouTube after the event as well.
The panel discussions were moderated by experts of brain research, patient organizations, and European research funding organizations. Various stakeholder groups were represented: 51% of registered participants were researchers (universities, research institutes), 13% funding agency representatives and NCPs, 10% European and national policymakers, 8% patient organization and stakeholder association representatives. Speakers were invited on the basis of professional experience, with the aim of representing diverse stakeholder groups. Particular attention was given to the balanced distribution of speakers in terms of gender, geographical coverage and stakeholder group. Altogether, 92 in-person participants attended the event that was hosted by the prestigious Semmelweis University, the top medical university of Hungary.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

The conference organized within the project catalyzed discussions in the topic of brain research, mental health, interdisciplinary fields in brain research, and the importance of international collaboration in brain health research.
As deliverables of the project, a Set of Recommendations and a Starter Kit was produced, summarizing the main messages of the conference and collecting EU initiatives targeting brain health research. The Set of Recommendations for a high-quality European Brain Health research collaboration with multistakeholder approach is based on lessons learnt from the implementation of European brain health-focused projects and partnerships. The Starter Kit is a practical guide for joining European Brain Health collaborations. Both documents are available on the website of the conference and were shared in the LinkedIn follow-up campaign.
Discussions and main messages summarized in the documents provide information for enhancing evidence-based policymaking and multistakeholder approach in future brain health-related initiatives.