Objective
As cities grow and mental health challenges rise, understanding how urban environments affect the human mind and brain becomes increasingly urgent. URBRAIN pioneers a transformative approach in Environmental Neuroscience by investigating how built environments influence human experience, at the subjective, behavioural, physiological, and neural levels, in real-world settings. Building on the PI’s foundational work in Neuro-Architecture and Mobile Brain/Body Imaging (MoBI), URBRAIN addresses long-standing methodological and theoretical limitations such as the use of artificial laboratory stimuli and the lack of mechanistic links between in-situ experience and brain plasticity. The project develops a scalable, multimodal research framework that integrates mobile EEG and MRI to explore how real-world environmental exposures impact brain function and long-term neuroplastic changes. URBRAIN unfolds in three interconnected work packages: WP1 constructs an open-access, ecologically valid urban stimulus database, annotated using state-of-the-art machine learning and spatial analysis techniques; WP2 systematically compares human multimodal responses across levels of immersion, from the lab to virtual reality, to real-world exploration, integrating in-situ EEG with pre-post intervention MRI data for a mechanistic explanation of brain-environment interactions; WP3 develops advanced data fusion pipelines, integrating neurophysiological, behavioural, and environmental data to create tools for assessing stress and restoration dynamics. URBRAIN’s open-science approach ensures international collaboration and reproducibility, while its methodological innovations set new standards for ecological validity and causal inference in Environmental Neuroscience. By providing critical evidence on how everyday urban experiences shape the brain, URBRAIN offers actionable insights for urban design, public health, and policy-making, paving the way for healthier and supportive cities.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- natural sciences biological sciences neurobiology
- medical and health sciences health sciences public health
- natural sciences computer and information sciences artificial intelligence machine learning
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Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.1.1 - European Research Council (ERC)
MAIN PROGRAMME
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Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-ERC - HORIZON ERC Grants
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) ERC-2025-ADG
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
10623 Berlin
Germany
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.