The Brain in the 21st Century: Brain Innovation Days 2023

Brain Innovation Days 2023: The Brain in the 21st Century

The 3rd edition of the Brain Innovation Days took place on 26-27 October 2023 in Brussels (Belgium) under the overarching theme “The Brain in the 21st Century”, centred around building resilience and better brain health for future generations and increasing our brains’ readiness to adapt to an ever-changing environment.  

Look back at two jam-packed days of high-level brain innovation. The days hosted a series of exciting Brain Talks, How-To sessions and countless matchmaking/networking opportunities. The 3rd Brain Innovation Days Pitch Competition also took place during the event, with five pre-selected finalists battling live for the jury and public prize for Best Pitch. An Innovation Hall was set up for companies to showcase their tangible tools and devices and for researchers to present posters.

Subthemes:

Resilient Brains: The Impact of Political, Societal, and Environmental Factors

Climate change, digitalisation, extremism. Our external environment continuously challenges our brains. This can result in trauma, anxiety and addiction but also taps into our brains’ unique capacity to quickly bounce back.

Boosting Brain Health and Preventing Brain Disorders

Healthy lifestyle, work-life balance, screening. To realize the full potential of our brains and to make our economy strive, we need to actively invest in keeping our brains healthy.

What’s New? Innovative devices, substances and medicines for brain disorders

Digital therapeutics, gene therapy, psychedelics. Neuroscience is constantly progressing, and brain-related technologies are advancing exponentially. These innovations are shaping the future of medicine and could soon be saving lives!

The Self-Healing Brain: Use it or Lose it

Neuroplasticity, rehabilitation, education. The brain is much more flexible than was originally thought. Through repetition new connections between neurons can be formed to compensate for brain damage and new cognitive, motor skills can be learned.

Towards a Brain Healthy 22nd Century

Implementation, collaboration, globalization. Brain innovations are booming and will have a dramatic impact not only in the lab or the clinic but also on economics and society as well.