The Horizon 2020 Flagship programme the Human Brain Project (HBP) is promoting a shared European research infrastructure to examine brain organisation using simulations, with the aim of tackling neurological and psychiatric disorders.

The HBP is also developing new information technologies based on the governing principles of the human brain. HBP researchers from 24 countries launched the scientific infrastructures today.

Professor Thomas Lippert, director of the Jülich Supercomputing Centre (JSC) and co-leader of the platform, said: “Users and developers work together very closely. With leading manufacturers, we are developing the interactive supercomputer, which is as easy to use as a laptop and is one of the most crucial instruments for in silico experiments on virtual human brains.”

The JSC and 12 collaboration partners provide support for neuroscientists using the supercomputer resources, storage systems and user software.

Deputy director of Jülich’s Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine – Computational and Systems Neuroscience, Professor Sonja Grün, said: “Our live demo involves the creation of a mathematical model using NEST [Neural Simulation Technology Initiative] software, its simulation on a supercomputer, the analysis of the resulting data using the Jülich software tool Elephant and the visualisation of the results.”

The current most powerful supercomputer is capable of simulating just 1% of the human brain, which itself has a network exceeding 100 billion nuerons. Grün’s colleague Professor Markus Diesmann has the task of investigating these neural networks: “For this reason, we are using the Jülich supercomputer JUQUEEN to develop error-correcting mathematical models as well as the necessary simulation and analysis software for Big Data analyses. This work is part of the Neural Simulation Technology Initiative.”

The infrastructure is accessible through various platforms and is intended to increase progress in neuroscience and robotics, as well as to disseminate new knowledge to researchers via four large European supercomputer and data centres.

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