The ‘BrainComp’ workshop, held from June 12-16 in Cetraro, Italy, was jointly organised by the University of Calabria, the Human Brain Project (Subproject 2) and the Juelich Research Centre. It successfully explored various aspects of modelling for the human brain, brain simulation, deep learning, high performance computing and visualisation by bridging the gap between disciplines related to brain research and industry. 

During the workshop, Thomas Lippert, the Leader of the High Performance and Analytics and Computing Platform (HPAC) revealed plans on the computing e-infrastructure for the Human Brain Project. The HPAC partners aim at providing scalable computing and data services in a federated and cloud-like manner.

“The BrainComp workshop is a great opportunity to get in touch with our users and opens up new perspectives, because it forges closer links between diverse domains of research,” says Lippert. 

The HBP’s Francesco Pavone (LENS, Italy) demonstrated how the multivariate analysis of brain parameters, both from functional and morphological point of view, is able to depict the damage and its rehabilitation process.

Michele Migliore (National Research Council, Italy) presented techniques to design and use realistic models of neurons and networks implemented following their natural 3D structure, and illustrated on the example of the hippocampus and the olfactory bulb. Both scientists are actively engaged in the European-funded Flagship Human Brain Project (HBP).

The workshop follows an interdisciplinary approach which significantly contributes to networking the different disciplines related to brain research and computing, a strategy that is also fostered by the HBP. As with the recent workshops a publication of proceedings of the workshop in the Springer LNCS series is planned for the end of this year.

The fourth edition of BrainComp is scheduled for spring 2019.