Frequently Asked Questions

Brain Innovation days – General information

The Brain Innovation Days, organised by the European Brain Council, are the perfect opportunity to meet and network with the wider brain community. Though the community at large has improved in collaboration, it is oft still fragmented and siloed; the Brain Innovation Days want to help change this and reshape the brain ecosystem to one that supports its members, pushes for knowledge exchange for the greater good, stimulates investment and convinces key stakeholders that the future is in brain innovation.

Don’t miss the opportunity to match with researchers, innovators, investors, patients and patient representatives, policymakers, clinicians and more!

The Brain Innovation Days launch took place online on 13 October 2020. This two-hour interactive session  fell under the overarching theme, “Disrupt and rewire: how brain innovation is changing Europe”. Find more information about the digital launch here

Three virtual events have taken place between October 2020 and April 2021. The first virtual event was held on 13 October 2020, the second on 26 January 2021 and the third on 27 April 2021. The digital journey culminated in a physical event in Brussels on 12-13 October 2021.

The second in-person event took place on 11-12 October 2022 in Brussels under the overarching theme “Connecting Brains”.

The third edition was held on 26-27 October 2023 in Brussels under the theme “The Brain in the 21st Century”.

The Brain Innovation Days hosts an annual in-person event every automn. See above for more details on past events – the third edition took on 26-27 October 2023 under the theme “The Brain in the 21st Century”.

Brain Innovation days – REGISTRATION

Registration for the November 2024 event is open. Early registration is encouraged – particularly as Early Bird rates are currently available until 31 July 2024. Please subscribe to the newsletter to ensure you’re kept fully up to speed.

Registration is now open for the event and available through the Brain Innovation Days registration page

Please note that it is not possible to register via e-mail or telephone. Subscribe to the newsletter and follow us on our social media channels on LinkedIn and Twitter to stay updated about the registration opening dates for future events.

Yes, the Brain Innovation Days is a paid event. Rates for the 2024 event are available here.

Reimbursement conditions are as follows:

In the event of cancellation, written notification must be sent by email to info@braininnovationdays.eu

The following cancellation fees will apply:

-Cancellations received up to 1 June 2024: Full refund minus a EUR 100 administration fee
-Cancellations received as of 1 June 2024: No refund

A transfer of registration to another participant is possible without any extra charge. Please send an email to Event Secretariat at info@braininnovationdays.eu  

Yes! When paying, you are able to select from these two payment options:

  1. Direct online payment: Credit/Debit card payment via Stripe
  2. Bank transfer: To do that please contact us directly at info@braininnovationdays.eu

If you are facing any issues, please contact the Brain Innovation Days team directly through info@braininnovationdays.eu and we can explore how best to help you successfully register.

Brain Innovation days – Practical information

The 2024 Brain Innovation Days will take place on 13-14 November – more information can be found here.

This year’s Brain Innovation Days will take place in The Egg. For more information and to explore the venue ahead of the event, please visit our dedicated venue page, where you can also find details on how to reach the venue on the day.

Any questions? Contact info@braininnovationdays.eu

Yes! The venue is accessible through a number of public transport routes and is also located close to Brussels South Station. Please see our dedicated venue page for route details.

Yes. The Brain Innovation Days is located near Brussels South Station. Have a look at the practical information page to discover the nearby hotels.

Programme 

The early programme the upcoming Brain Innovation Days can be found here.

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

You have a chance to take part in the 3rd Brain Innovation Days Pitch Competition and/or be part of the Innovation Hall.

Do you have a start-up or business plan set up for the next great brain innovation and are up for some competition? Then the Brain Innovation Days Pitch Competition is the opportunity for you! Pitch your business in no more than 180 seconds to join the running for a Jury and/or Public Prize.

The main vein of the event venue, the Innovation Hall will be where the discussion happens outside of plenary presentations – a spot in the space will be vital to ensure you are visible throughout the two days!

The call for abstracts for both the 2023 Brain Innovation Days Innovation Hall and Pitch Competition closed on 15 May 2023.

INNOVATION Hall

The call for abstracts to be part of the Innovation Hall closed on 31 May 2024 – more details about the Innovation Hall can be found here

All accepted abstract presenters – for both Poster Presentations and Innovation Showcase – must be fully registered and paid participants of the Brain Innovation Days.

The presenting author/exhibitor is expected to attend the BID2024 in person and present his/her work.

Please note that an additional fee of 350 EUR is required for those exhibiting with an Innovation Showcase and a Poster Presentation to cover the set up (high table, chairs and electrical socket) of the showcase/poster presentation space. 

We are happy to address this with you. We of course encourage  students and/or young researchers to attend the Brain Innovation Days and can explore how we may be able to support. Please contact the team directly via info@braininnovationdays.eu to let us know of your situation.

PITCH COMPETITION

A Pitch Competition is a competition where contestants have a limited time to present their business idea in front of an audience and a jury. The audience and jury will have a chance to evaluate the pitches, provide feedback and eventually select a winner for “Best Pitch”.

Start-ups eligible to compete need to be focused on solutions/innovations supporting the brain community (see EBC community — researchers, clinicians, industry, patients, society) to improve the quality of life of people living with brain disorders (neurological and mental alike) and with a strong societal impact.

The call for applications is open until 31 August 2024. More details on the Brain Innovation Days Pitch Competition and abstract submission can be found here

The Brain Innovation Days Pitch Competition is the opportunity to showcase your research and activities, find new opportunities and connections. The finalists will pitch in front of a jury of experts, high-level investors and funding agency representatives. 

The winners will be announced during the Pitch Competition Award Ceremony which will bring the second day of the Brain Innovation Days to a close. 

Sponsorship

Click here to view the various sponsorship packages. Contact us at info@braininnovationdays.eu to declare your interest in sponsoring the Days and find out more. 

Please contact the Brain Innovation Days team via the email address: info@braininnovationdays.eu 

All 2023 Sponsors and Knowledge Partners are currently listed on the homepage of the Brain Innovation Days website. The call for 2024 sponsors is now open.

This year’s Brain Innovation Days event is  centred around Navigating the Brain Across a Lifetime, bringing together the current and future generations of brain research and innovation. Focus is placed on creating an enabling environment for open discussion and showcasing, prioritising matchmaking and networking within the community, particularly of stakeholders who may not have the opportunity to connect in their day-to-day.

As part of the programme a Pitch Competition is planned, and an 1-hour exclusive networking meeting with investors and industry representatives is available for the participants who purchase Start-up Package

Yes. If you require an invoice to be issued to the sponsoring company, please send an email to the Brain Innovation Days, specifying the services requested and full address of the sponsoring company. 

 

 

Registration

Registration is now open for the 12-13 October event and available through the Brain Innovation Days homepage or directly here

Please note that it is not possible to register via e-mail or telephone. Subscribe to the newsletter and follow us on our social media channels on LinkedIn and Twitter to stay updated about the registration opening dates for future events.

The registration fees for the 12-13 October 2021 physical event in Brussels are as follows:

  • 175 EUR for a one-day pass (either 12th or 13th October)
  • 250 EUR for both days

The registration for digital sessions is free. 

Yes. If you have any questions in this regard, please contact the Brain Innovation Days team at info@braininnovationdays.eu

We do offer waived registration fees to patients/patient representatives interested in attending the 12-13 October event. Others may be offered on an individual case-by-case basis. We encourage you to get in touch with us directly at info@braininnovationdays.eu

Registration for the digital events will always close the evening before the event. However, please note that the registration for the physical event, to be held in Brussels on 12-13 October 2021, will close one week before the event.

Yes, a confirmation email will be sent automatically.

Yes, please contact us at info@braininnovationdays.eu if you need a proof of your attendance.

Please keep an eye for an official email with connection details that will be sent to all registered participants prior to the event. If you haven’t received anything and you checked also your spam folder, please contact us at info@braininnovationdays.eu.

Due to COVID Safe regulations, we are unable to allow the sharing of two-day passes by different people. In this regard, we kindly ask you to register with a one-day pass if you are only able to attend either on 12 October or 13 October and invite your colleague to do the same. 

Pitching Competition

A pitching competition is a competition where contestants have a limited time to present their business idea in front of an audience and a jury. The audience and jury will have a chance to evaluate the pitches, provide feedback and eventually select a winner for “Best Pitch”.

This competition is open to everyone – student, entrepreneur, startup – as long as the project is feasible and in the brain innovation area. This is a unique opportunity to gain new financial & strategic opportunities and to provide outstanding visibility to your project.

Each participant is invited to send a video of maximum 2 minutes. In this video, you present your company’s Business Model as well as the project/innovation you have developed. Check here for details and announcements.

A jury consisting of representatives form European Brain Council (EBC), beLean.net and external brain experts will select the most innovative project. Due to the variety of stakeholders attending the event (policymakers, investors/funders, clinicians, researchers, industry representatives, patients and more), the winner of the pitch competition will be exposed to an exciting, wide range of opportunities.

The results will be announced and award ceremony will take place in January 2021 digital event. Stay tuned for thefinal event date.