Brain research center opens at innovation base

The Shanghai Research Center for Brain Science and Brain-Inspired Intelligence (Shanghai Brain Center) is opening its Songjiang branch at the G60 Brain Intelligence S&T Innovation Base.

Established in 2018, the center is the first R&D institution in Shanghai created to respond to a national brain science drive.

“The G60 S&T Innovation Base in Songjiang is a hub for science and innovation, therefore we chose to set up our new branch here. We aim to contribute to the R&D of brain science in the Yangtze River Delta and the medical industry of brain-related diseases,” said Pu Muming, director of the center and a member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

“In the future, we will incubate research results produced in Shanghai and the Yangtze River Delta regions, especially those that can be transformed into brain intelligence technology, via the G60 Brain Intelligence S&T Innovation Base. Then we will industrialize them in Shanghai and the Yangtze River Delta,” Pu said.

The center has established two research platforms: Neural Network Research on Brain Intelligence Development and Collaborative Research on Big Data in Brain Science. The former will concentrate on child and adolescent brain intelligence, the latter will focus on brain atlas data, exploring animal models of brain disease, gene therapy and brain-computer interfaces.

The center’s branch on Qiangye Road occupies around 16,000 square meters. It is currently under renovation, but the exhibition hall and conference room have been completed and are functioning. Four further platforms will be established: Brain Atlas Data, Brain Intelligence Development, Gene Editing and Brain-Computer Interface.

“Songjiang has been extremely supportive of our work,” said Pu. “It helped us with the office and scientific research space construction, funding, personnel and the education of staff members’ children.”