In January 2024, the Paris Brain Institute launched the first international edition of its Big Brain Theory programme. Thanks to the generous support of the Marie-Françoise Parayre Chaufour Foundation, a Belgian public utility foundation committed in particular to aiding medical research, scientists from Mission Lucidity and the Leuven Brain Institute were invited to submit collaborative projects with their French research colleagues.

An ambitious programme

The Big Brain Theory (BBT) programme was created in 2016 by the Paris Brain Institute (ICM) to fund innovative, interdisciplinary and high-risk research projects between internal teams. Selected by a high-ranking international scientific committee, the projects chosen as part of the BBT programme explore original avenues that are often overlooked by traditional funding channels. By providing crucial initial funding and helping projects to mature, the programme aims to revolutionize the understanding and treatment of nervous system disorders.

International outlook

After three editions that have supported 33 research projects, the Paris Brain Institute now decided to extend this programme to its international partners in order to fund multidisciplinary projects and original thinking with the best experts available.

The commitment of the Marie-Françoise Parayre Chaufour Foundation will enable the Institut du Cerveau to fund an initial collaborative project between France and Belgium. This project is made possible by the strong partnership between the Paris Brain Institute and Mission Lucidity within the CURE-ND alliance.

No less than 7 interdisciplinary Paris-Leuven teams have submitted a proposal. By this summer, one transformative project will be selected.

• Read more on the ICM website (in French)