EBRAINS
EBRAINS is a Brussels-based, EU-funded non-profit research infrastructure that provides free, open-access data, tools and services — including brain atlases, simulation platforms and the CytoNet foundation model — to academic and clinical neuroscience researchers across 30+ European countries.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2019
- HeadquartersBrussels, Belgium
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What EBRAINS does
EBRAINS is an international non-profit research infrastructure (AISBL under Belgian law, headquartered in Brussels) that provides open-access data, tools and services for brain research, spanning molecular and cellular scales through whole-organ modelling. Its platform is organised around six core service categories: Brain Atlases (Julich Brain Atlas plus species atlases for macaque, marmoset, rat and mouse with APIs), Medical Analytics (Platform for Human Imaging, Medical Informatics Platform, Human Intracerebral EEG Platform, Health Data Cloud), Modelling & Simulation (whole-brain to subcellular, plus neuromorphic computing on BrainScaleS-2), Data & Knowledge (Knowledge Graph with Find Data, Share Data, Live Papers), a Collaborative Platform (Collaboratory workspace), and Computing Infrastructure (pan-European HPC and neuromorphic access, including the JUPITER exascale system used for CytoNet training). The infrastructure was originally built under the EU-funded Human Brain Project (over 500 scientists across 130+ institutions) and is currently being advanced within the EBRAINS 2.0 project (January 2024 – December 2026, €37.99M Horizon-INFRA grant).
The business model is that of a publicly funded research infrastructure rather than a commercial SaaS company. EBRAINS offers its services free of charge to thousand+ registered researchers (institutional email required for full access), monetised through competitive EU framework programme grants, member-institution contributions via a National Nodes network spanning 30+ European countries, and in-kind support from named partners including the European Commission, Forschungszentrum Jülich, CEA, CNRS, Charité, ETH Zurich, UCL, Cambridge and NVIDIA. Revenue is therefore grant-concentrated, and customers are a long-tail of academic and clinical research users rather than a small set of enterprise accounts. Distribution is self-serve (iam.ebrains.eu) with regional support through the National Nodes and a High Level Support Team.
EBRAINS is governed by Joint CEOs Katrin Amunts and Philippe Vernier, holds GDPR-compliant data handling practices, and is positioning itself for the post-2026 cycle through a published 10-Year Roadmap (2026–2036), an emerging AI-native layer (CytoNet foundation model, multimodal neural microarchitecture analysis), and a growing industry engagement track alongside its academic core.
EBRAINS firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- EBRAINS
- Legal name
- EBRAINS AISBL
- Website
- https://ebrains.eu
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2019
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- EBRAINS is a Brussels-based, EU-funded non-profit research infrastructure that provides free, open-access data, tools and services — including brain atlases, simulation platforms and the CytoNet foundation model — to academic and clinical neuroscience researchers across 30+ European countries.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
EBRAINS industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Neuroscience Research Infrastructure
- NAICS
- Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services (51821), Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (54171), Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services (54169), Other Computer Related Services (541519)
- SIC
- Services-Prepackaged Software (7372), Services-Computer Integrated Systems Design (7373), Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Scientific Data Management & Data Platforms (SDMS/Data Lakehouse for R&D) (HLAGAJAC)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Electronic Lab Notebooks (ELN) (HLAGAJAB), Electronic Data Capture (EDC) Platforms (HLACAOAA)
Keywords
Where EBRAINS is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Brussels
- HQ country
- Belgium
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
EBRAINS business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Infrastructure, Operations
Revenue model
- EU Research Infrastructure Funding: EBRAINS is primarily funded through EU research infrastructure projects. The EBRAINS 2.0 project received total funding of 37,995,292 Euros from the EU Horizon-INFRA-2022-SERV-B-01 programme. The infrastructure was originally built by the EU-funded Human Brain Project and continues to receive support from the European Commission, a network of National Nodes and institutional partners.
- Free Access Services: EBRAINS services are open and free to researchers. Users can register for accounts to access complete tools and services at no cost. Some resources are available publicly without an account.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Others | Free open access to all users |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels10 records
EBRAINS product offering
Product offeringCore offering
EBRAINS is an open digital research infrastructure that provides data, tools, and services for brain-related research spanning from the molecular and cellular levels to the whole organ. Its offering centers on six service categories: Brain Atlases (3D navigable maps of human, macaque, marmoset, rat, and mouse brains with APIs), Medical Analytics (clinical data platforms for imaging, EEG, and health records), Modelling & Simulation (multi-scale brain modeling including whole-brain, network, cellular, and molecular), Data & Knowledge (knowledge graph for data sharing), Collaborative Platform (cloud workspace), and Computing Infrastructure (neuromorphic and high-performance computing access).
Product overview
EBRAINS is an open research infrastructure (RI) that provides data, tools and services for brain-related research — from the molecular and cellular levels to the whole organ. It functions as a platform-plus-modules architecture centered around six core service categories: Brain Atlases (navigable 3D brain maps including Human, Macaque, Marmoset, Rat, and Mouse atlases with APIs and analysis tools), Medical Analytics (clinical data platforms including Platform for Human Imaging, Medical Informatics Platform, Human Intracerebral EEG Platform, and Health Data Cloud), Modelling & Simulation (multi-scale brain modeling from whole-brain to molecular levels), Data & Knowledge (Knowledge Graph for finding and sharing brain data, models, and software), Collaborative Platform (Collaboratory cloud workspace for real-time co-design), and Computing Infrastructure (neuromorphic computing and HPC access). The infrastructure was originally built by the EU-funded Human Brain Project and is now being advanced through the EBRAINS 2.0 project (2024-2026). Notable advanced capabilities include the CytoNet foundation model for neural microarchitecture analysis.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Brain Atlases
Quantifiable outcome
- Over 100 research publications produced by EBRAINS 2.0 project since January 2024
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use EBRAINS
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
EBRAINS technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability6 records
Feature8 records
EBRAINS partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
26 partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.
- Forschungszentrum JulichcoreLeading partner in EBRAINS 2.0 project. Home to EBRAINS Joint-CEO Katrin Amunts and Helmholtz AI research group leader Christian Schiffer who lead the CytoNet project. Hosts JUPITER exascale supercomputer used for brain research simulations.
- European Academy of Neurology (EAN)coreAs EBRAINS 2.0 project partner, EAN leads publication of the European Journal of Neurology (EJoN) Special Issue on Digital Health Research in Clinical Neurosciences. Provides in-kind contribution supporting article processing charges for commissioned papers.
- NvidiacoreNvidia presented EBRAINS-powered CytoNet foundation model during International Supercomputing Conference. CytoNet was trained on JUPITER using 4,096 NVIDIA Grace Hopper Superchips. Nvidia Executive Briefing featured CytoNet as one of the first research projects on the JUPITER Exascale computer.
- Human Brain ProjectcoreEBRAINS infrastructure was originally built by the EU-funded Human Brain Project, which employed over 500 scientists at more than 130 universities and research institutes. Human Brain Project legacy continues through EBRAINS infrastructure.
- Aix-Marseille UniversitemajorPartner in EBRAINS 2.0 project through Protisvalor, representing French research institutions.
- Athena Research & Innovation CentermajorGreek research institution partner in EBRAINS 2.0 project.
- University of OslomajorNorwegian university partner in EBRAINS 2.0 project.
- Charite - Universitatsmedizin BerlinmajorGerman university medical center partner in EBRAINS 2.0 project. Home to Brain Simulation Section led by Prof. Dr. Petra Ritter contributing to multiscale brain modelling.
- KU LeuvenmajorBelgian university partner in EBRAINS 2.0 project.
- CNRSmajorFrench national research centre partner in EBRAINS 2.0 project.
- CEA (Commissariat a l'energie atomique)majorFrench alternative energies commission partner in EBRAINS 2.0 project. Home to EBRAINS Joint-CEO Philippe Vernier.
- CINECA Consorzio InteruniversitariomajorItalian inter-university consortium partner in EBRAINS 2.0 project.
- ETH ZurichmajorSwiss Federal Institute of Technology partner in EBRAINS 2.0 project.
- EPFL (Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne)majorSwiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne partner in EBRAINS 2.0 project.
- UCL (University College London)majorUK university partner in EBRAINS 2.0 project.
- University of CambridgemajorUK university partner in EBRAINS 2.0 project.
- InriamajorFrench national research institute for digital science partner in EBRAINS 2.0 project.
- InsermmajorFrench national institute of health and medical research partner in EBRAINS 2.0 project.
- University of Santiago de CompostelamajorJoined EBRAINS AISBL as associate member in 2026. USC brings expertise in neuroscience and biomedical sciences. CiMUS (Center for Research in Molecular Medicine and Chronic Diseases) will bridge molecular medicine with large-scale computational neuroscience.
- Euro-BioImagingmajorEuropean Research Infrastructure for Imaging Technologies in Biological and Biomedical Sciences. EBRAINS collaborates with Euro-BioImaging for synergies and joint presentations at events like FENS 2026.
- EATRISmajorEuropean Research Infrastructure for Translational Medicine. Collaboration highlighted during EBRAINS events for synergies in European Research Infrastructures.
- Maastricht UniversitymajorDutch university partner in EBRAINS 2.0 project.
- Universitat HeidelbergmajorGerman university partner in EBRAINS 2.0 project. Home to BrainScaleS-2 neuromorphic computing chip.
- Technical University of MunichmajorGerman technical university partner in EBRAINS 2.0 project.
- Technische Universitat DresdenmajorGerman technical university partner in EBRAINS 2.0 project.
- Consiglio Nazionale delle RicerchemajorItalian National Research Council partner in EBRAINS 2.0 project.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
EBRAINS competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- G-Node (German Neuroinformatics Node): Provides data management, analysis tools, and training for electrophysiology and neuroscience — overlapping with EBRAINS' Data & Knowledge and Collaboratory offerings in the European neuroinformatics community.
- OpenNeuro: Open platform for sharing and analyzing neuroimaging data (BIDS format); serves overlapping neuroscience research user base as a free, community-driven brain data infrastructure with similar GTM ethos.
- Blue Brain Project (EPFL): EPFL-based project building digital reconstructions and simulations of the mouse brain, sharing EBRAINS' lineage via the Human Brain Project and focusing on multi-scale modelling and simulation — a direct technical and institutional peer.
- Allen Institute for Brain Science: US non-profit research organization producing brain atlases, large-scale datasets, and open neuroscience tools — the most direct global comparator to EBRAINS in scope, mission, and open-data philosophy.
- NeuroMorpho.Org: Open-access database of digitally reconstructed neurons — a focused, peer-reviewed neuroscience data infrastructure serving a subset of EBRAINS' atlas and data-sharing use cases.
- NITRC (NeuroImaging Tools & Resources Collaboratory): US-based open repository and community for neuroimaging software and data, similar to EBRAINS' platform-plus-tools approach for the clinical and computational neuroscience user base.
Broad incumbents
- Simons Foundation (Simons Brain Research): US private foundation funding large-scale brain research, atlasing, and data initiatives (e.g., Flatiron Institute); broader-scope funder and operator, but a comparable scale of investment in open neuroscience infrastructure.
Emerging players
- Human Cell Atlas: Large-scale international consortium building comprehensive reference maps of human cells; analogous in mission, governance model, and consortium-driven data infrastructure approach, though focused on cellular rather than brain-specific atlasing.
Regional players
- Salk Institute (Computational Neurobiology): Major US research institute with significant brain-mapping and neuroscience computing programs; operates comparable atlasing and modeling research as part of a broader biology portfolio, primarily in North America.
Others
- INCF (International Neuroinformatics Coordinating Facility): International non-profit coordinating standards and training for neuroinformatics; shares EBRAINS' open-data, community-led ethos and operates in the same standards/governance layer rather than as a direct infrastructure competitor.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
EBRAINS social profiles
Digital presenceEBRAINS compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
EBRAINS financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
EBRAINS leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
EBRAINS funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
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EBRAINS M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
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Frequently asked questions about EBRAINS
What does EBRAINS do?
EBRAINS is an open digital research infrastructure that provides data, tools, and services for brain-related research spanning from the molecular and cellular levels to the whole organ. Its offering centers on six service categories: Brain Atlases (3D navigable maps of human, macaque, marmoset, rat, and mouse brains with APIs), Medical Analytics (clinical data platforms for imaging, EEG, and health records), Modelling & Simulation (multi-scale brain modeling including whole-brain, network, cellular, and molecular), Data & Knowledge (knowledge graph for data sharing), Collaborative Platform (cloud workspace), and Computing Infrastructure (neuromorphic and high-performance computing access).
Is EBRAINS a public or private company?
EBRAINS is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was EBRAINS founded?
EBRAINS was founded in 2019. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is EBRAINS based?
EBRAINS is headquartered in Brussels, Belgium, in the Europe region.
How does EBRAINS make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. EU Research Infrastructure Funding is the primary driver. The others are free Access Services.
Who are EBRAINS's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are G-Node (German Neuroinformatics Node), OpenNeuro, Blue Brain Project (EPFL), Allen Institute for Brain Science, NeuroMorpho.Org and NITRC (NeuroImaging Tools & Resources Collaboratory). Simons Foundation (Simons Brain Research) is listed as a broad incumbent. Human Cell Atlas is listed as an emerging player. Salk Institute (Computational Neurobiology) is listed as a regional player. INCF (International Neuroinformatics Coordinating Facility) is listed as an others.
Does EBRAINS have an API?
No public API is recorded for EBRAINS.
What industry is EBRAINS in?
EBRAINS's product category is Neuroscience Research Infrastructure. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HLAGAJAC, Scientific Data Management & Data Platforms (SDMS/Data Lakehouse for R&D), with a secondary code of HLAGAJAB, Electronic Lab Notebooks (ELN). Its NAICS code is 51821 and its SIC code is 7372.