Institute of Neuroethics (IoNx)

What Institute of Neuroethics (IoNx) does

The Institute of Neuroethics (IoNx) is a US-based 501c(3) nonprofit think-and-do tank wholly devoted to neuroethics, founded by Karen Rommelfanger, PhD, who previously directed the Neuroethics and Neurotech Innovation Lab at Emory University. The organization operates globally, targeting three stakeholder groups — builders (neurotechnology developers), decision-makers (policy makers and regulators), and users (the general public) — through its co-CREATE framework, which structures work around Convening, Research, Engage & Activate, and Train & Empower.

IoNx's core offering is Nx Guidance, a curated global repository aggregating neuroethics resources, international standards, and recommendations from organizations including the OECD, UNESCO, IEEE, the Council of Europe, and national brain initiatives, with documented content spanning 2006-2024. The organization does not develop software products; its "technology" is human-curated content, convening infrastructure, and the co-CREATE service framework. It has no API, SDK, or integrations, and does not sell to or serve paying customers. Revenue is generated through charitable donations processed via the GiveLively platform (secure.givelively.org). The organization employs 6 people, is governed by a 7-person Board of Directors, and is supported by an Advisory Council of 24+ experts drawn from academia, industry, government, and civil society across four continents.

Name

Institute of Neuroethics (IoNx)

Legal name

Institute of Neuroethics (IoNx)

Website

https://instituteofneuroethics.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Institute of Neuroethics (IoNx) is a US-based 501c(3) nonprofit think-and-do tank wholly devoted to neuroethics, serving neurotechnology builders, policy decision-makers, and the general public through its Nx Guidance repository, co-CREATE framework, and global convening partnerships with the OECD, FDA, and international brain initiatives.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Neuroethics Advisory and Policy Services

NAICS

Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (54172), Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services (5416), Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services (541)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYEDADADAA

Education Policy Research Institutes & Think Tanks

Education/Education Administration, Accreditation & Policy/Education Policy, Research & Think Tanks

SECONDARYBPADANAB

Technical Committees, Working Groups & Expert Panels

Business & Public Services/International Organizations & Development/International Standards, Policy & Regulatory Cooperation

SECONDARYTHAHAJAB

Life Sciences & Biotechnology Congresses

Travel & Hospitality/MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences & Exhibitions)/Association, Government & Academic Congresses

Keywords

• Neuroethics advisory
• Neuroscience policy
• Responsible innovation
• Brain technology governance
• Neurotech ethics guidance

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: IoNx is a 501c(3) tax-exempt organization that operates primarily through charitable donations. The organization solicits donations through their website via GiveLively platform to fund global projects and initiatives in neuroethics.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Institute of Neuroethics (IoNx) operates as the first global think-and-do tank wholly devoted to neuroethics, providing advisory, convening, and educational services through its Nx Guidance repository and co-CREATE framework. The organization delivers curated neuroethics resources, international standards, and guidance documents to builders (neurotech developers), decision-makers (policy makers and regulators), and users (the general public). It facilitates stakeholder dialogue, ethical research, and policy collaboration across academia, industry, government, and civil society.

Product overview

Institute of Neuroethics (IoNx) is a global think-and-do tank focused on neuroethics. Rather than offering a unified software product, IoNx provides a portfolio of advisory, convening, and educational services: Nx Guidance (a curated global repository of neuroethics resources, standards, and guidance documents), collaborative research and engagement programs, training and empowerment frameworks, and stakeholder convening across policy, industry, and academia. The organization operates through its co-CREATE framework (Convening, Research, Engage & Activate, Train & Empower) to deliver trusted neuroscience for all.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Nx Guidance A curated global repository and guidance platform that aggregates neuroethics resources, international standards, recommendations, and guidance documents from the global neuroethics community to help builders, decision-makers, and users navigate the ethical and regulatory ecosystem for neuroscience.
• co-CREATE Framework Services A structured approach to deliver systems-level change through Convening (stakeholder dialogue), Research (philosophical and social implications of brain science), Engage & Activate (democratizing decision-making on neuroscience advances), and Train & Empower (providing tools and frameworks for ethical thinking).
• Global Repository of Neuroethics Research A comprehensive collection of neuroethics research, recommendations, and summit outputs from the broader neuroethics community, spanning organizations such as OECD, UNESCO, IEEE, Council of Europe, and national brain initiatives from 2006-2024.

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 December 2019IoNx partnered with OECD on 'Responsible Innovation In Neurotechnology Enterprises,' the first international neuroethics standard. IoNx worked with members of the OECD Working Party on Biotechnology, Nanotechnology, and Converging Technology to mediate workshops with investors and entrepreneurs on implementing the standard.
• International Brain Initiative / Global Neuroethics SummitcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2018Partnership as part of the Global Neuroethics Summit to develop 'Neuroethics Questions to Guide Ethical Research in the International Brain Initiatives,' prioritizing neuroethics questions for neuroscientists in seven national-level brain research initiatives spanning four continents.
• FDA implantable BCI Collaborative Community (iBCI-CC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIoNx serves as the neuroethics partner for the FDA Community Collaboratory on implantable brain-computer interfaces. The iBCI-CC includes lived experience advocates, industry partners, ethicists, and FDA partners.
• Federation of European Neuroscience Societies (FENS)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerIn partnership with FENS, IoNx offers the first-of-its-kind neuroethics hackathon on neuroscience and AI, marking a flagship initiative in ethics education for neuroscientists.
• BrainMindminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIoNx member delivered the talk 'Designing Ethical Neurofutures' at BrainMind's special forum 'Neuromodulation + BCI + AI' in New York.
• Georgia TechcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOngoing collaboration including the 'Step the Brain Along a Path' ballet performance with Terminus Modern Ballet Theatre, exploring neuroscience and ethics of technology intervention. Also collaborated on Brain-Computer Interface Export Controls Meeting with Paradromics.
• US Department of Commerce (Bureau of Industry and Security)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIoNx partnered with the Bureau of Industry and Security of the US Department of Commerce and Paradromics to organize and lead the Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) Export Controls Meeting in February.
• International Center for Future Generations (ICFG)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to explore an inclusive EU approach to neurotech governance, focusing on processes for foresight, risk-mitigation, and governance with emphasis on participative approaches.
• Terminus Modern Ballet TheatreminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCollaboration on 'Step the Brain Along a Path' ballet performance exploring neuroscience and ethics of technology intervention, performed at Georgia Tech Arts.
• ParadromicsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on BCI Export Controls Meeting with US Department of Commerce BIS, demonstrating industry engagement in policy discussions.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Dana Foundation: The Dana Foundation is a US private philanthropic organization that funds brain research and runs public-facing programs on neuroscience and society, including neuroethics education. It is a direct peer to IoNx in mission (brain science + ethics / public engagement) and stakeholder model (funding, convening, education).
• Nuffield Council on Bioethics: The Nuffield Council on Bioethics is an independent UK-based bioethics think tank that convenes working parties to publish reports and policy advice on emerging biotechnologies. It is a direct peer to IoNx as both operate as policy-shaping bioethics think tanks engaging government, academia, and industry on responsible innovation.
• National Core for Neuroethics (Japan): The National Core for Neuroethics at Kyoto University is an academic neuroethics hub performing research and policy engagement on brain science and society. It is a direct peer to IoNx in academic-to-policy translation and neuroethics-specific convening.
• The Hastings Center: The Hastings Center is the oldest independent bioethics research institute in the US, producing research and convening scholars, policymakers, and the public on emerging ethical issues. It is a direct peer to IoNx in operating model (non-profit research/think-tank), stakeholder convening approach, and focus area (bioethics, including neuroscience and emerging technology ethics).
• Center for Neuroscience and Society (Penn): The Center for Neuroscience and Society at the University of Pennsylvania conducts research and trains scholars at the intersection of neuroscience and ethics. It is a direct peer to IoNx in the specific neuroethics sub-domain, overlapping on training, public engagement, and applied ethics scholarship relevant to neurotechnology.

Emerging players

• Future of Life Institute: The Future of Life Institute is a non-profit that advocates for ethical governance of transformative technologies including AI and biotechnology. It is an emerging player peer to IoNx as both operate non-profit policy/ethics advocacy across emerging technology categories and engage regulators internationally.

Broad incumbents

• UNESCO International Bioethics Committee (IBC): The UNESCO International Bioethics Committee is an intergovernmental body that produces principles and guidance on bioethics, including neuroscience. It is a broad incumbent peer to IoNx in producing international bioethics standards with which IoNx also engages via its OECD and brain initiative partnerships.
• OECD Working Party on Biotechnology, Nanotechnology and Converging Technology (BNCT): The OECD BNCT Working Party is the intergovernmental body that developed the first international neuroethics standard alongside IoNx. It is a broad incumbent peer in the sense that it is the regulatory partner that produced the standards IoNx works to implement across industry.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/institute-of-neuroethics-ionx

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Institute of Neuroethics (IoNx)