swissnex China had the pleasure to welcome two experts in the field of neuroscience, to share with us their knowledge about the human brain and the progress of human brain projects in Switzerland and China. Dr. Sean Hill—co-Director of the Blue Brain Project and co-Director of Neuroinformatics in the European Union funded Human Brain Project (HBP) at EPFL—presented the possibilities, challenges and current status of these projects in Switzerland, while Prof. Feng Jianfeng–distinguished Professor in the Thousand Talents Program of China, Chair Professor in Applied Mathematics at Shanghai Center for Mathematical Sciences, Professor of Biology, Mathematics, and Brain Science in Fudan University, China, and Professor of Computer Science in University of Warwick, UK—presented them from the Chinese point of view. The speakers were friendly and eager to share their knowledge with an entertaining presentation that was suitable to both amateurs and specialists.

Being a complex and technical topic, this event drew many interested experts along with some curious minds. In total, 40 people, from universities such as Fudan, Shanghai Jiao Tong, Shanghai University, Shanghai Normal University, East China University of Technology and Science, CAS Shanghai and several professionals from private companies attended the presentation. The audience was understanding and attentive, and the following Q&A session sparkled discussions ranging from the technological aspect to the ethical aspect.

As attendees showed interest in hearing more from this kind of projects, we are motived in organizing further events pertaining to this field in the future and hope that it will bring an equally high enthusiasm.

- Contributed by Jean-Pierre Trang, Junior Project Leader in cooperation with HEC Lausanne