Human Brain Project
Brain research is a field in rapid development these years and researchers are everyday getting closer to understanding one of humanities biggest mysteries; the human brain. One of the fields currently in development, is brain related diseases, where researchers are finding new ways of diagnosing and treating patients. This development will have an effect on the lives of many citizens and it is the health data of European citizens that is the foundation of this research.
So far, very little public engagement has been carried out on the subject of international research collaboration and health data sharing. Consequently, little is known of what regular citizens think about this research, the international collaboration that it aspires to and the necessary data sharing. However, there is a need for public dialogue about the research, how and under what conditions collaboration and data sharing can take place, so the research being carried out can be responsive to the values, hopes and concerns of the surrounding society.
Therefore we want to give you and your friends an opportunity to have your voice heard and help shape the future of European brain research. You don’t need to have any prior knowledge on the subject – just a want to share your opinions with us.
From October to end of December 2021, more than 700 citizens from five EU member states and Great Britain will take part in dialogue meetings in GlobalSay on brain research. The dialogue meetings is a part of the EU’s large brain research project the Human Brain Project’s (HBP) endeavors to be responsive to the issues, dilemmas, and questions that this project’s research brings about, ethically and societally. You can read more about the project here.
GlobalSay is a novel methodology for engaging the European society in setting the direction for brain research and broaden the debate on the ethical, legal and societal dilemmas arising from the research and its findings. We thus ask you to take part in this debate and have your say.
Facilitating a meeting
As a host, you will invite 4-8 people to participate in your meeting. Participants can be your friends, family, colleagues, acquaintances from the sports club or other local associations, etc. The meeting can take place anywhere the host wants, as long everyone has access to the internet. This can be in the host’s own living room, in an office meeting room, in the local community center, etc. The meeting takes approx. 2 hours
When all the participants are gathered, the host can start the meeting. The host accesses the online platform and shares the link with the other participants (follow instructions below). Now just follow the on-screen instructions that shows you short videos about the topic and guide you through the debate. At the end of each round, participants are asked to answer a set of questions. During the meeting, the host participates on equal terms with the rest of the participants. Therefore, the host has no special responsibility when the meeting is started.
Download guide: GlobalSay Mixing of Minds – Host guide
Sign up to become a host
If you are interested in hosting a dialogue meeting sign up at:
- Denmark: please contact Mia Lunding Christensen at mlc@tekno.dk
- England: https://globalsay.eventbrite.co.uk/ alternatively: Yaseen Jakhura at yaseen.jakhura@dmu.ac.uk
- Germany: please contact Susanne Helm and Nazim Benghomrani at hbp@ifok.de
- Hungary: Melinda Varfi at melindavarfi@gmail.com
- Italy: Andrea Panzavolta at andrea.panzavolta@formattiva.net
- Spain: Natalia Maya at natalia@deliberativa.org
When signing up we ask you some information about your background, such as age, gender, education, the areas you live in and you employment status. That is because we want to ensure diversity among our dialogue hosts to make sure that we hear the voices of as many different kinds of citizens as possible, and we will not share this information with anyone else.
Your meeting has to take place between 1th of October to the end of December 2021. To host a dialogue meeting you just need to decide on where to host the meeting, make sure that there is a stable internet connection, and that you have a computer with speakers so that you can see and hear the short videos. You also have to make sure that all participants bring a computer, a smartphone or another device that can access the internet, to answer questions during the meeting.
Please share this opportunity with others that you think could be interested in hosting a meeting.
If you have any questions about the project or the dialogue meetings, please contact:
Mia Lunding Christensen, Project Manager, at mlc@tekno.dk