BRAINMIND SUMMITS

UPCOMING

BrainMind brings together an ecosystem of neuroscience institutions, researchers, entrepreneurs, and investors with the shared purpose of accelerating values-driven brain endeavors – intellectual, entrepreneurial, and ethical.

These private meetings are designed to educate participants on emerging neuroscience and also catalyze thoughtful application of impactful findings in mind and brain science, from basic research to company creation. While the ecosystem is open to those with sincere interest, the summits are reserved for only the most active voices. They are designed so that all the ingredients necessary (selected impactful ideas, capital, leadership, mentorship) are present to selectively accelerate specific applications in BrainMind fields.

Focused Gatherings - Stanford, San Francisco, Boston, New York City, Los Angeles, Seattle

PREVIOUS SUMMITS, EVENTS

Private Dinners, Special Gatherings

Throughout the year, BrainMind convenes semi-regular dinners/gatherings to energize the ecosystem. Members of the ecosystem are invited to collect informally around the country for dinners with speakers on specific topic areas, social gatherings, and half-day events.

Upcoming events include evening speaker receptions in Menlo Park. Future events will take place in New York City, Chicago, Boston, and Seattle. 

BRAINMIND ASILOMAR

In 1975, Paul Berg convened a conference in Asilomar, California, of biologists, lawyers, physicians, and others, to discuss how the biotechnology community would voluntarily regulate itself.  The outcome was a set of rules and guidelines that, to this day, have helped biotechnology make great contributions to human life, in a safe and ethical manner.  With the neuroscience field and neurotech industry entering this period of growth, arguably now is the time to hold an "Asilomar of the Brain". 

BrainMind is currently developing new philanthropic and investing approaches to accelerate positive impact in brain science: ethical frameworks are necessary to guide idea curation in this space. Our vision to form the vital connective tissue between the lab and the world at large includes a focus on human impact in order to supplement both the profit-driven commercial market and the gaps created by available grant funding. This field is in particularly need because the surge in new tools with the promise to alleviate human suffering and advance human potential also come with the potential dangers accompanying that power to manipulate the brain and mind. As we build momentum and ready ourselves to allocate capital and resources, we are placing a high priority on neuroethics.

In 2024, we are planning to host an international multidisciplinary gathering focused on the ethics and governance of near-term innovations in brain science. In carefully thinking through which ideas are truly “good” and “beneficial” for humanity, ethics questions loom large in brain science. We plan to include bioethicists, neuroscientists (basic to clinical), major industry stakeholders, and policymakers. The meeting will be supported entirely by philanthropy, and will bring together roughly 250 people over four days.

We expect our gathering to differ from neuroethics meetings convened by other national and international groups in that we will be including active participation of industry and investors. We consider this inclusion to be important because of the tremendous amount of resources already committed to brain research in the privater sector. Our meeting will also include stakeholders from efforts like the US Brain Initiative, European Human Brain Project, International Neuroethics Society, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), and the International Brain Initiative, collaborating to help develop a set of guidelines, agreed upon by participants, using recently published frameworks from the groups mentioned above (and others to be determined) as a starting point.

Rather than being focused on talks and seminars, this will be a highly participatory gathering: the goal is not to talk to each other, but to talk with each other. Just as the 1974 Asilomar conference set the stage for a half century of bioengineering, the 2021 Asilomar BrainMind conference has the chance to set the stage for a half century of neuro-innovation.

We hope you can join us. 

EVENT DETAILS:

DATE: Date TBA, 2024

LOCATION: ASILOMAR CONFERENCE GROUNDS 

BrainMind Summit Talks

More talks on the way… check back soon!