A conversation with Neurocenter Finland on advancing global neuroscience collaboration
IBI Chair, Dr. Judy Illes, recently hosted a discussion with Dr. Eero Rissanen on Neurocenter Finland’s role in global neuroscience collaboration. Dr. Rissanen is a neurologist and adjunct professor of neurology, and is the director of Neurocenter Finland.
Overview of Neurocenter Finland
Neurocenter Finland’s ideological origins trace back to 2014 when the Finnish government implemented the Finnish National Health Sector Growth Strategy. In 2021, after a four-year preparation and establishment phase, Neurocenter Finland was established in collaboration between 12 organizations, which now form its core operational framework. These entities include seven universities and five wellbeing services counties including all university hospitals, forming a contract-based collaboration network, dedicated to enhancing brain health by promoting personalized medicine, and fostering multidisciplinary and cross-boundary research collaboration and innovation. Dr. Rissanen emphasized the center’s role as a national facilitator and advocate, in uniting various stakeholders in Finland with the common goal of improving care and research, and their prerequisites, in brain disorders and brain health. This aligns with Finland’s broader governmental RDI Growth Programme for Health and Wellbeing, focused on strengthening collaboration between wellbeing services counties, academia, and the private sector in research, development, and innovation (RDI).
Funding and key initiatives
Neurocenter Finland has recently received a significant government grant aimed at enhancing collaboration among Finland’s Cluster Excellence centers, and accelerating the development of personalized medicine. The grant, totaling 1.3M euros, is divided among three key entities: Neurocenter Finland, the Finnish Cancer Center, and six regional hospital biobanks belonging to the Finnish Biobank Cooperative. Dr. Rissanen highlighted that the center is particularly interested in multimodal data integration, and aims to refine and harmonize data collection methods and standards to maximize the impact of shared data for RDI. One specific objective is to advance personalized medicine by integrating multimodal neuroscience research and clinical data with biobank data, to form an enriched database of various modalities.
Collaboration with the IBI
Neurocenter Finland sees immense value in working with the IBI, a global operator. Two core aspects define this collaboration: advocacy and awareness.
Dr. Rissanen explained that a partnership between Neurocenter Finland and the IBI has the potential to enhance efforts to raise public and government awareness about the significance of brain health. Dr. Rissanen further stressed the need for a global operator like the IBI to connect researchers with complementary expertise to foster new collaborative projects, address emerging challenges in AI-driven research, and to create a shared global momentum for brain health research.
Potential milestones for the IBI-Neurocenter Finland newly formed collaboration
The center is optimistic about forming strategic synergies with the IBI. In another recent interview, Professor Reetta Kälviäinen, former Chair of Neurocenter Finland’s Board, reinforced the importance of advocacy, emphasizing that brain health is often taken for granted, yet foundational to societal well-being, and that it should be considered in all societal decision-making. Dr. Rissanen underscored that one key challenge lies in effectively communicating the significance of brain health to both the public and to policymakers. Neurocenter Finland aims to collaborate with the IBI, to amplify advocacy efforts, funding strategies, and legislative support for neuroscience RDI.
Dr. Rissanen concluded the interview by emphasizing the need to create impact through advocacy, and reaffirming the IBI’s key role as a global leader.