World Brain Day 2025: Protecting brain health through EU-funded projects

Around 165 million Europeans live with brain disorders, and it is estimated that one in three people will suffer from a neurological and/or mental disorder at some point in their lives. 

To raise awareness of the importance of safeguarding brain health, 22 July is annually observed as World Brain Day. This year’s theme, “Brain health for all ages”, highlights the need for targeted interventions to promote and protect brain health at every stage of life. 

Discover EU-funded projects managed by HaDEA dedicated to understanding, preventing and addressing brain disorders, as well as identifying the multiple factors influencing them, with the objective of improving the quality of life of citizens living with neurological conditions. 

Horizon 2020 

The recently finished Multidisciplinary Expert System for the Assessment & Management of Complex Brain Disorders (MES-CoBraD) has contributed to improving the diagnostic accuracy and therapeutic outcomes of complex brain disorders such as epilepsy, dementia and sleep disorders. 

For over three years, MES-CoBraD has combined real-world data from clinical and consumer sources and brought together a wide range of experts in medicine, engineering and computer science, among other fields, with the goal of enhancing patients’ quality of life.  

Through comprehensive, cost-efficient and fast protocols, the project has developed the MES-CoBraD Platform to integrate precision medicine modules and personalised medicine approaches. 

To date, the MES-CoBraD platform has involved several hundreds of participants and collected a large number of real-world data samples. 

Horizon Europe  ExpoSignalz

Harmful chemical pollutants from the environment can have negative effects on brain health, potentially contributing to Alzheimer’s disease (AD), one of the most common forms of dementia. 

The recently started ExpoSignalz project aims to explore the link between environmental pollutants and dementia. By combining laboratory experiments with population studies, the project is working to identify harmful chemicals and understand how they influence brain ageing, with the goal of preventing or delaying the onset of AD. 

Background 

Horizon Europe is the research and innovation programme of the EU for the period 2021-2027. The aims of Cluster 1 ‘Health’ include improving and protecting the health and well-being of citizens of all ages by generating new knowledge, developing innovative solutions and integrating where relevant a gender perspective to prevent, diagnose, monitor, treat and cure diseases. Horizon 2020 (H2020) was the EU’s multiannual funding programme between 2014 and 2020.