National Brain Councils & Strategies
Powering Brain Health Across Europe
Across Europe, National Brain Councils (NBCs) are driving change from the ground up — bringing together scientists, clinicians, patients, and industry to speak with one unified voice for brain health. These multidisciplinary platforms are vital to shaping brain-related policies where they matter most: at the national level, where healthcare systems are designed, funded and delivered.
By aligning closely with the European Brain Council while tailoring their work to national needs, NBCs are helping pave the way for ambitious National Brain Strategies — comprehensive plans to tackle the burden brain disorders, neurological and mental alike, promote prevention and improve lives.
This page brings together everything you need to know about NBCs and national strategies: their goals, their structure and how they are turning advocacy into action to improve brain health across Europe.
- National Brain Plans
- National Brain Councils
News Corner
Danish Brain Council: The Brain Week is opened by HjärnForum and the Danish Brain Council
True to tradition, HjärnForum – the National Association for the Fight against Brain Diseases in collaboration with the Brain Council opens this year's Brain Week in Copenhagen on 9th March. The Danish Brain Council [...]
Spanish Brain Council: Queen Letizia Ortiz Receives in Audience a Delegation From the Spanish Brain Council to Present its Latest Advances and the Launch of the Youth Area
Her Majesty Queen Letizia received this morning in audience at the Zarzuela Palace a delegation from the Spanish Brain Council (CEC), in an institutional meeting in which the entity presented the strategic advances developed [...]
Swedish Brain Council: Alzheimer’s Research in the Global Spotlight
Bill Gates took part in a panel discussion at Karolinska University Hospital on the future of Alzheimer’s research. The panel featured four leading researchers, including Miia Kivipelto, Henrik Zetterberg, and Maria Ankarcrona—three scientists whose [...]
Belgian Brain Council: Participation in the REBELEPSY Political Forum at the Belgian Federal Parliament
On 15 January 2026, the Belgian Brain Council (BBC) took part in a political forum on brain health (REBELEPSY) held at the Belgian Federal Parliament to advocate for stronger national policy and political engagement [...]
Portuguese Brain Council: Towards a Coordinated National Vision for Brain Health
The National Hub for Brain Health, launched and coordinated by the Portuguese Agency for Clinical Investigation and Biomedical Innovation (AICIB), represents a significant step toward structuring and aligning Portugal’s efforts in brain health. By [...]
Spanish Brain Council: Promoting Brain Health Across the Lifespan: Socioeconomic Burden, Global Recommendations, and the Spanish National Plan
Neurological and mental health disorders substantially reduce life expectancy and represent a major public health and socioeconomic burden in Europe, accounting for a significant proportion of disability and productivity loss. In Spain, conditions affecting [...]


















