President Peres presents $1 million B.R.A.I.N prize
Israeli Missions Around The World MFA Innovative Israel President Peres presents $1 million B.R.A.I.N prize

President Peres presents $1million B.R.A.I.N prize

  •   Awarded to Brain Gate for the creation of robotic arms for disabled people
  • 10/15/2013
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    The Breakthrough Research and Innovation in Neurotechnology (B.R.A.I.N) prize was awarded to Brain Gate Research and Development for the creation of robotic arms for disabled people which are controlled by neural sensors.
    Peres: "A few years ago we turned Israel into a world leader in nanotechnology and now we must do the same with neurotechnology and brain science research."
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    President Peres with Dr. John Donahue, head of winning BrainGate team from Brown University President Peres with Dr. John Donahue, head of winning BrainGate team from Brown University Copyright: GPO/Mark Neiman
    President Peres with Dr. John Donahue, head of winning BrainGate team from Brown University (Photo: GPO/Mark Neiman)
     
    (Communicated by the Office of the President)

    President Shimon Peres, this morning (Tuesday, 15 October 2013), presented a $1 million prize to BrainGate Research team for groundbreaking research in neurotechnology (The Breakthrough Research and Innovation in Neurotechnology - B.R.A.I.N) at the international Braintech Israel 2013 Conference, hosted by Israel Brain Technologies (IBT), a non-profit organization inspired by the vision of President Peres. IBT is headed by Rafi Gidron and was founded in 2011 with the aim of making Israel a hub for brain research.

    BrainGate provides hope for disabled people all over the world through the creation of robotic and prosthetic arms which are controlled by neural sensors. The development is at the cutting edge of brain research which can allow disabled people to walk again and regain use of their arms. The 10 finalists are from some of the world's leading institutions including MIT, Brown, UCLA, UCSF as well as Israeli researches from top universities and businesses in the field of healthcare. The finalists were chosen from 70 projects, from 11 countries across the world.

    Upon presenting the prize President Peres said, "It’s a privilege to present this prize. It is the result of hard work. Personally I'm excited because a few years ago we turned Israel into a world leader in nanotechnology and now we must do the same with neurotechnology and brain science research. Israel can become a world leading start-up nation in brain research. Just as we are world leaders in nanotechnology so we can become leaders in brain research."