The China Brain Project is a 15-year project, approved by the Chinese National People's Congress in March 2016 as part of the 13th Five-Year Plan (2016–2020); it is one of four pilot programs of the Innovation of Science and Technology Forward 2030 program, targeted at research into the neural basis of cognitive function.
[1][2] Additional goals include improving diagnosis and prevention of brain diseases[3] and driving information technology and artificial intelligence projects that are inspired by the brain.
[1][4] The China Brain Project prioritizes brain-inspired AI over other approaches.
[5] The project is addressing legal, ethical, and social issues related to brain emulation (neuroethics) according to international standards and Chinese values.
[6] The project is supported by the Chinese Academy of Sciences' (CAS) Centre for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence, a consortium of laboratories at over twenty CAS institutes and universities,[2] and the Chinese Institute for Brain Research, launched in March 2018.