For the second Excellent Paper on Neuroscience Award (EPNA) call in the field of Ethical, legal, and social Aspects of Neuroscience ERA-Net NEURON, a special lecture for the awardee was presented at the highly regarded International Neuroethics Society (INS) conference in Lucca, Italy.

ERA-NET NEURON collaborated with the INS, providing the awardee with the unique opportunity to present his research at this interdisciplinary conference. The conference was organized by the INS in partnership with the Società Italiana di Neuroetica (SINe). This edition of the INS conference was held simultaneously across three global locations—Lucca (Italy), Stellenbosch (South Africa), and Stanford (USA)—with hybrid connectivity linking all venues.

A key focus of the conference was on neurotechnology and artificial intelligence, particularly addressing regulatory and ethical challenges from a global perspective.

The 2024 awardee, Dr Christopher Poppe, is currently a postdoctoral researcher at Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Germany. He completed his PhD in Biomedical Ethics at the University of Basel, Switzerland. His research interests include clinical ethics in psychiatry and psychotherapy, emerging and underexplored interventions, and end-of-life issues in patients with neurodegenerative and psychiatric disorders. He received the award for his publication: ‘‘Brain–Computer Interfaces, Completely Locked-In State in Neurodegenerative Diseases, and End-of-Life Decisions" published in Bioethical Inquiry 21, 19–27 (2024).

The special lecture and award ceremony was opened by Dr Anna Gossen, representing ERA-NET NEURON on behalf of Dr. Ulrike Bußhoff, coordinator of ERA-NET NEURON, and Dr Erkki Raulo, the Finnish initiator of the NEURON award program. In her remarks, Dr Gossen provided an overview of the NEURON network’s activities and the European Partnership for Brain Health, highlighting funding initiatives and projects related to ELSA.

Introducing the EPNA, she expresses her pleasure in awarding the prize for the second time in this field. The award recognizes outstanding first-author publications in international peer-reviewed journals within three years of completing a doctoral degree. This year’s award-winning paper an ethical framework for the use of brain-computer interfaces in individuals with terminal neurodegenerative diseases.

Person standing behind a wooden podium with 'IMT' and 'SCUOLA DI STUDI ITALIANI' on it in a conference room with flags and a seated person at a wooden desk
Dr Christopher Poppe © ERANET-NEURON
Person standing behind a wooden podium with 'IMT Scuola Alti Studi Lucca' on the front, speaking in a room with a stone wall and a banner showing a building and palm trees
Dr Anna Gossen © ERANET-NEURON
Rollup banner for Neuroethics 2026 conference showing a building with palm trees, event title, subtitle, and logos of participating institutions
© ERANET-NEURON
Person standing indoors against a brick wall holding a certificate next to a sign on a stand
Dr Christopher Poppe © ERANET-NEURON