'Meeting of minds', a European project co-ordinationed by the King Baudouin Foundation and supported by the Commission, brings European citizens together to discuss and debate the ethical, social and legal issues of brain science with relevant research, policy and ethics experts, stakeholders and European institutions.
The project organised a citizens' convention - bringing together 123 citizens from nine countries - on brain science in Brussels on 3-5 June 2005. The convention's final report presents six broad themes (including regulation and control and pressure from economic interests) that citizens consider essential for further investigations.
The conclusions and the related questions will be presented to European and national policymakers and further discussed in other panels and the next European convention (January 2006).
These citizens' panels are an answer to the call for greater public involvement in the debate on future European research, technological decision-making and governance.
