Whether it concerns large corporations, small businesses, or schools and public institutions, there is a strong case for being “brain positive”. This means placing human cognition, adaptability, and good mental health the organizing logic of strategy.
It all starts with an environment that actively supports employees’ mental health. Beyond fostering an open culture with no taboos or stigma, organizations must proactively design work in ways that promote positive mental health outcomes. Accessible psychosocial support should be available any time.
Secondly, brain-positivity means a deliberate commitment to improving “brain skills”, core cognitive capacities such as memory, attention, and critical thinking, alongside creativity, emotional intelligence, and social skills. These are our most valuable assets in an age of rapid technological acceleration. Training and upskilling programs must be designed to cultivate and protect them.
Thirdly, there is a need to recalibrate toward true complementarity between humans and machines. In the race for AI adoption, blind delegation of tasks to algorithms must give way to a more intentional model where people and technology work in conjunction. There is growing evidence that this approach delivers better outcomes for performance, trust, and mental health alike.
Finally, the ecosystem and built environment are not neutral – they actively shape how we think, create, and feel. A growing body of research makes this clear: physical space can amplify or erode cognition, creativity, and wellbeing. Initiatives such as the Building Brains Coalition, launched in 2024 by HKS, and the research led by Swedish Research Institute RISE, are pushing this insight forward, translating breakthroughs from neuroscience, psychology, climate science, and public health into the future of architecture and design.
Organizations often treat these dimensions as separate priorities. It is time to bring them under one umbrella.
Enter: the Brain Positive Organization.
NeuroCentury is active at the intersection of science, policy, technology, and business.
It provides analytical insights and conceptual, strategic guidance for governments, international organisations and companies.
It offers business development support and tailor-made market positioning advice.
It aims at impact and engages in public policy advocacy in Europe and globally.
Given how close neuroscience and neurotechnology come to the essence of what it means to be human, strong ethical norms must be a precondition of progress in brain science and brain medicine. Implementation of the principles of ethics by design requires joint effort of ethicists, philosophers, and neuroscientists,
working with patients, their communities and other interest groups.
NeuroCentury designs governance frameworks for neuroscience and neurotechnology projects.
It is engaged in the elaboration of public policy approaches to human-centric technology.
Named one of the ten most promising emerging technologies by the OECD, neurotechnology is booming, helping paralysed people to walk again and offering hope to visually impaired.
Neurotechnology can provide therapeutic solutions where traditional approaches fail. Contrary to pharmaceuticals, which have to cross multiple tissue barriers to act on their target, neurotechnology forms a direct link. NeuroCentury provides strategy and business development support to neurotechnology companies. It also contributes to the building of an inclusive neurotechnology medicine platform which allows for mutual synergies in bringing research results to the market.
In the 21st century, cognitive skills and abilities are essential for the accomplishment of socio-economic objectives. Therefore, building brain capital is fundamental for meeting modern societal challenges and driving innovation.
NeuroCentury is actively engaged in designing neuroscience-inspired public policies, including in the fields of education, environment, climate and food.
Seen as our ability to cope with everyday pressures, realize our potential and contribute to the communities around us, good mental health is an essential aspiration of
well-functioning societies.
As Thomas Insel writes in the book “Healing”, mental health problems are medical, but the solutions are not just medical - they are social, environmental, and political.
NeuroCentury designs mental health strategies and engages in promoting digital innovation to support the rollout of essential care and services.
A healthy brain requires a life course approach that starts from neurodevelopment in early childhood and goes all the way to healthy and active ageing.
NeuroCentury designs brain health strategies and their implementation pathways. It crafts brain health services and methods to mainstream prevention. Through its technology focus, it supports diagnostic and therapeutic breakthroughs. NeuroCentury champions the onset of neuromonitoring as part-and-parcel of standard clinical practice.