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The Transylvanian Institute of Neuroscience (TINS) was launched in 2017 to establish a world-class neuroscience hub in Romania. Turning this vision into reality required expertise, resources and international collaboration. Enter NEUROTWIN, designed to accelerate the development of neuroscience in eastern Europe.
“One of our main problems was that neuroscience research is very underdeveloped,” says Raul Muresan, director of experimental and theoretical neuroscience at TINS. “During communist times, cognitive brain research was actually forbidden by law in Romania. NEUROTWIN was born out of the need to develop this field.”
Building scientific excellence
To achieve its ambitious goals, NEUROTWIN brought together leading European neuroscience institutions: the Ernst Strüngmann Institute in Germany, Sainsbury Wellcome Centre at University College London (UCL), and Imagine Institute in France.
This gave Romanian researchers access to top-tier facilities and training, allowing them to work alongside some of the best neuroscientists in the world. Early-career scientists were posted to these institutions to learn experimental techniques, research methodologies as well as the administrative side of major projects.
At the same time, NEUROTWIN focused on raising neuroscience’s profile in Romania. One significant initiative was the TINS Neuroscience Seminar Series, originally intended as an in-person event in Transylvania. When COVID-19 struck, the series moved online and unexpectedly took off.
“We managed to build a global community through our seminar series,” adds Muresan. “It started as a way to bring top lecturers to Romania, but moving it online allowed us to engage with students and researchers from the United States, Asia and beyond.”
Another milestone was the Transylvanian Experimental Neuroscience Summer School (TENSS), a hands-on programme that, with NEUROTWIN’s backing, became one of the world’s most respected neuroscience training programmes, attracting applicants from over 40 countries each year.
Thriving in uncertainty
NEUROTWIN wasn’t just about research, it was also about resilience. First came the pandemic, which forced organisers to rethink how they conducted training and seminars. Then, as things were getting back on track, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine sent shockwaves through the region.
“We are some 150 km from the border, and applications to our summer school dropped sharply when the conflict started,” notes Muresan. “People were understandably hesitant to come to a place so close to a war zone. But we managed to push through the crisis.”
Despite these challenges, the project thrived. By the end of NEUROTWIN, TINS had expanded from a few employees in 2018 to over 25 researchers, securing its place as a leading neuroscience institute in eastern Europe. The project’s success also encouraged leading professors such as Gabriel Balmus to return to Romania and establish new research groups at TINS.
From microscope to market
NEUROTWIN’s influence extends beyond academia. The project has also sparked innovation such as the development of Superlets, a novel signal-processing method initially designed for brain research using gamma oscillations. Its applications have impacted well beyond the project boundaries and it has now expanded into fields such as quantum physics, and has even been used in India to predict power line failures.
Another breakthrough was a brain-computer interface developed using non-invasive EEG technology. This system, now patented in the United States and Europe, has led to the creation of Intelimensa, a start-up working on bringing brain-controlled gaming devices to market.
What’s next?
The collaborations established by NEUROTWIN and the research it enabled have permanently altered the trajectory of neuroscience in Romania.
“NEUROTWIN was much more than just a research grant, it was a transformative experience for us,” Muresan concludes. “It gave us visibility and support to grow from a small institute to a recognised player in European neuroscience.”
With new funding proposals in the pipeline and an expanding team of researchers, TINS is now leading neuroscience in eastern Europe. What was once an overlooked field in Romania is now a thriving research community setting new standards in brain science.