CLARA is established as a Center of Excellence, but its ambition extends beyond the traditional definition. Rather than serving solely as a locus of high-quality research, CLARA is designed as a distributed computational and scientific infrastructure for understanding biological complexity. Combining artificial intelligence, high-performance and hybrid computing, and neuroscience enables the modeling of brain function as a dynamic, multiscale system—moving beyond static descriptions of disease toward predictive and actionable frameworks.
As the first Centers of Excellence of its kind in Central and Eastern Europe, CLARA sets a new benchmark for interdisciplinary collaboration. This is made possible through the combined expertise and unique infrastructures of all CLARA partners - INDRC, CIIRC CTU, ICRC, VSB-TUO, PBI, and LRZ - whose complementary strengths span brain research, molecular biology, neuroimaging, clinical research, artificial intelligence, high-performance computing, and quantum technologies. Together, they create a distributed research ecosystem capable of addressing some of the most complex challenges in neurodegeneration research.
Importantly, CLARA is designed not only to generate knowledge but to translate it into realworld impact. It enables the integration of insights into clinical workflows, supports the development of real-world evidence frameworks, and creates pathways for engagement with health systems and policy environments.