Hosted at the HealthPartners Neuroscience Center in Minneapolis, U.S., the HealthPartners Institute, the International Neurodegenerative Disorders Research Center (INDRC), the Center for Artificial Intelligence and Quantum Computing in System Brain Research (CLARA), and the Brain Watch Coalition convened a high-level scientific Roundtable on April 16, 2026.
This strategic meeting represents a continuation of a series of international engagements following recent INDRC and CLARA collaborations in India and Vietnam, further strengthening a globally connected ecosystem for innovation in brain health and artificial intelligence.
From Validation to Deployment
Held under the theme “Building Brain Health Infrastructure: From Validation to Deployment,” the roundtable addressed a central challenge in modern healthcare systems: the persistent gap between scientific validation and real-world implementation.
“Across health systems, we repeatedly see that even well-validated innovations struggle to reach routine clinical use,” said Dr. Ara Khachaturian, INDRC Chief Scientific Officer and the Brain Watch Coalition leader. “This meeting was designed to better understand what constitutes decision-grade evidence and how we can collectively move from promising results to scalable deployment.”
Unlike traditional conference formats, the session was structured as an interactive working discussion, bringing together perspectives from clinical practice, research, operations, and payer systems.
Leading experts in neuroscience, behavioral health, clinical research, and advanced technologies discussed the challenges that exist in translating breakthroughs in research. “We’re not lacking innovation in brain health —the science is accelerating,” said Dr. Nico Pronk, President and Chief Science Officer of the HealthPartners Institute during the event. “What’s missing is the ability to make that innovation routine, scalable, and embedded in real-world care.”
“It was an incredibly rich and productive discussion,” commented Dr. Nico Pronk. “What stood out to me is both the depth of expertise in the room and the shared commitment to moving from ideas to action.”
Participants are committed to ongoing international collaboration. Insights from the event will be shared through journal commentaries and follow-up articles, with an emphasis on continuing the dialogue and driving measurable progress in clinical outcomes.
“The goal is not only to understand where innovations fail, but to identify where targeted pilots can reduce uncertainty and accelerate adoption,” said Dr. Leah Hanson, the Senior Director of Research at the HealthPartners Center for Memory & Aging.
The Minneapolis Roundtable further reinforced the role of CLARA as the Center of Excellence creating a network of new partnerships and cooperations, linking technological innovation with clinical application across regions.
Dr. Jim Rice, Chairman, Executive Board of INDRC, remarked: “We are excited to begin exploring how collaboration between European and US researchers, care systems, and payers can yield enhanced access to knowledge that reduces the burdens of dementia and improves the quality of well-being for patients and their care providers.”
“CLARA’s mission is to connect advanced AI capabilities with real-world healthcare needs,” noted Prof. Václav Snášel, CLARA Director. “By working closely with partners like HealthPartners and leading health systems, we are building the conditions necessary for scalable and sustainable innovation.”
Strengthening a Global Innovation Ecosystem
The Minneapolis meeting underscores the growing importance of international collaboration in addressing complex neurological conditions. By connecting research, clinical practice, and system-level implementation, INDRC and CLARA continue to advance a new model of translational innovation.
Through ongoing partnerships across Europe, Asia, and North America, organizations are contributing to the development of a globally integrated brain health infrastructure, capable of delivering scalable and equitable solutions for patients worldwide.
