Dutch Brain Interface Initiative (DBI²) organised Hands-On Neurotechnology Training for Junior Researchers at TU Delft

The Dutch Brain Interface Initiative (DBI²) successfully organised a two-day intensive training event on March 27–28, 2025, at Delft University of Technology (TU Delft). The event brought together 21 junior researchers from across the consortium for an immersive experience focused on exploring closed-loop system behaviour and bioelectronics.

Organized by Dr. Mark van de Ruit and Prof. Wouter Serdijn, the program featured lectures, hands-on workshops, lab visits, and live demonstrations led by senior and junior researchers from TU Delft.

The two full-day programme was the following:

Day 1, coordinated by Dr. Mark van de Ruit, focused on exploring closed-loop system behaviour. Highlights included:

• A keynote lecture by Prof. Frans van der Helm on the importance of understanding the interaction between the controller and system (e.g., animal or human) in a closed-loop.
• A hands-on tour of the NeuroMuscularControl and EEG labs, including a demo on joint impedance identification.
• Workshops and lectures from Ioannis Kyriazis, Dr. Matin Jafarian, and Dr. Mark van de Ruit, testing attendees' closed-loop control performance, showing the potential of system identification to reveal information processing of the brain and introducing non-linear memory modelling.  

Day 2, coordinated and hosted by Prof. Wouter Serdijn, concentrated on bioelectronic microsystems for closed-loop neuromodulation. Highlights included:

• A keynote by Dr. Christos Pavlou on soft, multimodal neural interfaces.
• An interactive workshop by Dr. Tiago Costa and Samuel Desmarais on ultrasound technologies in neurotech, followed by a lab tour at the BioSonics Lab.
• A demonstration of cutting-edge neurotechnology in action, including a cleanroom and wetlab tour and live presentations of a 64-channel graphene multi-electrode array.
• Lectures by Arash Akhoundhi, Dr. Dante Muratore, and Prof. Wouter Serdijn on multi-channel neural recording, wireless neurotechnology and energy harvesting for medical implants.
• A closing workshop by the NeuroTechHub, a community for scientists in the field of neurotechnology, on the evolving role of young researchers in the neurotechnology ecosystem.

This event is part of DBI²’s ongoing mission to foster young talent and collaboration in brain-computer interface research. By equipping early-career researchers with practical knowledge and access to state-of-the-art facilities, DBI² is building a strong foundation for the future of neurotechnology in the Netherlands.