The Third International Whole Brain Architecture Workshop in ICONIP2025

November 24, 2025

Welcome

Welcome to the 3rd International Whole Brain Architecture Workshop, held on November 24, 2025! This workshop will be held in ICONIP2025 (32nd International Conference on Neural Information Processing) [link to the website of ICONIP2025].

Building brain-inspired artificial intelligence is a promising approach to engineering human-like problem-solving abilities. To achieve this, it is essential to understand and mimic the computational functions of the brain. This endeavor requires knowledge from various fields, including neuroscience and cognitive science.

This workshop is the third in a workshop series to promote the disclosure, sharing, and integration of information on BRA data (Note. 1) and data papers in standardized data formats. Through expert discussions on the data, the workshop is expected to contribute to the development of this field by clarifying the academic value of the data and deepening the understanding of the applicability of BRA data by gathering researchers from various fields. We look forward to your active submission of BRA data and data papers and your participation in the workshop.

Note 1. Brain Reference Architecture (BRA) is the design information for brain-shaped software, and consists of Brain Information Flow (BIF), which is the brain’s mesoscopic-level anatomical structure for human cognitive behavior, Hypothetical Component Diagram (HCD), which is a description of computational functions consistent with BIF, and Function Realization Graph (FRG), which expresses the hierarchical relationship of functions based on each component of HCD. BRA data refers to data representing BRA. Template file of BRA data are also available.

Call for Data and Papers

＊The latest deadline is the submission of abstracts for data papers. (deadline: TBA)

Aim and Scope

For reproducing the remarkable problem-solving abilities of humans, constructing brain-inspired artificial intelligence, in which we understand and simulate the computational functions of the brain, is a promising approach. This approach requires knowledge from a wide range of research fields, including neuro- and cognitive sciences. To design brain-inspired AI, it is vital to accumulate and share standardized design information as open knowledge, given the amount of knowledge is vast. Therefore, we will hold the second international workshop for cooperation and sharing of standardized design information (BRA data) for developing brain-inspired artificial intelligence. Another purpose of this workshop is to clarify the academic value of the submitted data sets through the sharing and expert discussion of the data and supplementary papers.

We call for BRA data and paper submission for this workshop. Submitted data and paper were reviewed and accepted data will be published on a portal site called BRA Editorial System (BRAES). The papers shall be registered at a preprint server and their DOIs will be submitted to BRAES. The DOIs will be shared on the program page of the workshop. We hope that the sharing and integration of brain-inspired AI design information will contribute to the development of this field. We look forward to your submission of BRA data and papers. We also welcome a wide range of presentations on work-in-process BRA data as well as insights related to the sharing and accumulation of BRA data. We look forward to your active participation.

Submission

We are calling for submissions of BRA data for this workshop and data papers that explain registered BRA data. Submitted BRA data and data papers will be peer-reviewed, and those that are accepted will be asked to give a presentation on the day of the workshop.

Before submitting BRA data, you are required to submit an abstract of your data paper in advance. After submitting the abstract of your data paper, you will need to submit the BRA data and data paper. The data paper is a paper that explains the contents of the BRA data. The data paper should be registered it on the preprint server (Jrxiv) before it is submitted along with the DOI on the submission site for this workshop. The DOI and the data paper will be published on the workshop program page (this page).

The BRA data and data papers will be peer-reviewed, and those that are accepted will be asked to give a presentation on the contents of the data on the day of the international symposium. Note: If you submit BRA data and paper, you may be in charge of review.

Abstract Submission (Deadline: TBA)

You can submit abstract of your BRA data paper for 3rd International WBA Workshop (2nd WBA-WS) through the submission  form shown below. Note: Submitting an abstract will be considered as an application for presentation on 2nd WBA-WS.

Submission form (for abstract): [TBA]

Data Submission (Deadline: TBA)

Data include BRA data and Graphic data (BIF Image/HCD Image/FRG Image).

Paper DOI and Paper Submission (Deadline: TBA)

When your BRA data will be accepted, you are required to submit a paper DOI and paper. The paper should be written in accordance with the following guidelines.

  • The following template (TeX) should be used:
    • Template for International Whole Brain Architecture Workshop [TBA]
    • You can see sample papers at BRAES
  • No page limit
  • It should be written in English.
  • It should be submitted to Jxiv.
    • The DOI published on Jxiv is required at the time of paper DOI submission.
      • Note: it takes time to publish on Jxiv so submission to Jxiv should be done as early as possible.
    • To post to Jxiv, you need to register with researchmap or ORCID. Please check the Jxiv terms, guidelines, and manual in advance.
  • We provide the platform BRAES (BRA Editorial System) for data submission, data review and sharing the accepted data and paper. Please submit your data and paper

*Submission review site:  BRA Editorial System  (BRAES)   [WBA Wiki]

Important Dates

  • TBA

Date and location

  • Date:
    • 24th November 2025 (Mon.)
  • Location:
    • Conference Center, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST)

Program

  • 9:00-9:10   Welcome and Opening Remarks
  • 9:10-10:00 Keynote Talk
  • 10:00-10:10   Guide for Audience
  • 10:10-11:10   Oral Presentation
  • 11:10-11:50   Panel Discussion
  • 11:50-12:00   Closing Remarks

Organizers

  • Yoshimasa Tawatsuji (The University of Tokyo, The Whole Brain Architecture Initiative)
  • Hiroshi Yamakawa (The University of Tokyo, The Whole Brain Architecture Initiative)

Attendees

Please make a registration at ICONIP2025 website! [Registration page: here]

*Submitters are also asked to register for participation.

Peer review criteria

The peer review of data papers is conducted based on the following criteria.

  1. Comprehensibility: The content of the paper is clearly and concisely written, making it easy for readers to understand.
  2. Reproducibility: The methods for data collection, processing, and analysis are described in detail, allowing other researchers to reproduce the same results.
  3. Transparency: The process of constructing the dataset and the tools and techniques used are thoroughly explained, making the entire research process clear.

Contacts

Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions or troubles.
BRA support team: bra-support@wba-initiative.org