Chinese Institute for Brain Research, Beijing (CIBR)
Beijing brain science institute, established in 2018, that developed the Beinao-1 semi-invasive brain implant with its spinout NeuCyber NeuroTech. Director Luo Minmin co-leads the programme.
Overview
The Chinese Institute for Brain Research, Beijing (CIBR) was established in 2018 as part of Beijing’s push into brain science and neurotechnology. It incubated NeuCyber NeuroTech, which is owned by the state-owned Zhongguancun Development Corporation. CIBR director Luo Minmin co-leads the Beinao programme and has called for China, the United States and Europe to collaborate on BCI development.
Beinao-1
Beinao-1 is a wireless, fully implanted BCI whose 128-channel flexible array sits on the outer surface of the dura mater without breaching it. CIBR describes the channel count as a global record for a semi-invasive implant of its class. Participants have used it to operate a robotic arm and a computer cursor, and a patient with ALS produced output from a vocabulary of about 100 common Chinese words.
On 13 April 2026 surgeons at Beijing Tiantan Hospital implanted Beinao-1 in a livestreamed operation watched by hundreds of specialists. Seven patients had been implanted before that procedure. CIBR plans 13 investigator-initiated implants during 2026, then a formal trial of around 50 patients once regulators approve. At Xuanwu Hospital, Beinao-1 has been paired with spinal cord stimulation in a paraplegic man whose injury classification improved from ASIA Grade A to Grade C after a year.
Why it matters
Beinao-1 accepts lower signal resolution than penetrating arrays in exchange for lower surgical risk, on a cost structure designed for public reimbursement. A second system, Beinao-2, uses penetrating electrodes, is in preclinical work and was previewed at the Zhongguancun Forum in Beijing in March 2026.
Coverage on InsideBCI
- 21 March 2026: Beijing’s Top BCI Startup Admits It’s Three Years Behind Neuralink
- 24 March 2026: China’s Beinao-1 Reaches Five Patients With Semi-Invasive Brain Chip
- 14 April 2026: China livestreams a brain implant: Beinao-1 goes live
- 24 May 2026: Chinese paraplegic patient regains partial sensation and movement one year after world-first combined Beinao-1 BCI and brain-spine interface surgery