Center For Houston's Future

05/20/2026

What does it take to build a stronger brain economy in the age of AI?

This June, global leaders across healthcare, business, technology, policy, and research will gather in Houston for the Texas Brain Economy Summit: Catalyzing a New Wave of Innovation & Economic Growth.

📅 June 9–10, 2026
📍 Helix Park | Texas Medical Center

From workforce transformation and healthy aging to AI, investment, and innovation, the Summit will tackle some of the most important questions shaping our future:

🧠 How can brain capital drive long-term economic growth?
🧠 What role should employers play in supporting brain health?
🧠 How do we balance AI productivity gains with protecting human cognition?
🧠 What breakthroughs in neuroscience and innovation are poised to transform prevention, treatment, and care?

Featured sessions include:
▪️ Brain Health in the Workplace
▪️ Brain Economy & Brain Health in the Age of AI
▪️ Impact Investing in the Brain Economy
▪️ Measuring the Brain Economy
▪️ Healthy Aging & Brain Resilience
▪️ Global Perspectives on the Brain Economy

Speakers include leaders from organizations such as the World Economic Forum, U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Google Xi, McKinsey Health Institute, Microsoft EMEA, Alzheimer’s Association, bp America, and more.

🎟️ Register today: https://lnkd.in/gUQnPid3
🔗 View the agenda and speaker lineup: https://lnkd.in/gdM55ajW

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04/21/2026

🎤 Speaker Spotlight: Jaime De Mora

As AI tools become part of our everyday workflows, a new challenge is emerging: how do we ensure they’re enhancing—not eroding—our cognitive abilities?

At the Texas Brain Economy Summit, Jaime de Mora—AI researcher, professor, and co-founder of CogniGuard—will dive into one of the most pressing questions of the AI era: what is unmeasured AI use doing to our thinking, performance, and long-term brain health?

Jaime will introduce a first-of-its-kind approach to measuring cognitive fitness in the age of AI, offering a new lens on adoption that goes beyond productivity to focus on human capability, resilience, and the future of the brain economy.

Join us to hear from Jaime- this is a session you won’t want to miss. Follow along as we feature our speaker line up from organizations including UTMB, Rice University and more!

We're glad to partner with UTMB!

⏳ Early bird rates end April 30—secure your spot now.
🔗 Register now: https://lnkd.in/gfCUXdEW

04/20/2026

The future of economic growth is increasingly tied to the health and performance of the human brain.

This June, Center for Houston’s Future, Project Metis, and The University of Texas Medical Branch are bringing global leaders together for the Texas Brain Economy Summit: Catalyzing the Next Wave of Innovation & Economic Growth.

📅 June 9–10, 2026
📍 Helix Park, Texas Medical Center (Houston)

This high-impact event will convene leaders from academia, industry, investment, and government—including participants from the World Economic Forum, U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and other global partners.

Together, they’ll explore how brain capital is emerging as a critical economic driver in the age of AI—and what that means for workforce transformation, innovation in brain health, and long-term economic growth.

Join the conversation and be part of shaping what’s next.

👉 Save your spot today, early bird rate ends April 30th! https://lnkd.in/gfCUXdEW

04/17/2026

We’re grateful to Houston Public Media’s Hello Houston team for featuring a conversation with David Gow and Dr. Jochen Reiser (UTMB) on the future of brain health—and the emerging “brain economy”—in Houston and beyond.

They shared the vision behind Project Metis, a bold regional effort bringing together leading institutions to position the Houston/Galveston area as a global leader in brain health, innovation, and economic growth.

Project Metis is built on a powerful idea: investing in brain health isn’t just a medical priority—it’s an economic one. As Dr. Reiser explains, brain health is becoming one of the defining frontiers of this century, with the potential to drive human flourishing, workforce productivity, and long-term economic competitiveness.

This kind of cross-sector collaboration is exactly what’s needed to turn research into real-world impact—from early development to workforce wellbeing to healthy aging.

We’re excited to see this momentum building across our region!

🎥 Watch the full segment (start at 29:18): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hFB_5z9Zgkg

03/12/2026

We’re excited to announce the launch of Brain Capital HTX.

Developed as part of Center for Houston’s Future-led Project Metis -- an initiative focused on lifelong brain health, human flourishing, and economic growth — Brain Capital HTX serves as a central hub connecting partners, institutions, and organizations working to position Houston as a global leader in the emerging brain economy

The site will highlight work from leading institutions across the region, including our partners The University of Texas Medical Branch, Rice University, and Memorial Hermann Health System, and share insights, resources and initiatives advancing brain health and brain capital.

If you haven’t already, watch our video “Introducing Project Metis: Global Leadership in Brain Health and the Emerging Brain Economy” to learn how Houston’s institutions, researchers, and community leaders are coming together to lead this global movement.

🌐 Explore the new site: https://braincapitalhtx.com/

🎥 Watch the Project Metis video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vYmLnWTPCx8&t=3s

03/09/2026

Momentum continues growing around the Center-led Project Metis, which aims to position Houston as a global leader in the emerging brain economy—an effort focused on lifelong brain health, human flourishing, and economic growth.

Our new video, “Introducing Project Metis: Global Leadership in Brain Health and the Emerging Brain Economy,” highlights the opportunity for Houston’s institutions, researchers, and community leaders to collaborate to lead this global movement.

🎥 Learn more from our partners — The University of Texas Medical Branch, Rice University, Memorial Hermann Health System, UT MD Anderson, bp, and Eric Mullins — about Project Metis.

Watch the video: https://youtu.be/vYmLnWTPCx8

We’re also preparing to launch BrainCapitalHTX, a website that will serve as a hub for brain health resources, research, and initiatives. Stay tuned!

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The University of Texas Medical Branch, Rice University and Memorial Hermann Health System are proud to announce the formal launch of Project Metis, a ground...

02/06/2026

25 years of making a difference. A vision for the next 25.

As Center for Houston's Future wraps our 25th anniversary celebrations, we're proud to share our 2025 Annual Report—a year of remarkable achievements and forward momentum for our region.

Key Highlights:

🧠 Project Metis Launched – We're positioning Houston as a global leader in the emerging brain economy, bringing together UTMB, Rice University, Memorial Hermann, and other leading institutions to advance lifelong brain health and economic growth.

🌆 Vision 2050 – Hundreds of community leaders helped us envision Houston's future across four pillars: Prosperity, Place, Pillars, and Perception. Visit futurehouston.org to explore the blueprint.

💡 Clean Hydrogen & Energy Workforce – We successfully completed our clean hydrogen initiatives and will be releasing a comprehensive workforce handbook addressing future energy jobs and how to fill them with our existing workforce.

👥 Record Leadership Forum Participation – 77 leaders joined our Business/Civic Leadership Forums in 2025, bringing our alumni network to nearly 1,500 leaders. As we prepare to convene our 50th cohort in 2026, the impact continues to grow.

🎉 Community Celebration – Our 25th anniversary events honored our Top 25 Alumni and 75 Leaders Who Stand Apart, which culminated in a record-breaking Dinner and Conversation with nearly 400 guests.

From our beginnings in 2000 to today, we continue to look "over the horizon" at trends that will shape our region's future. Thank you to our partners, alumni, and supporters who make this work possible.

📄 Read the full report:https://www.futurehouston.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/2025-Annual-Report-FINAL.pdf

Empower Houston with our nonprofit's strategic initiatives in energy, healthcare, and immigration. Join us today for transformative change!

02/05/2026

Spring 2026 will mark a historic moment for Center for Houston’s Future as it celebrates the 50th cohort of its Leadership Forum.

For over a quarter of a century, the program has united visionary leaders from across business, government, nonprofit, and community sectors in a shared learning experience. Drawn from throughout Greater Houston, participants represent a wide range of industries, backgrounds, and perspectives that mirror the diversity of the region itself.

Alumni consistently describe the experience as transformational, energizing, broadening their perspective, and inspiring deeper engagement on the issues that matter most.

Ready to take the next step in your leadership journey?

Learn more about our Business/Civic Leadership Forum: https://lnkd.in/gjPX_JW3

01/13/2026

What a year 2025 was! We celebrated 25 years of community impact, honored our Business/Civic Leadership Forum Top Alumni, launched Project Metis—our groundbreaking brain health initiative—and advanced Vision 2050, our strategic visioning for Greater Houston's future.

Now in 2026, we're ready to build on that foundation.

Join us at our Annual Meeting on January 29 as CEO David Gow presents key findings from Vision 2050, shares Project Metis updates, and unveils our strategic priorities for the year ahead.

You'll learn how we're driving transformative change across economic development, civic engagement, and regional growth.

📅 Thursday, January 29 | 5:30–7:30 PM
📍 Partnership Tower, 701 Avenida de las Americas, Suite 900, Houston, TX 77010

This is your chance to see how partnership creates impact. Together, we're not just imagining Houston's future—we're actively shaping it.

Register now: https://lnkd.in/gXGsTJxu

01/01/2026

Happy New Year, Houston 🎊

2026 is here, and we're excited about what's ahead for our region!

At the Center for Houston's Future, we believe Houston's best days are still to come. Our diversity, our innovative spirit, and our ability to work together make us unstoppable.

To our incredible supporters, Leadership Forum alumni, and all our fellow Houstonians—thank you for being part of this journey. Together, we're building a region where everyone can thrive.

Here's to new opportunities, bold ideas, and a year of progress for the place we call home. Let's make 2026 unforgettable! 🚀

#2026