It seems to me that building a complete model of the human brain would necessarily be identical to creating a strong AI. If they build an incomplete model of a human brain then they have nonetheless created an (incomplete) strong AI.
If they manage to construct a complete model, they would have a strong AI. However, what they are trying to do is construct a model that incorporates everything we know about the human brain. From their, they can better observe how our model compairs to observed reality, and revise it accordingly. They can also test modifications to the model much easier. If they get to the point where their model is also a strong AI it would suggest that they have made great progress in understanding the human brain.
One of the wonderful joys of brain emulation is that you don't have to worry about "designing intelligence into it". Your goal is different; your goal is the human brain itself, without our historical baggage of abstractions like souls, minds, consciousness or intelligence. What if all of those ideas are wrong?
