Donders Institute
The Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour is a world-class research centre devoted to understanding the mechanistic underpinnings of human cognition and behavior in health and disease. We are home to more than 600 researchers from over 40 countries who share the common goal of contributing to the advancement of the brain-, cognitive- and behavioral sciences through investigator-driven research, and improving health, education and technology by applying advances in this field.
Our mission: from molecules to minds to population
Our mission includes conducting interdisciplinary research of excellence at the unique interface between genetic, molecular and cellular processes at one end, and computational, system-level neuroscience with cognitive and behavioral analysis at the other end.
In this range, we focus our research on four specialized research themes:
- Theme 1: Language and Communication
- Theme 2: Perception, Action and Decision-making
- Theme 3: Development and Lifelong Plasticity
- Theme 4: Natural Computing & Neurotechnology
Our aim: applied research
The research conducted at the Donders Institute has enormous potential for benefiting society and the Institute also gears its research towards current and anticipated societal issues and challenges.
Portfolios
Besides performing interdisciplinary research of excellence devoted to understanding the mechanistic underpinnings of human cognition and behavior in health and disease, a set of portfolios have been defined on which the partners within the institute collaborate on together.
Donders Institute brochure
Read more about the different research themes, research methodologies, numbers and figures of the Donders Institute in the brochure.
Research reports
Our annual research reports give a short overview of the achievements in research and future plans at the Donders Institute and Radboud University.
Research Report Donders Institute 2020 (pdf, 94 kB)
External evaluations
An External Evaluation Committee, chaired by Prof. dr. Menno Witter (Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Norway), assessed the performance of the Donders Institute over the period 2013-2018, qualifying our research as excellent.
Our next external evaluation is planned for 2025.