One of these is examples is the Neuro-AI Focus Group, co-organised by postdoctoral researcher Thirza Dado and PhD candidate Dota Tianai Dong from the Donders Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging. “The idea grew out of a shared interest across labs and centres in the intersection of neuroscience and AI,” says Thirza. “We use AI models to better understand the brain and, in turn, insights from neuroscience help us build better AI systems. It’s a truly bi-directional exchange.”
Neuro-AI Focus Group
The group brings together researchers from across the Donders Institute, from cognitive neuroscience and artificial intelligence to linguistics and decision sciences. “Everyone is scattered across campus,” explains Thirza. “You have people at DCC, DCMN, CLS, and MPI all working on related questions, but often in parallel. We wanted to create a regular space where they could meet, exchange ideas, and maybe even start unexpected collaborations.” Rather than polished presentations, the Neuro-AI meetings emphasise open discussion and exploration. “We encourage people to bring early-stage ideas — things that are still rough around the edges,” says Thirza. “It’s about inspiring new thinking rather than showing perfect results.”
For early-career scientists, such interdisciplinary encounters can be eye-opening. “I’m funded by the Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics and working within the Donders Institute,” Tianai explains. “Even though we’re literally neighbours, I rarely had the chance to interact with people from different institutes. Now I get to meet researchers with very different takes: some are critical of AI, others very enthusiastic and that mix makes the discussions really rich.”
The first Neuro-AI meeting drew around 40 participants. “The Research Stimulation Fund makes it easy for young researchers to take initiative for new research,” Thirza notes. “You can build something new that connects people, without waiting for a top-down project to start.”
To further encourage collaboration
At the Donders Institute, cooperation is stimulated by funding research initiatives that harness the strength of the network to tackle pressing scientific and societal challenges. Edward de Haan, Scientific Director of the Donders Institute, explains: “To further encourage collaboration, we created the Donders Research Stimulation Fund — designed to help researchers build new partnerships and launch innovative projects across our six research centres. Now, the third round of the Research Stimulation Fund is open for applications. The Research Stimulation Fund reflects the core of who we are as a research community: open, curious, and collaborative. By supporting initiatives like the Neuro-AI focus group, we enable researchers to connect ideas and disciplines, and to develop projects that push the boundaries of brain, cognition and behaviour.”
Apply before before December 1st
Visit the Donders Research Stimulation Funds pages for more information on cross-centre collaboration and focus group funding and apply before December 1st.