The potential of neurotechnology for controlling activity in the brain has rapidly increased, opening new windows for scientific breakthroughs (e.g. in reading brain activity) and clinical applications (e.g. restoring brain functions and communication). With this proposal we will establish a joint Nijmegen - Maastricht institutional platform on neural control for joint research, knowledge exchange, education and fund raising activities. This platform will initially take the form of a virtual expertise centre, with the longer-term ambition to develop this into a nationally
recognized centre of excellence in neural control. We will, for example, try to establish the centre as part of the KNAW institutes and have initiated discussions with the Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience. Furthermore, we aim to use the platform to co-develop applications for ambitious funding programmes such as the Gravitation grant.
The full promise of neural control requires closing the loop from basic neuroscience to translational neuroscience, and relies on further development of neurotechnology and Artificial Intelligence as key enabling technologies underlying neural control. Radboud and UM, together with their UMCs, have been at the forefront of the basic neuroscience research and technological development driving neurotechnological applications and are therefore uniquely positioned to push this field forward in the next 10 years. To join forces in closing the loop, we will in the coming years under the umbrella of the proposed institutional platform undertake the following activities:
- Conduct joint research activities combining basic neuroscience and key enabling technologies to measure and control brain activity at different time scales with the aim to increase our mechanistic understanding of brain function and restore brain function in patient populations
- Co-develop large grant applications
- Organize a joint annual symposium to stimulate knowledge exchange and new collaborations
- Stimulate student exchange through offering cross-centre Bachelor electives and organizing a joint lectureseries on Neural Control
- Develop a joint minor in neural control in the context of the new Bachelor programmes Brain science (UM) and Humane neurowetenschappen (RU)
- Develop joint master internship projects and joint skills courses for the Master Cognitive and Clinical Neuroscience at UM and Cognitive Neuroscience and Neurotechnology master programmes at RU
- Opening up graduate training courses across the institutes
- Intensify and extend coalitions with health institutions and other R&D partners in the region.
