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Integrative Strategies for Understanding Neural and Cognitive Systems (NCS) is sponsored by National Science Foundation (NSF). NSF seeks proposals that pursue high-value scientific and technical risks by transcending the perspectives and approaches typical of disciplinary research efforts.
This cross-directorate program is one element of NSF's participation in the Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies (BRAIN) Initiative. Projects supported by this program will bridge temporal and spatial scales, levels of abstraction, levels of analysis, and disciplinary, methodological, and technological approaches.
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Integrative Strategies for Understanding Neural and Cognitive Systems (NCS) | NSF - U.S. National Science Foundation Integrative Strategies for Understanding Neural and Cognitive Systems (NCS) Archived funding opportunity This document has been archived.
Important information for proposers and award recipients All proposals must be submitted in accordance with the requirements specified in the funding opportunity and in the Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG) and its supplements . All NSF grants and cooperative agreements are subject to the applicable set of NSF award terms and conditions . NSF has updated its research security policies for NSF funded projects.
Supports interdisciplinary research in four focus areas: neuroengineering and brain-inspired designs; individuality and variation; cognitive and neural processes in complex environments; and data-intensive cognitive science and neuroscience.
The complexities of brain and behavior pose fundamental questions in many areas of science and engineering, drawing intense interest across a broad spectrum of disciplinary perspectives while eluding explanation by any one of them.
Rapid advances within and across disciplines are leading to an increasingly interwoven fabric of theories, models, empirical methods and findings, and educational approaches, opening new opportunities to understand complex aspects of neural and cognitive systems through integrative multidisciplinary approaches.
This program calls for innovative, convergent, boundary-crossing proposals that can best capture those opportunities and map out new research frontiers. NSF seeks proposals that pursue high-value scientific and technical risks by transcending the perspectives and approaches typical of disciplinary research efforts.
This cross-directorate program is one element of NSF’s participation in the Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies (BRAIN) Initiative ( http://www. nsf. gov/brain/ ).
NSF envisions a connected portfolio of transformative, integrative projects that create synergistic links across investigators and communities, yielding novel ways of tackling the challenges of understanding the brain in action and in context. This solicitation extends the NCS program for three years, from FY2021 through FY2023, including biennial competitions for the FRONTIERS proposal class.
The program focuses on four aspects of neural and cognitive systems that are current targets of converging interdisciplinary interests.
NCS projects must advance the foundations of one or more of these focus areas, as described further within the solicitation: Neuroengineering and Brain-Inspired Concepts and Designs Individuality and Variation Cognitive and Neural Processes in Realistic, Complex Environments Data-Intensive Neuroscience and Cognitive Science Proposals must address both risk and reward: high-risk, high-payoff approaches are expected .
Proposals must also go beyond the scope of any NSF core program , or they will not be considered responsive to this solicitation. NCS will consider two classes of proposals. FOUNDATIONS awards will support high-risk, high-payoff projects that advance the foundations of one or more NCS focus areas.
FRONTIERS awards (FY2021 and FY2023 competitions only) will support ambitious, highly integrative, interdisciplinary projects that advance and connect multiple integrative research threads to tackle challenges that would be intractable without a high level of collaboration and coordination.
Community-driven efforts such as workshops or synthesis papers are also encouraged, to map out new frontiers at the interface of neuroscience and other disciplines that could reshape brain research and its applications.
Updates and announcements BRAIN Initiative Meeting to host NSF networking opportunity on June 12, 2023 Directorate representatives: Sridhar Raghavachari, Directorate for Biological Sciences, telephone: (703) 292-4845, email: sraghava@nsf. gov Floh Thiels, Directorate for Biological Sciences, telephone: (703) 292-8167, email: ethiels@nsf.
gov Mitra Basu, Directorate for Computer & Information Science & Engineering, telephone: (703) 292-8910, email: mbasu@nsf. gov Rita V. Rodriguez, Directorate for Computer & Information Science & Engineering, telephone: (703) 292-8950, email: rrodrigu@nsf.
gov Kenneth Whang, Directorate for Computer & Information Science & Engineering, telephone: (703) 292-5149, email: kwhang@nsf. gov Ellen Carpenter, Directorate for Education and Human Resources, telephone: (703) 292-5104, email: elcarpen@nsf. gov Gregg Solomon, Directorate for Education and Human Resources, telephone: (703) 292-8333, email: gesolomo@nsf.
gov Grace Hwang, Directorate for Engineering, telephone: (703) 292-4271, email: ghwang@nsf. gov Albert Wang, Directorate for Engineering, telephone: (703) 292-7230, email: awang@nsf. gov John Zhang, Directorate for Engineering, telephone: (703) 292-8339, email: jzhang@nsf.
gov Fahmida Chowdhury, International Programs Liaison, Office of International Science and Engineering, telephone: (703) 292-4672, email: fchowdhu@nsf. gov Dwight Kravitz , Directorate for Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences, telephone: (703) 292-4502, email: dkravitz@nsf.
gov Additional program resources NSF Funds New Multidisciplinary Approaches to Study the Brain NSF Funds New Integrative Approaches to Cognitive Science, Neuroscience Dear Colleague Letter: Stimulating Educational Neuroscientific Research through the Integrative Strategies for Understanding Neural and Cognitive Systems (NCS) program Awards made through this program Browse projects funded by this program Directorate for Biological Sciences (BIO) Directorate for Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE) Directorate for STEM Education (EDU) Directorate for Engineering (ENG) Directorate for Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences (SBE)
According to the current listing, eligibility includes: NSF provides grants and cooperative agreements to more than 2,000 colleges, universities, K-12 school systems, businesses, informal science organizations and other research organizations throughout the US. Confirm the full requirements in the official notice before applying.
Integrative Strategies for Understanding Neural and Cognitive Systems (NCS) is funded by National Science Foundation (NSF). Verify program details on the funder's official page before applying.
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