Call for Proposals for Transnational Research Projects on Neurotechnologies in the frame of NeuroNex network (2019) / 2019-2020

The Next Generation Networks for Neuroscience (NeuroNex), in which the Fonds de recherche du Québec (FRQ) is a partner, is launching a joint transnational and interdisciplinary call for proposals to support research in the fields of Neurotechnologie and Neuroscience.

The program is open to all researchers in the fields covered from Fonds de recherche du Québec –Santé (FRQS) et le Fonds de recherche du Québec –Nature & technologies (FRQNT).

The overall objectives of NeuroNex call are:

1. establishment of distributed, international research networks that build on existing global investments in Neurotechnologies to address overarching questions in neuroscience;
2. foster international cooperation by seeding close interactions between a wide array of organizations across the world;
3. creating links and articulating alliances between multiple recently launched international brain projects;
4. support collaborative networks comprised of international teams of disciplinarily diverse researchers working on a common foundational question in neuroscience.

Research Areas: 

A Network must be composed of international teams (IRGs) that include disciplinarily diverse experimentalists and theorists working to obtain mechanistic insights into foundational questions in neuroscience. These networks must incorporate:

a. Strong integration across levels of study within an organism

b. Comparative analysis of neural underpinnings of behavior in naturalistic settings

c. Predictive theory and modeling to guide research and uncover general principles

d. Global partnerships

Networks must coalesce around a tractable, discrete behavior that is sufficiently generalizable to address a foundational question in brain function. It is desirable that the behavior under investigation is of sufficient complexity to inform how organisms function in their natural environments. Network goals must include the development of theoretical foundations that enable Integration across levels, such as mapping of neural structure and activity to behavior.

The composition of each IRG may cut across organizations and countries as appropriate. The IRGs in a Network are expected to address different but complementary aspects of the central question tackled by the Network. The Network as a whole is expected to be more than the sum of its IRGs, with the synergy arising from a team science approach to integration across levels and organisms to address a common foundational question, the Network’s shared theoretical and analytical capabilities, and common workflow and data management practices.

All partners including international partners collaborating on NeuroNex:

• The US National Science Foundation (NSF), USA
• Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), Canada
• Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG), Germany
• Fonds de Recherche du Québec (FRQ) and office of the Chief Scientist, Government of Quebec, Canada
• Medical Research Council, UK Research and Innovation, (UKRI-MRC), United Kingdom

For detailed information about this call: NeuroNex – NSF website

For more detailed information about Canadian Institutes of Health Research and ResearchNet application process: CIHR-IRSC website

For more details on the eligibility and funding conditions, consult the FRQ’s Common General Rules.