The Society for Neuroscience held its annual meeting on November 11-15, 2017 in Washington, DC. More than 30,000 professionals attended this year’s meeting, including program directors from the National Science Foundation (NSF). Among them was Dr. Edda (Floh) Thiels, program director for The Next Generation Networks for Neuroscience (NeuroNex), who presented at the professional development workshop, “Funding Opportunities to Build Interdisciplinary Neuroscience Research for the Future.”
The workshop focused on how NSF is concentrating its training and research support towards team-based interdisciplinary strategies to understand how healthy brains and neural circuits function. It also highlighted international funding opportunities, as NSF is leading the efforts to coordinate neuroscience research globally. The event was designed to inform research and education leaders of all career stages about the national infrastructure for basic neuroscience research and funding opportunities that emphasize interdisciplinary neuroscience training and research.
NeuroNex, as described in the Dear Colleague Letter, NSF 16-047, and Solicitation, 16-569, is a “program that aims to support the development of innovative, accessible, and shared capabilities and resources towards the establishment of a coherent national infrastructure for neuroscience research.” Currently, the program is jointly managed out of several NSF divisions, including the Division of Biological Infrastructure (DBI).
Other members of the BIO directorate at the workshop were BIO Assistant Director James Olds, DBI Deputy Division Director James Deshler, and NeuroNex Program Director Sridhar Raghavachari who presented on program themes, cyberinfrastructure, and funding mechanisms. Program directors from other NSF directorates and the recipients of NSF awards discussed currently funded research during the NSF workshop.
For more information about NeuroNex and to see currently funded awards, visit the program page and the NeuroNex Press Release.
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