AccelNet: International network for brain-inspired computation

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Brains have intricate complexity at many scales, from the detailed structure and connections of neurons to the brain-wide swirl of electrical activity that underlies thought and experience. Making sense of these complexities and using new understanding to design improved computational algorithms requires new combinations of research expertise. This AccelNet project builds international links between academic, private research and industrial partners and prepares the next generation of researchers at the interface between neuroscience and artificial intelligence. The project connects leading centers for academic and industry research in the Pacific Northwest, Paris, France, and Montreal, Canada, to advance understanding of brain structure and dynamics and to use these insights to develop more powerful and efficient computing frameworks that can help mankind to solve the very challenging issues now confronting us. This catalytic network of networks will spur advances in brain-inspired computation and fundamental theories of neuroscience, particularly with regard to biophysics and connectivity, the role of neuromodulation in creating rich network dynamics, and analytical methods to characterize and control these dynamics. The project combines expertise of researchers gathering brain data from animals engaged in complex tasks, theorists who make models of cognition, researchers who use machine learning to develop new ways of analyzing data, and experts in artificial intelligence. The network of networks will develop a student cohort with the ability to synthesize findings from new and sophisticated data analysis into novel algorithms for computation, and, vice versa, to translate findings from engineering of computational algorithms into hypotheses for brain function. International experience will enhance research opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students. The ethical emphasis of the network will develop a cohort with substantive experience and training in the application of neuroethics and ethical engineering practices. The Accelerating Research through International Network-to-Network Collaborations (AccelNet) program is designed to accelerate the process of scientific discovery and prepare the next generation of U.S. researchers for multiteam international collaborations. The AccelNet program supports strategic linkages among U.S. research networks and complementary networks abroad that will leverage research and educational resources to tackle grand scientific challenges that require significant coordinated international efforts.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.