PATHFINDER initiatives identified for 2003

As a result of NEST's analysis and consultation process, three PATHFINDER initiatives have been launched on 17 December 2003:

Tackling complexity in Science:

Complexity is a critical challenge for many areas of science and technology. Emerging areas of science such as "systems biology" and "bio-complexity" are founded on the idea that phenomena need to be understood in the context of highly-interactive processes operating at different levels. Similarly, there is an increasingly urgent need to understand and predict the behaviour of highly-interacting man-made systems, in areas such as communications and transport which permeate the modern world. The same applies to human networks such as social, political and financial systems, where technology has tended to vastly increase both the complexity and speed of interaction, which is sometimes nearly instantaneous.

Better understanding, appreciation and prediction of the behaviour of such systems will require the development of tractable methods for addressing complexity. On one hand, this implies deep analysis of particular complex systems. On the other, there is clearly a need to develop general methods of analysis by investigating the similarities and commonalities between complex systems in diverse areas.

The objective of this PATHFINDER initiative is to promote the development of techniques for the successful tackling of specific but important, complex real-world problems, and to encourage the transfer of such techniques from one of area of science to another where particularly promising and appropriate, such as in biological systems, the environment, ecosystems, etc.

NEST Reference Document on "Tackling Complexity in Science"

Synthetic Biology:

Over the past half century, molecular biology has developed as a vast and highly successful enterprise, unravelling the processes of life at sub-cellular scale and studying their various components. The tools for re-engineering biological processes have developed in parallel, providing both a medium for scientific investigation and the ability to create modified organisms.

Scientific and technological capabilities have now reached a point where "synthetic biology" - novel engineering systems making use of complex biological processes - can be envisaged. A new realm of possibilities for biology-based technologies is on the horizon, with the promise of an acceleration in both scientific discovery and innovation. In this context, synthetic biology is conceived as a technological endeavour that, for its success, will imply the creation of fully interdisciplinary networks of expertise in Europe, interfacing science and engineering.

The goal of this PATHFINDER initiative is to stimulate forward-looking cross-disciplinary research to demonstrate key principles and generate tools and building blocks for synthetic biology.

NEST Reference Document on "Synthetic Biology"

What it means to be human:

Advances in molecular biology, neuroscience and genetics, have opened new perspectives for cognitive science, and associated fields like linguistics and anthropology. The question "what makes humans different?", once a matter of philosophical speculation, has now become central to science and is at the core of current efforts to build an integrated understanding of the human mind.

The answers may have profound implications, underpinning scientific understanding and technological development which in the long term will have big payoffs for society and the economy. For example, by understanding the specific nature and limits of human conceptual reasoning, it may be possible to devise more powerful artificial learning technologies. Improved education strategies should come from better knowledge of specifically human capabilities to perceive and encode information and experience in the process of development. Greater insight into the origins of human motivation, social behaviour and co-operation will assist the design of social and cultural institutions to accommodate human needs better.

The goal of this PATHFINDER initiative on this topic is to support cross-disciplinary research which brings to bear the latest insights from fields including genetics, biology, neuroscience, psychology, linguistics and anthropology to examine "how and why are human cognitive facilities unique?"

NEST Reference Document on "What it means to be human"

More detailed information can be found on how to submit a proposal and on the scope of the call at the CORDIS Find a call page.