Germany launches brain research network
Germany has established an interdisciplinary network on brain research, which will receive 34 million euro of government funding over the next five years. The network will be known as the 'Bernstein-Zentren für Computational Neuroscience' after the German physiologist Julius Bernstein, and will bring together universities, research centres, hospitals and companies from Berlin, Freiburg, Göttingen and Munich. The network's research focus will be on the neurological aspects of brain activity - the cognitive processes. Research should lead to a better understanding of brain functions and, ultimately, to new knowledge on both preventing and curing nervous system illnesses. It is also foreseen that the acquired knowledge will be used to develop computers and programmes, and to create efficient teaching and learning strategies. The partners in the network will exchange information, analysis methods, computer models and theoretical approaches. It is hoped that the collaboration will also lead to the development of scientific spin-offs and the integration of computational neuroscience into university curricula. The network will be formally launched at an international conference in Berlin on 14 October.
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Germany