CogBooster: Rebooting Psychological Research through Cognitive Neuroscience

Informazioni relative al progetto

CogBooster

ID dell’accordo di sovvenzione: 101087584

DOI

10.3030/101087584

Data della firma CE 26 Ottobre 2022

Data di avvio 1 Marzo 2023

Data di completamento 29 Febbraio 2028

Finanziato da

• Widening participation and spreading excellence

Costo totale

€ 2 499 827,50

Contributo UE

€ 2 499 827,50

Coordinato da

UNIVERSIDADE DE COIMBRA
Portugal

Periodic Reporting for period 2 - CogBooster (CogBooster: Rebooting Psychological Research through Cognitive Neuroscience)

Periodo di rendicontazione: 2024-06-01 al 2026-02-28

Sintesi del contesto e degli obiettivi generali del progetto

CogBooster is an ERA Chair project designed to strengthen excellence in Cognitive Neuroscience at the Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences of the University of Coimbra (FPCE-UC) and to contribute to reducing the research and innovation gap between widening and non-widening European countries. The project addresses a long-standing structural challenge in Psychological Science: the limited integration of Cognitive Neuroscience within research, education, and institutional structures in many European contexts, including Portugal. The project is built around the scientific leadership of the ERA Chair Holder, Professor Alfonso Caramazza, one of the world's leading cognitive neuroscientists, whose expertise has guided the development of a long-term institutional reform strategy. This strategy aims to establish Cognitive Neuroscience as a central pillar of Psychological Science at the University of Coimbra by creating a sustainable and internationally competitive research ecosystem grounded in mechanistic and neuroscientific approaches to understanding the mind. To achieve this objective, CogBooster combines scientific excellence, talent attraction, infrastructure development, educational innovation, and societal engagement. The project supports the recruitment of internationally recognized researchers, the establishment of new research laboratories, the development of advanced training programs, and the creation of opportunities for international collaboration and mobility. At the same time, it promotes a cultural shift in how Psychology is understood and taught, emphasizing the importance of fundamental research, mental representations, computational approaches, and brain-based explanations of cognition. A key feature of CogBooster is its strongly interdisciplinary nature. The project integrates perspectives from Psychology, Cognitive Neuroscience, Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence, Linguistics, and related disciplines to address fundamental questions about human cognition and behavior. This interdisciplinary framework is reflected in both the research programs developed under the project and the new educational initiatives being implemented at the University of Coimbra. The expected impact of CogBooster extends beyond scientific output. At the institutional level, the project aims to establish a permanent and internationally visible Cognitive Neuroscience ecosystem capable of attracting talent, securing competitive funding, and sustaining excellence beyond the duration of the ERA Chair funding. At the educational level, it seeks to transform undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral training by embedding Cognitive Neuroscience within all levels of Psychology education. At the societal level, the project promotes scientific literacy and public engagement while contributing to evidence-based discussions about the mind, behavior, education, health, and society. Through these combined efforts, CogBooster is contributing to the modernization of Psychological Science in Portugal and strengthening the position of the University of Coimbra as an internationally recognized center for Cognitive Neuroscience research, education, and innovation.

Lavoro eseguito dall’inizio del progetto fino alla fine del periodo coperto dalla relazione e principali risultati finora ottenuti

During the reporting period, CogBooster continued to implement its institutional reform strategy aimed at establishing a sustainable and internationally competitive Cognitive Neuroscience ecosystem at the University of Coimbra. The most significant achievement has been the full consolidation of the scientific team, which now comprises the ERA Chair Holder, Professor Alfonso Caramazza, and five permanently recruited faculty members leading complementary research programs in Cognitive Neuroscience. Research activities expanded substantially across all laboratories, resulting in a growing portfolio of internationally competitive scientific outputs. During this reporting period, CogBooster researchers published 18 peer-reviewed articles, including publications in leading journals such as PNAS, Nature Communications, Current Biology, and Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews. The project also strengthened its scientific infrastructure through the integration of advanced neuroimaging, computational modeling, non-invasive brain stimulation, and behavioral research methodologies. A major achievement was the consolidation of a highly integrated research environment. Regular joint laboratory meetings, coordinated scientific planning, and shared methodological platforms have fostered collaboration across research groups and reinforced a common scientific framework centered on mental representations and the computational and neural mechanisms underlying cognition. The project further strengthened its international dimension through the recruitment of internationally recognized researchers, the hosting of visiting scientists, and the organization of major scientific events, including the Seeing and Acting Workshop (SAW) and the Mind-Brain Lecture series. Significant progress was also achieved in educational reform. CogBooster researchers continued to contribute to undergraduate and doctoral training, while a new international Master's program in Mind, Brain and Behaviour was fully developed and submitted for accreditation. This program represents an important step toward embedding Cognitive Neuroscience within the educational structure of the institution. Overall, the project has progressed from a phase of capacity building to one of institutional consolidation. The establishment of a permanent Cognitive Neuroscience faculty, the growth in scientific productivity, the expansion of international collaborations, and the development of new educational programs constitute major outcomes of the action and provide a strong foundation for the long-term sustainability of the institutional reform initiated through CogBooster.

Progressi oltre lo stato dell’arte e potenziale impatto previsto (incluso l’impatto socioeconomico e le implicazioni sociali più ampie del progetto fino ad ora)

The project's most significant result beyond the state of the art is the establishment of a permanent and internationally competitive Cognitive Neuroscience ecosystem that integrates research, education, training, and societal engagement within a unified scientific framework. A major achievement has been the successful recruitment and consolidation of an internationally recognized faculty comprising the ERA Chair Holder, Professor Alfonso Caramazza, and five permanent academic researchers leading complementary research programs. This structure represents a substantial advancement over the previous institutional landscape, creating a critical mass of expertise that enables long-term competitiveness in Cognitive Neuroscience research and education. The scientific impact of this transformation is already evident in the research outputs generated during the reporting period. CogBooster researchers published 18 peer-reviewed articles, including publications in internationally leading journals such as PNAS, Nature Communications, and Current Biology. Importantly, these publications are increasingly attracting international attention and contributing to the visibility of both the project and the host institution. Beyond publications, CogBooster has become an important platform for international scientific exchange. Through initiatives such as the Mind-Brain Lecture series and the Seeing and Acting Workshop (SAW), the project has attracted some of the most influential researchers in Cognitive Neuroscience to Coimbra: e.g Stanislas Dehaene, Giorgio Vallortigara, Russell Epstein, Marlene Behrmann, Christina Becchio, Jody Culham, Chris Baker, Hans Op de Beeck, and Marco Tamietto. These activities have substantially increased the international visibility of FPCE-UC, strengthened global research networks, and created unique training opportunities for students and early-career researchers. Beyond individual scientific outputs, CogBooster has established new modes of research integration through shared methodological platforms, coordinated scientific planning, and regular cross-laboratory interactions.The project is also producing long-term educational impacts through the development of new training pathways that embed Cognitive Neuroscience across undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral education. The creation of the international Master's program in Mind, Brain and Behavior represents a particularly important outcome, providing advanced interdisciplinary training in areas such as neuroimaging, computational modeling, artificial intelligence, and experimental cognitive science. Overall, CogBooster has progressed beyond capacity building and is now delivering structural and lasting changes in research, education, and institutional organization. These outcomes position the University of Coimbra as an internationally recognized center for Cognitive Neuroscience and provide a model for institutional transformation in Psychological Science within widening countries.