| NSF Org: |
OISE Office of International Science and Engineering |
| Recipient: |
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| Initial Amendment Date: | September 22, 2015 |
| Latest Amendment Date: | June 13, 2023 |
| Award Number: | 1545858 |
| Award Instrument: | Continuing Grant |
| Program Manager: |
Maija Kukla
mkukla@nsf.gov (703)292-4940 OISE Office of International Science and Engineering O/D Office Of The Director |
| Start Date: | November 1, 2015 |
| End Date: | October 31, 2024 (Estimated) |
| Total Intended Award Amount: | $5,000,000.00 |
| Total Awarded Amount to Date: | $5,150,000.00 |
| Funds Obligated to Date: |
FY 2016 = $2,000,000.00 FY 2018 = $2,000,000.00 FY 2021 = $150,000.00 |
| History of Investigator: |
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| Recipient Sponsored Research Office: |
1109 GEDDES AVE STE 3300 ANN ARBOR MI US 48109-1015 (734)763-6438 |
| Sponsor Congressional District: |
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| Primary Place of Performance: |
1301 Beal Ave Ann Arbor MI US 48109-2122 |
| Primary Place of
Performance Congressional District: |
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| Unique Entity Identifier (UEI): |
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| Parent UEI: |
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| NSF Program(s): |
Cross-BIO Activities, PIRE- Prtnrshps Inter Res & Ed |
| Primary Program Source: |
01001617DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT 01001819DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT 010V2122DB R&RA ARP Act DEFC V |
| Program Reference Code(s): |
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| Program Element Code(s): |
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| Award Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Fund Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Assistance Listing Number(s): | 47.079 |
ABSTRACT
This project entitled "International Program for the Advancement of Neurotechnology (IPAN)" is about understanding the complexity and mysteries of the brain. It is cited by many as the biggest scientific challenge of this century. In this International Program for the Advancement of Neurotechnology (IPAN), the researchers are creating a holistic system for studying brain activity by closely integrating hardware from leading neurotechnologists with novel software from leading neuroscientists. Enabling this large-scale collaboration should accelerate the rate of discovery in neuroscience. This in turn will pave the way to improved treatments for neurological disorders and to breakthroughs in artificial intelligence in the next decade. The PIRE team will also provide advanced educational opportunities for undergraduates with the express purpose of recruiting future U.S. STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) researchers. Graduate students and postdocs will also be enrolled in a unique cross-training program between neuroscience and neurotechnology laboratories. The resulting experience will prepare a new generation of globally-connected multi-disciplinary engineers and scientists while driving critical advances in neurotechnology.
IPAN is an explicit partnership of leading neuroscientists and technologists to develop and deliver a hardware and software system that fundamentally simplifies the ability of a neuroscientist to (i) identify recorded neuron types, (ii) reconstruct local neural circuits, and (iii) deliver biomimetic or synthetic inputs in a cell-specific targeted manner. This project teams the University of Michigan, New York University, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, and the University of Puerto Rico with the University of Freiburg, the University of Hamburg-Eppendorf, the Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Singapore?s Institute for Microelectronics, and University College London. Complementary strengths, world-class infrastructures, and strong student exchange programs are an important part of this IPAN team, with major thrusts in Technology, Neuroscience, and Education. The enabling technology to meet these three system goals (i-iii) will be next-generation neural probes equipped with novel optoelectronics, high-density recording interfaces, and low-noise multiplexed digital outputs. The neuroscience thrust will help define the technology from the onset and are developing novel software tools to accelerate the analysis of large neurophysiological data sets. The team includes leading system neuroscientists with unique capabilities specializing in memory, sensory, fear, and development, and will work with technologists to validate both the technology and the software tools in distinctive neuroscience applications.
PUBLICATIONS PRODUCED AS A RESULT OF THIS RESEARCH
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PROJECT OUTCOMES REPORT
Disclaimer
This Project Outcomes Report for the General Public is displayed verbatim as submitted by the Principal Investigator (PI) for this award. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this Report are those of the PI and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation; NSF has not approved or endorsed its content.
Understanding the brain is one of the biggest scientific challenges of the century. In order to attack this challenge, we have formed an International Program for the Advancement of Neurotechnology (IPAN) as a means of creating a holistic system for studying brain activity. Through this partnership of leading neuroscientists and technologists, we aim to develop and deliver a hardware and software system that fundamentally simplifies the ability of neuroscientists to identify recorded neuron types, reconstruct local neural circuits, and deliver biomimetic or synthetic inputs in a cell-specific targeted manner. The project team includes the University of Michigan (the lead institution), New York University, and the University of Puerto Rico (domestic partners) with the international partners including the University of Freiburg, the University of Hamburg-Eppendorf, the Korea Institute of Science and Technology, and the University College London.
We have two thrusts in our major goals. One is technology thrust in which we develop the enabling technologies to meet the requirements for the next-generation neural probes equipped with novel optoelectronics, high-density recording interfaces, and low-noise multiplexed digital outputs. The other is neuroscience thrust in which we define the technology needs to perturb neuronal circuitry to answer important scientific questions for mapping the brain. We also develop analytical software tools to accelerate the analysis of large neurophysiological data sets.
Training the next generation scholars is one of our major goals. We provided the advanced educational opportunities for 37 undergraduate students over the four years, targeting to recruit future U.S. STEM researchers especially from women and under-represented minorities. Another 15 graduate students and postdocs have been cross-trained between engineering/technology and neuroscience from the global research experience provided by this international partnership. Each of the selected undergraduate IPAN Scholars began the IPAN SURE program by participation in a one week intensive educational “Boot Camp.” The “Boot Camp” was designed to advance their existing knowledge in engineering or neuroscience with the specific goal being to generate an appreciation on the value of cross disciplinary training within neural engineering and neuroscience so as to facilitate advancement in technology that may address understanding of neural circuits, systems and behavior. Three international partners were selected as research hosts of the IPAN scholar undergraduate students, including the University of Freiburg and the University of Hamburg in Germany and Korean Institute of Science and Technology (KIST) in South Korea. The University of Freiburg leveraged with the BrainLink-BrainTools consortium, where the undergraduate IPAN scholars experienced interdisciplinary research at the intersection of neuroscience and engineering.
The IPAN website (https://ipan.engin.umich.edu/) launched with the beginning of the program has been instrumental to networking our partners and students. The major outreach functions are the Home and People pages to define the program and partners. The Education describes the scope of the IPAN Boot Camp and research goals. It also includes an application portal for securely gathering the applicant’s information and storing to private database for review by IPAN faculty. We also have a Contacts page so that others can reach out to faculty and staff.
As a part of our IPAN program, we organized an International Conference for Advanced Neurotechnology (ICAN), where we had exciting keynote talks and invited presentations spanning the best methods in neuroscience and neurotechnology. Engineers and neuroscientists from around the globe gathered and sharde their discovery, knowledge, and vision and discuss future directions of neurotechnology. There were 170 attendees, 13 presentations, and 29 posters. We also held the ICAN in the international partner sites in rotation for five years. We recorded the talks and posted them on the IPAN webpage (https://ipan.engin.umich.edu/ican/), sharing and disseminating knowledge and scientific discoveries.
Last Modified: 01/31/2025
Modified by: Euisik Yoon
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