This program will support innovative, potentially transformative science and engineering that will accelerate our understanding of neural and cognitive systems.  Projects responsive to this solicitation will integrate across existing disciplines or approaches, spatial or temporal scales, and/or levels of abstraction or analysis and, where appropriate, challenge prevailing paradigms, practices, and scientific cultural norms.

For FY 2015, this competition is organized around the following two research themes:

1. Neuroengineering and Brain-Inspired Concepts and Designs: Merging insights gained from neuroscience and cognitive science with those from rapidly changing technologies will lead to significant innovations that are inspired by or directed toward the brain. These may include technologies for imaging, sensing, recording, or affecting real-time brain activity and behavior; computing paradigms; brain-computer interfaces; augmented and adaptive systems (e.g., for communication, learning, and/or performance); and other computational and bioengineered systems.
2. Individuality and Variation are characteristic of all neural and cognitive processes, including biological and machine systems, signaling and communication at all levels, representations, learning and adaptation, development, resilience, ability, cultural and social processes, and group differences. Explaining functionally important individuality and variation, as well as the role of noise, will have far-reaching consequences in many scientific domains. Alongside these domain-specific issues are statistical and modeling challenges to explore, describe, and understand the role of naturally occurring variability.

Two classes of proposals will be considered in FY 2015: INTEGRATIVE FOUNDATIONS and CORE+ EXTENSIONS:

1. INTIGRATIVE FOUNDATIONS awards will support projects that develop foundational advances that are deeply connected to a broad scope of important research questions in cognitive and neural systems, and have significant potential for transformative advances in one or more of the FY 2015 thematic areas.
2. CORE+ EXTENSIONS will provide additional support to projects selected for funding by other programs in the participating offices and directorates, to enable additional activities that would connect those projects to significant new integrative opportunities in cognitive and neural systems.

Questions about this announcement or proposal submission may be directed to Erin Cromack