Gravity Grant for 'Brain Atlas'

Through the 'Gravity' program, various research consortia will conduct groundbreaking research over the next ten years. This week, Minister Dijkgraaf (OCW) announced who will receive this funding. The Institute for Chemical Neuroscience (iCNS) is one of them; several Medical Delta researchers from the scientific program Medical Delta AI for Computational Life Sciences are involved.

The iCNS aims to discover which molecular changes in the brain underlie psychiatric symptoms, such as depression, anxiety, and psychosis. Neurobiologists, chemists, psychiatrists, and data scientists work closely together on human brain tissue. Young scientists are trained in combining chemistry, artificial intelligence, and neurobiology. Their research will lead to a 'brain atlas' of psychiatric symptoms, and to entirely new approaches to improve the diagnosis and treatment of psychiatric disorders.

As part of the Gravity program, the iCNS will receive over 23 million euros from the government. The research is carried out by a national consortium of nine universities and academic medical centers (umc's) and the Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience. Learn more about the research on the website of the Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience.

Excellent research

At the iCNS consortium, Prof. dr. Mario van der Stelt (Leiden University) plays a leading role in the consortium. He is also one of the Scientific Leaders of the scientific program Medical Delta AI for Computational Life Sciences. Another Scientific Leader of the program, Medical Delta professor Prof. dr. ir. Boudewijn Lelieveldt (LUMC, TU Delft), is a member of the scientific advisory board of the iCNS, and dr. Ahmed Mahfouz (TU Delft, LUMC) is a work package leader. Prof. dr. Gerard van Westen is also involved in the iCNS.

In total, seven consortia with top scientists from various Dutch universities receive funding for their research projects in this round of the Gravity program. A total of 160.5 million euros is awarded.

With the Gravity program, researchers can conduct top-quality university research and collaborate multidisciplinarily for ten years. One of the pillars of the program is interdisciplinary cooperation across disciplines and universities. Together, the scientists establish excellent scientific research programs in consortia. The goal of Gravity is to promote the formation of internationally top-level focal points. The Gravity program is carried out by NWO on behalf of the Ministry of OCW. Read more here.