Project Number
Convenors
Chaired by Professor Rodney Douglas
(Institute of Neuroinformatics, Zürich, Switzerland)
Abstract
The natural intelligence exhibited by animal nervous systems is vastly more versatile, competent, and efficient, than the artficial intelligence of computers. The principles of natural intelligence are not yet understood, but its is clear that such an understanding would be a major scientific achievement, and would have social and economic consequences as least as great as flight or the personal computer. Already, the major technlogical nations are establishing advanced research and development programmes to improve and exploit understanding of natural intelligence. Concerned that Europe should not fall behind in this important development, a group of internatinally recognized European scientists here propose the first step in a strategy for consolidating education, training, research and development in this domain in Europe. The aim of the network is to promote the education of young scientists. It will bring together scientists with different approaches to neural computation, for instance theoreticians, cell biologists and clinicians, who need to build up a community and to coordinate their complementary appraoches to make a conceptual contribution to brain function and dysfunction. The major vehicle for attaining these goals will be three annual symposia, to be called the ESF Summer Symposia on Neural Computation and Neuroinformatics. The Symosia will run in association with a separately funded, 4-week Summer School of Computational Neuroscience.
Duration
From June 1999 to December 2001.
