This European Commission (EC) Action is designed to maximize the impact of research infrastructures and facilities that provide essential services to Europe's research community in industry and academia.

The "Transnational Access" Activity under this Action provides funding for researchers to spend time living and working in a laboratory that can provide a world-class infrastructure or specialized equipment, know-how or techniques.

Further information about the EC program in general can be found at
http://cordis.europa.eu/infrastructures/

On November 1st, 2004 the ICNC was approved by the European Commission to become a facility supported by the RI Action and can thus host visiting researchers.

The ICNC provides an interface for interdisciplinary research in Neurobiology, Physics and Applied Physics, Computer Science and Psychophysics with a specific focus on computational aspects of the nervous system. The ICNC is the home of a world-renowned group of 24 scientists focusing on the key issue of "how the brain computes". The ICNC researchers study the nervous system from single neuron computation to signal processing in small and large cortical networks, on system and behavioral levels. Experimental methods range from in vitro intracellular recordings from single and pairs of neurons with DIC video microscopy, in vitro imaging methods with voltage-dependent dyes, to in-vivo multi-unit recordings on behaving animals and imaging techniques using fMRI. Theoretical approaches include cable and compartmental modeling, information and learning theory, statistical mechanics and techniques from signal processing theory. Applications include the development of rapidly re-programmable high density neural networks based on the optical and optic-electrical properties of rhodopsin and bacteriorhodopsin films; development of charge controlled analog adaptive synapse for the purpose of constructing a microelectronic analog learning neural network and the development of electro-holographic neural networks with millions of interconnected neurons. In addition to its own 60 doctoral students, the ICNC faculty hosts young researchers proposing interdisciplinary projects, international post-docs, sabbatical fellows and visitors, and runs international workshops, including co-directing the annual "EU Advanced Course in Computational Neuroscience".

Scientists from EU member countries or from the associated states of the following countries are eligible: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Rep., Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey and the United Kingdom can apply to spend time at the ICNC.

A steering committee will allocate the visiting fellowships based on application merit,
the relevance of the research project and the importance to the EU. Priority will be
given to applicants who have not previously used the facility and who would not normally
have access to it. Applications from female researchers are encouraged.

The fellowship covers travel, subsistence and bench fees.

Application Form
USER GROUP QUESTIONNAIRE
Project Summary Report

Contact
Prof. Haim Sompolinsky, Director,
Racah Institute of Physics and
Interdisciplinary Center for Neural Computation,
The Hebrew University,
Jerusalem 91904 Israel

Ms. Meira Ovadia
Tel: 972-2-6584898
Fax: 972-2-6586152
The Interdisciplinary Center for Neural Computation
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Jerusalem 91904, Israel
meira.ovadia@alice.nc.huji.ac.il