DARPA’s Defense Sciences Office is soliciting ideas to explore the question of Are there new ways to explore and describe how functional neural systems store and process information that expand beyond the limits of digital representations?
The INSPIRE ARC urges performers to go back to fundamentals and consider novel, paradigm shifting questions about how the brain and neurological systems construct reality. For a century, the field has relied on firing rate to explain how the brain stores and processes information. This has led to numerous neurotechnologies focused on precise spike recording tools, yet we know these models are overly simplistic to explain the variety and complexity of perception and cognition. INSPIRE aims to explore new fundamental theories of how neurological systems may store and process information, which could inform the next generation of neurotechnologies and tools for accurately and precisely measuring neural function. All performers should address the overarching goal of discovering new fundamental theories in neuroscience with the potential for further foundational insights or development of novel technologies.
INSPIRE performers may conduct experiments on neurological systems (eg brain organoids, invertebrates, or other models) including, but not limited to:
- Precise measurement of functional neural units beyond firing rate
- Teaching brain organoids novel tasks to explore how neurological systems learn
- Studying the effects of disease and trauma on information processing
- Developing novel computational or mathematical models to interpret either new or existing data.
Experimental, computational, and theoretical efforts will be considered in-scope. In all cases, performers will justify how their methods or insights go beyond the current state of the art. Approaches providing insight for a single neuron and new vertebrate experiments are out of scope.
USD$100,000 – $300,000 is available for projects of up to 12 months.
Abstracts are due 31 January 2025 and will be assessed on a rolling basis, until 31 January or available funding is exhausted, whichever occurs first.
An information webinar will be held 24 October 2024. Register here by 23 October. Non-US citizens must submit DARPA Form 60 (Visit Request) by 21 October.
This Advanced Research Concepts Opportunity is issued under DARPA Exploration Announcement DARPA-EA-24-01.
Documents
ARC Opportunity – INSPIRE: DARPA-EA-24-01-04
Exploration Announcement – ARC: DARPA-EA-24-01-Amendment-01
