- Comp-neuro - lists.cnsorg.org

Calling for Applications: WBAI Incentive Award—Supporting Your Challenge in Brain-Inspired AGI
by 山川宏 27 Jan '25

27 Jan '25

Dear all, The Whole Brain Architecture Initiative (WBAI) is delighted to announce that we welcome candidates for our annual WBAI Incentive Award. This award is dedicated to supporting whole brain architecture research. https://wba-initiative.org/en/25135/ ### About the Award The WBAI Incentive Award honors individuals or teams who have contributed outstandingly to developing brain-inspired artificial general intelligence (AGI). Past awardees have pushed the boundaries of AI technology and its applications, leading to significant breakthroughs. Examples of Previous Awardees - David Rawlinson (2024 Award) Explored neural architectures based on biological approaches. - Sun Yuwei (2023 Award) Developed algorithms leveraging global workspace theory. - Matthew Crosby & Benjamin Beyret (2020 Award) Created virtual environments to evaluate animal intelligence, fostering worldwide research collaboration. See more past awardees here ( https://wba-initiative.org/en/wbaiia_awardees/ ). Who knows—you could be the next to shine! ### Application Details - Eligibility Individuals, teams, or organizations (no age or affiliation restrictions) - Basis for Selection Research and development achievements from the past five years (up to the end of 2024), including research papers, datasets, software, etc. - Application Period February 1, 2025 – April 30, 2025 - Prize A certificate and a monetary award of 50,000 JPY ### How to Apply Submit your application via the form below: https://gogl.to/3Kyb Additional materials may be requested if necessary. ### Award Ceremony The award ceremony will be held at the 10th Whole Brain Architecture Symposium, scheduled for summer or fall 2025. ### Be Part of Creating the Future Your research could be the key to advancing brain-inspired AI technology. Don’t miss this opportunity to showcase your work and contribute to shaping the future of AI. --- Whole Brain Architecture Initiative (WBAI) Chairperson: Hiroshi Yamakawa

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[Call for Participation] The 2nd International Whole Brain Architecture Workshop (Feb 24th AM (JST) ) [Hybrid]
by ymkw＠wba-initiative.org 27 Jan '25

27 Jan '25

Dear, all, This is Hiroshi Yamakawa from the Whole Brain Architecture Initiative (WBAI), a specified non-profit organization. We are pleased to announce that, as detailed below, we will be holding "The 2nd International Whole Brain Architecture Workshop. " This workshop is a key activity of WBAI to develop human-brain-inspired artificial intelligence. Specifically, we aim to share and utilize Brain Reference Architecture (BRA) data and related data papers, which serve as standardized design specifications for human brain-inspired AI. This workshop will allow researchers and experts from various fields, including neuroscience, cognitive science, and artificial intelligence, who work toward understanding and mimicking brain computational functions to share and utilize such data. This workshop will be held during the first Hackathon of the Transformative Research Area (A), "Biology of Behavior Change." We look forward to your participation. 【Event Details】 Date & Time: Monday, February 24, 2025, 9:00-12:00 (JST) Format: Hybrid (General participants are limited to online participation.) (On-site venue: Tokyo Nihonbashi Life Science Hub 8F LSH-D Meeting Room) Language: English Participation Fee: Free 【How to Register】 For general participation (online), please fill out the registration form via the link below: https://gogl.to/3KLz *Registered participants will receive Zoom meeting registration information (URL) the day before and on the event day. 【Organization】 Organizer: The Whole Brain Architecture Initiative (NPO) Supported by: Transformative Research Areas (A) "Biology of Behavior Change" Executed by: The WBA Event Operations Group Program Chair: Yoshimasa Tawatsuji Executive Chair: Hiroshi Yamakawa 【Detailed Information】 For more information, visit https://wba-initiative.org/24521/ If you have any questions, feel free to contact us at: bra-support(a)wba-initiative.org Best regards, Hiroshi Yamakawa Chairperson The Whole Brain Architecture Initiative

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Announcing Okinawa/OIST Computational Neuroscience Course 2025 (OCNC 2025)
by Erik De Schutter 27 Jan '25

27 Jan '25

The aim of the Okinawa/OIST Computational Neuroscience Course is to provide opportunities for young researchers with theoretical backgrounds to learn the latest advances in neuroscience, and for those with experimental backgrounds to have hands-on experience in computational modeling. We invite graduate students and postgraduate researchers to participate in the course, held from June 23th through July 10th, 2025 at an oceanfront seminar house of the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University. Applications are through the course web page (https://www.oist.jp/conference/ocnc-2025) only; January 1 - January 31, 2025. Applicants will receive confirmation of acceptance end of March. Like in preceding years, the 2025 OCNC will be a comprehensive three-week course covering single neurons, networks, and behaviors with ample time for student projects. The first week will focus exclusively on methods with hands-on tutorials during the afternoons, while the second and third weeks will have lectures by international and local experts. The course has a strong hands-on component based on student proposed modeling or data analysis projects, which are further refined with the help of a dedicated tutor. Applicants are required to propose their project at the time of application. For the first time we charge a modest tuition fee of 60,000JPY. The sponsor will provide lodging and meals during the course. We hope that this course will be a good opportunity for theoretical and experimental neuroscientists to meet each other and to explore the attractive nature and culture of Okinawa, the southernmost island prefecture of Japan. Lecturers: Erik De Schutter (OIST) Kenji Doya (OIST) Tomoki Fukai (OIST) Yukiko Goda (OIST) Bernd Kuhn (OIST) Alexander Mathis (EPFL, Switzerland) Mackenzie Mathis (EPFL, Switzerland) Lucy Palmer (University of Melbourne, Australia) Gerald Pao (OIST) Padmini Rangamani (University of California, San Diego, USA) Sam Reiter (OIST) Yu Takagi (National Institute of Informatics) Kazumasa Tanaka (OIST) Tim Vogels (IST Austria) Jeff Wickens (OIST)

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ICANN 2025 - Call for Papers, Special Sessions, Workshops and Tutorials
by Sebastian Otte 26 Jan '25

26 Jan '25

=============================================================================== ICANN 2025 - CALL FOR PAPERS, SPECIAL SESSIONS, WORKHOPS AND TUTORIALS =============================================================================== The 34th International Conference on Artificial Neural Networks ICANN 2025 is one of the premier conferences in the field of artificial intelligence, neural networks, neuroscience and brain-inspired computing in Europe, organized in collaboration with the European Neural Network Society ENNS. In 2025, the ICANN will take place in Kaunas, Lithuania. Conference Dates: September 9 to September 12, 2025 Conference Venue: Campus of Vytautas Magnus University and Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Kaunas, Lithuania Conference Webpage: https://e-nns.org/icann2025/ General co-Chairs: Yoshua Bengio (Université de Montréal, Canada) Viktor Jirsa (Aix-Marseille Université, France; EBRAINS) Ausra Saudargiene (Lithuanian University of Health Sciences/Vytautas Magnus University, Lithuania) Linas Petkevičius (Vilnius University, Artificial intelligence Association of Lithuania, Lithuania) Prof. Yoshua Bengio is a Turing Award laureate and is globally recognized as a pioneer of deep learning and artificial neural networks, driving groundbreaking advancements in artificial intelligence. Prof. Viktor Jirsa is renowned for his work in theoretical neuroscience and Virtual Brain Twins, serving as Chief Science Officer of EBRAINS, Europe’s research infrastructure in digital neuroscience. With the exceptional leadership and expertise of the Chairs, ICANN 2025 promises to be a transformative event with the dual track of Artificial Intelligence & Deep Learning and Neuroscience. The ICANN attracts a global audience of researchers, practitioners & industry experts and provides a forum for the presentation of cutting-edge research papers and invited keynote talks by leading experts. It includes workshops and tutorials, as well as engaging demo sessions. In 2025, ICANN will continue its proud tradition of being a dynamic and interactive conference, fostering collaboration across academia and industry. =============================================================================== We invite prospective authors to submit original and innovative papers in the following areas: AI and Machine Learning: Theory and Foundations of Neural Networks, Novel Neural Network Architectures, Topics in Neural Networks, Large Language Models, Explainable AI, Machine Learning for Graphs, Graph Neural Networks, Clustering, Reinforcement Learning, New Topics in Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, Neurorobotics Neuroscience: Cognitive and Theoretical/Computational Neuroscience, Brain-Inspired Computing, Neuromorphic Systems, Digital Twins and Virtual Brain models Applications: Human-Computer Interaction, Biosignal Processing, Medicine and Physiology, Speech and Language Processing, Computer Vision, Robotics, Climate and Environment, General Applications of Machine Learning Call for Papers Authors willing to present original contributions in either the oral or poster category are invited to submit: - A full paper of 6-12 pages (including references) to be published in Springer-Verlag Lecture Notes in Computer Science (LNCS) series with individual DOI. - An extended abstract of maximum 2 pages to be published in Springer-Verlag Lecture Notes in Computer Science (LNCS) series, without individual indexing. Papers will undergo rigorous peer review; the Program Committee will make the final decision on which papers will be included in the conference program. Selected papers will be assigned to oral sessions (15 minutes presentation + 5 minutes questions) and poster sessions, depending on the number of submissions; this assignment does in no way incur a judgment on paper quality. Note that presentation rules for workshops and special sessions may differ. All accepted papers will be published in the Springer LNCS series. Papers must be written in English language and must conform to the format defined in the Author’s Kit, available on the conference webpage at: https://e-nns.org/icann2025/submission The ICANN 2025 will be an in-person conference. At least one co-author of each paper must physically attend the conference in Kaunas to present the work. Call for Special Sessions, Workshops and Tutorials We invite prospective organizers to submit Special Sessions, Workshops and Tutorials. For details and updates, as well as for the final list of workshops and special sessions, please check: https://e-nns.org/icann2025/call-for-papers-2/call-for-workshops-and-specia… KEYNOTE SPEAKERS Emmanuel Bengio (Valence Labs/Recursion, Canada) Viktor Jirsa (Aix-Marseille Université, France; EBRAINS) Christiane Woopen (University of Bonn, Germany) Oher keynote speakers to be announced. CONFIRMED TUTORIALS Dr. Emmanuael Bengio will give a Tutorial on GflowNets. Prof. Viktor Jirsa and his team will provide a Tutorial on The Virtual Brain, an open-source neuroscience platform designed to simulate and model personalised human brain models. CONFERENCE COMMITTEE Program Chairs Walter Senn (University of Bern, Switzerland) Ausra Saudargiene (Lithuanian University of Health Sciences/Vytautas Magnus University, Lithuania) Alessio Micheli (University of Pisa, Italy) Marcello Sanguineti (University of Genova, Italy) Igor Tetko (Helmholtz Munich, Germany) Alessandro Villa (University of Lausanne, Switzerland) Communication Chairs Sebastian Otte (University of Lübeck, Germany) Jurgita Kapociute-Dzikiene (Vytautas Magnus University, Lithuania) Honorary Chairs Vera Kurkova (Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague) Alessandro Villa (University of Lausanne, Switzerland) Stefan Wermter (University of Hamburg, Germany) Local Organizing Committee Ausra Saudargiene (Lithuanian University of Health Sciences/Vytautas Magnus University, Lithuania) Linas Petkevičius (Vilnius University, Artificial intelligence Association of Lithuania, Lithuania) Jurgita Kapociute-Dzikiene (Vytautas Magnus University, Lithuania) Workshop, Tutorials and Special Session Chairs Povilas Daniusis (Neurotechnology/Vytautas Magnus University, Lithuania) Dalius Matuzevičius (VilniusTech) Sponsorship Chair Dalia Breskuvienė (Vilnius University) Diversity & Inclusion Chair Kamilė Dementavičiūtė (Vinted) Steering Committee Stefan Wermter (University of Hamburg, Germany) Angelo Cangelosi (University of Manchester, UK) Igor Farkaš (Comenius University in Bratislava, Slovakia) Chrisina Jayne (Teesside University, UK) Matthias Kerzel (University of Hamburg, Germany) Alessandra Lintas (University of Lausanne, Switzerland) Kristína Malinovská (Comenius University in Bratislava, Slovakia) Jaakko Peltonen (Tampere University, Finland) Brigitte Quenet (ESPCI Paris, France) Roseli Wedemann (Rio de Janeiro State University, Brazil) Sebastian Otte (University of Lübeck, Germany) IMPORTANT DATES - Opening of submission portal: 15 February 2025 - Deadline for full paper and abstract submission: 15 March 2025 - Final notification of Acceptance or Rejection: 15 May 2025 - Camera-ready paper upload and author registration: 1 June 2025 For questions, please contact: icann-2025-program-committee(a)googlegroups.com Link to this call: https://e-nns.org/icann2025/call-for-papers

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World Wide VVTNS series (fifth season): Wednesday, January 29, 2025, at 11:00 am EST| Hadas Benisty, Technion, Haifa
by David Hansel 26 Jan '25

26 Jan '25

[image: VVTNS.png] https://www.wwtns.online <https://streaklinks.com/A9c7PbbpKY7PxB6PaAJWGD3-/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.wwtns.on…> - on twitter: wwtns@TheoreticalWide You are cordially invited to the lecture given by Hadas Benisty Technion, Haifa on the topic of A Geometric Approach for the Study of Functional Connectivity Dynamics The lecture will be held on zoom on Wednesday, January 29, 2025, at *11:00 am EST * To receive the link: https://www.wwtns.online/register-page *Abstract: * Functional connectivity has been the focus of many research groups aiming to study the interaction between cells and brain regions. A standard method for analyzing connectivity is to statistically compare pairwise interactions between cells or brain regions across behavioral states or conditions. This methodology ignores the intrinsic properties of functional connectivity as a multivariate and dynamic signal, expressing the correlational configuration of the network. In this talk, I will present a geometric approach, combining Graph Theory and Riemannian Geometry to build "a graph of graphs" and extract the latent dynamics of the overall correlational structure. Using this approach, we formulate the statistical relations between network dynamics and spontaneous behavior as a second-order Taylor’s expansion. Our analysis shows that fast fluctuations in functional connectivity of large-scale cortical networks are closely linked to variations in behavioral metrics related to the arousal state. We further expand this methodology to longer time scales to study the effect of dopamine on network dynamics in the primary motor cortex (M1) during learning. We developed a series of analysis methods indicating that as animals learn to perform a motor task, the network of pyramidal neurons in layer 2-3 gradually and monotonically reorganizes toward an "expert" configuration. Our results highlight the critical role of dopamine in driving synaptic plasticity: Blocking dopaminergic neurotransmission locally in M1 prevented motor learning at the behavioral level and concomitantly halted plasticity changes in network activity and in functional connectivity. *About VVTNS : Launched as the World Wide Theoretical Neuroscience Seminar (WWTNS) in November 2020 and renamed in homage to Carl van Vreeswijk in Memoriam (April 20, 2022), Speakers have the occasion to talk about theoretical aspects of their work which cannot be discussed in a setting where the majority of the audience consists of experimentalists. The seminars, **held on Wednesdays at 11 am ET,** are 45-50 min long followed by a discussion. The talks are recorded with authorization of the speaker and are available to everybody on our YouTube channel.* ᐧ ᐧ

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Save the date: UK Neural Computation meeting July 8-10th, Sheffield
by Mark Humphries 24 Jan '25

24 Jan '25

Save the date! The UK Neural Computation meeting is in Sheffield for 2024, the gathering of the UK’s computational and systems neuroscience community 8 July: ECR day 9-10 July: main meeting 11 invited speakers, 4 talks from abstracts and loads of posters Abstract submission and registration opening soon Please spread the word! More details: https://neuralcomputation.uk/ Enquiries: uknc24(a)sheffield.ac.uk<mailto:uknc24@sheffield.ac.uk> Organisers Hannes Saal (Sheffield) Stuart Wilson (Sheffield) Mark Humphries (Nottingham) This message and any attachment are intended solely for the addressee and may contain confidential information. If you have received this message in error, please contact the sender and delete the email and attachment. Any views or opinions expressed by the author of this email do not necessarily reflect the views of the University of Nottingham. Email communications with the University of Nottingham may be monitored where permitted by law.

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[CFP] ICLR 2025 workshop I Can't Believe It's Not Better: Challenges in Applied Deep Learning
by Jennifer Williams 23 Jan '25

23 Jan '25

*ICLR 2025 <https://iclr.cc/> Workshop: I Can’t Believe It’s Not Better: Challenges in Applied Deep Learning* *Call for Papers: *This workshop focuses on negative results, failed experiments, and unexpected challenges encountered when applying deep learning to real-world problems across industry and science. By openly sharing these hurdles, we aim to advance the field through transparency, foster learning, and prevent repeated missteps. *We welcome submissions* that apply deep learning to various domains including, but not limited to, neuroscience, healthcare, psychology and feature: 1. A real-world use case where deep learning was applied. 2. An existing deep learning solution proposed in the literature. 3. An observed negative or unexpected outcome. 4. An analysis of why the approach did not work as anticipated. Possible reasons may include data issues, model assumptions, interpretability gaps, scalability challenges, or deployment constraints. Submissions will be evaluated based on rigor, novelty, clarity, reproducibility, and the depth of their insights. *Key Dates:* • Submission Deadline: February 3, 2025 (11:59 pm AOE) • Acceptance Notification: March 5, 2025 • Workshop: April 27 or 28, 2025 Accepted papers will appear on OpenReview and the workshop website, with the option for inclusion in PMLR proceedings <https://proceedings.mlr.press/>. We will also nominate outstanding submissions for spotlight talks and two awards: the “Entropic Award” for the most surprising negative result and the “Didactic Award” for the most pedagogically valuable paper. For more information on our past workshops, the ICBINB initiative, and submission details, please visit: https://sites.google.com/view/icbinb-2025/call-for-papers We look forward to your contributions! Sincerely, The I Can’t Believe It’s Not Better Organizing Team

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InterfaceNeuro meeting May 7-8 in Atlanta
by Rozell, Christopher J 22 Jan '25

22 Jan '25

I’m writing to invite you to attend a conference hosted May 7-8 at Georgia Tech called InterfaceNeuro (https://interfaceneuro.org) which targets the intersection of neuroscience, neuroengineering, clinical/translational research, neurotech industry, and individuals with lived experiences. While each of these areas obviously has their own meetings, this conference is unique in interfacing these areas all together to find points of collaboration. The theme this year is "Integrating Brain, Body, and Machine for Next-Gen Intelligent Interfaces". The program features curated invited talks, a keynote from Dr. Mike Okun, contributed poster sessions, and a featured event focused on patient's lived experiences with neurotechnology. You can see from the program that the curated talks have been chosen to span disciplines and generate discussion. We've minimized registration fees to try and make the meeting as accessible as possible (note that there is no virtual component). Poster submissions are due by March 14 (as part of registration), and there will be a slate of best poster prizes for trainees. This will be the first meeting hosted by Georgia Tech building off of previous offerings by Rice University’s Neuroengineering Initiative, and we are excited to welcome you all to Atlanta. Please reach out if you have questions. Otherwise, we look forward to seeing you in May!

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EPSRC PhD scholarships at the University of Sussex
by James Bennett 21 Jan '25

21 Jan '25

The University of Sussex invites applications for 10 PhD scholarships funded by the EPSRC for an autumn 2025 start. We are offering a wide range of cross-disciplinary research projects and research themes, many of which have a computational neuroscience and/or neuroAI focus, and are led by faculty across the university, including members of Sussex AI <https://www.sussex.ac.uk/research/centres/ai-research-group/>, the Sussex Centre for Consciousness Science <https://www.sussex.ac.uk/research/centres/sussex-centre-for-consciousness-s…>, and Sussex Neuroscience <https://www.sussex.ac.uk/research/centres/sussex-neuroscience/>. Studentships include: - 3.5 years of funding with a tax free living allowance at the standard Research Council rate – currently £19,237 in 2024-5 – and international or UK PhD fees. - An option of 3 months of additional funding to cover a placement outside academia. - Funding for training and research expenses, such as conference trips and experimental costs. - Supervision by world-leading researchers. - Our Entrepreneurship Summer School and Responsible Research and Innovation workshops, tailored to the needs of engineering and physical sciences researchers. - Our Researcher Development workshops and access to taught modules relevant to your project. A brochure of research projects/themes offered by our faculty is available here: Sussex EPSRC Brochure 2025-26 <https://www.sussex.ac.uk/study/downloads/funding/awards/1818/Sussex%20EPSRC…> For more information on how to apply, follow this link: https://www.sussex.ac.uk/study/fees-funding/phd-funding/view/1818-EPSRC-Sci… Dr. James Bennett Assistant Professor in Computer Science and AI Dept. Informatics University of Sussex Sussex AI <https://www.sussex.ac.uk/research/centres/ai-research-group/>, Sussex Neuroscience <https://www.sussex.ac.uk/research/centres/sussex-neuroscience/>

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World wide VVTNS series (fifth season): Wednesday, January 22, 2025, at 11:00 am EST| Srdjan Ostojic, Ecole normale supérieure, Paris
by David Hansel 19 Jan '25

19 Jan '25

[image: VVTNS.png] https://www.wwtns.online <https://streaklinks.com/A9c7PbbpKY7PxB6PaAJWGD3-/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.wwtns.on…> - on twitter: wwtns@TheoreticalWide You are cordially invited to the lecture given by Srdjan Ostojic Ecole normale supérieure, Paris on the topic of Structured Excitatory-Inhibitory Networks: a low-rank approach The lecture will be held on zoom on Wednesday, January 22, 2025, at *11:00 am EST * To receive the zoom link: https://www.wwtns.online/register-page *Abstract: * Networks of excitatory and inhibitory (EI) neurons form a canonical circuit in the brain. Classical theoretical analyses of dynamics in EI networks have revealed key principles such as EI balance or paradoxical responses to external inputs. These seminal results assume that synaptic strengths depend on the type of neurons they connect but are otherwise statistically independent. However, recent synaptic physiology datasets have uncovered connectivity patterns that deviate significantly from independent connection models. Simultaneously, studies of task-trained recurrent networks have emphasized the role of connectivity structure in implementing neural computations. Despite these findings, integrating detailed connectivity structures into mean-field theories of EI networks remains a substantial challenge. In this talk, I will outline a theoretical approach to understanding dynamics in structured EI networks by employing a low-rank approximation based on an analytical computation of the dominant eigenvalues of the full connectivity matrix. I will illustrate this approach by investigating the effects of pair-wise connectivity motifs on linear dynamics in EI networks. Specifically, I will present recent results demonstrating that an over-representation of chain motifs induces a strong positive eigenvalue in inhibition-dominated networks, generating a potential instability that challenges classical EI balance criteria. Furthermore, by examining the effects of external input, we found that chain motifs can, on their own, induce paradoxical responses, wherein an increased input to inhibitory neurons leads to a counterintuitive decrease in their activity through recurrent feedback mechanisms. Altogether, our theoretical approach opens new avenues for relating recorded connectivity structures with dynamics and computations in biological networks. *About VVTNS : Launched as the World Wide Theoretical Neuroscience Seminar (WWTNS) in November 2020 and renamed in homage to Carl van Vreeswijk in Memoriam (April 20, 2022), Speakers have the occasion to talk about theoretical aspects of their work which cannot be discussed in a setting where the majority of the audience consists of experimentalists. The seminars, **held on Wednesdays at 11 am ET,** are 45-50 min long followed by a discussion. The talks are recorded with authorization of the speaker and are available to everybody on our YouTube channel.* ᐧ ᐧ

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