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McGill.CA / Healthy Brains, Healthy Lives / Funding Opportunities / Past RFAs / CONNECT

CONNECT Cycle 1

Are you interested in making cognitive neuroscience more applicable to the real world?

Do you work in cognitive neuroscience (broadly defined as the study of the brain basis of human behaviour) or any other area of research offering insights that might benefit the field?

The Cognitive Neuroscience kNowledge Exchange for Clinical Translation (CONNECT) Initiative will bring together interdisciplinary participants to work together on creative solutions to the question: “how might we make cognitive neuroscience research more applicable to the real world?â€

This is the first cycle in a three-year effort to do cognitive neuroscience differently.

What you will get out of the experience:

  • Participate in professionally facilitated ‘design thinking’ sessions: During these sessions, you will learn an innovative approach to problem solving that places the end user at the centre of the design/problem-solving process.
  • Develop creative, innovative solutions: The main aim is to support you and your newly-created team to develop innovative solutions that have the potential to improve the way cognitive neuroscience is conducted—to make it more useful, applicable and generalizable.
  • FUNDING to realize your solution: Selected teams will receive funding to help move their idea forward. The total funding envelope available for CONNECT is $850,000, which will be allocated across six planned cycles.
  • Develop interdisciplinary collaborations: This facilitated process will allow you to connect with colleagues and individuals with complementary expertise who you may not have worked with before (PIs, clinicians and trainees alike).

Schedule

Please note: If you’re interested in taking part but aren’t sure if you can commit to the entire cycle, you can attend the first session (‘Ideathon’) without committing to the other sessions.

In person sessions will be held on the McGill main campus, location to be confirmed.

  • Session 1: Ideathon (in person) – Thursday, October 6, 2:00 – 5:00 p.m.

    • Kick-off to CONNECT and overview of the program. Introduction to design thinking methodology.
    • Bring your ideas! Find other interested in the same questions and make a team.
    • Coffee and snacks will be served to keep the creative juices flowing!
  • Session 2: Guided online working session – Thursday, October 13, 2:00 – 4:00 p.m.
    • Facilitated group work in stakeholder mapping and empathy mapping.
    • Project groups formed by this session – commitment to the remainder of the program needed at this stage to participate.
  • Session 3: Guided online working session – Thursday, October 20, 2:00 – 4:00 p.m.
    • Facilitated group work in idea prototyping.
  • (Optional, online) Session 4 – Thursday, October 27, 2:00 – 4:00 p.m.
    • Optional drop-in feedback and presentation prep for final pitch development.
  • Pitch Session & Celebration Reception (in person) – Thursday, November 3, 5:00 – 7:00 p.m.
    • Ideas will be pitched for funding through group presentations and opportunity for collaborative feedback.
    • The total funding envelope available for CONNECT is $850,000, which will be allocated across six planned cycles.

What we're looking for

  • Projects must support the goals of cognitive neuroscience. For our purposes, we define cognitive neuroscience as the study of the brain basis of human behaviour.
  • Funded projects must involve McGill faculty members and/or currently registered McGill students.
  • Projects must have immediate relevance in the clinic or other real-world settings.
  • Projects should be possible to complete in the short-term (i.e., 1-2 years)
  • The total funding envelope available for CONNECT is $850,000, which will be allocated across six planned cycles.

CONNECT Principal co-investigators

  • Madeleine Sharp
  • Anna Weinberg
  • Maiya Geddes
  • Lesley Fellows

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