Presenter
Suzanne T. Garcia, Ph.D.
Division of Neuroscience and Basic Behavioral Science
Goal
The purpose of the Conte Centers program is to support interdisciplinary teams of researchers engaged in novel, creative, and integrated experimental approaches to address high-risk, high-impact scientific questions in either basic neuroscience research or in translational research that will significantly advance the state of the science in brain and behavioral research and provide the foundation for understanding mental disorders and/or transform the understanding and treatment of mental illnesses.
Rationale
NIMH remains committed to maintaining a robust and broad research portfolio that spans the full spectrum of scientific pursuits, ranging from basic neuroscience and behavioral science to translational research aimed at understanding and treating mental illness. While the majority of NIMH-supported research succeeds through focused research project grants within individual labs or small collaborations, there continues to be a need to support ambitious approaches that cross traditional disciplinary boundaries and demonstrates an extraordinary level of synergy and integration. Given the complexity of the brain, a mechanism that supports research that crosses all facets of neuroscience is needed to improve our understanding of basic brain mechanisms and/or the pathophysiology, progression, and treatment of mental disorders.
The Conte Centers program exemplifies collaborative research that addresses a well-defined and unified scientific hypothesis or problem using a variety of complementary approaches. Centers are meant to be conceptualized within an interdisciplinary framework and incorporate multiple, well-integrated projects with cutting edge research and a common goal. Centers may include core components that are critical for the integration of projects across the Center.
Research topics may include any aspect of basic genetics and neuroscience related to cognitive, affective, or social function of the brain and can be conducted at multiple levels of analysis involving genes, cells, synapses, circuits and behavior, in healthy and/or disease states, in model systems or humans, and from the prenatal period throughout the lifespan. Center projects may also include translational integration of neuroscience to address clinical questions in humans to identify the etiology, pathophysiology, developmental trajectory, potential biomarkers, and/or the mechanistic substrates of interventions with the goal of prevention, treatment, and cure of mental disorders. Discovery-based as well as technology development components in support of the primary scientific question are welcomed. An important feature of Conte Centers will be opportunities for interdisciplinary research training and the rapid, widespread sharing of the resulting data, methods, and resources to the community.
