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NIN Self-Evaluation Self-evaluation document for the site visit of the Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience “We strive to uncover the brain circuits necessary to adapt to a changing world” 2012 - 2017 Table of Contents Mission statement .............................................................................................................. 1 The institute’s position and strategy .................................................................................. 1 Research quality .................................................................................................................. 5 Relevance to society ........................................................................................................... 6 Financial situation and fund-raising .................................................................................... 6 Organization ........................................................................................................................ 7 Collaborations within the institute ..................................................................................... 9 The institute’s hub function within the Netherlands ......................................................... 9 Facilities ............................................................................................................................. 10 Teaching of PhD students ................................................................................................. 11 Research Integrity ............................................................................................................. 12 Diversity ............................................................................................................................ 13 Housing of the NIN ............................................................................................................ 13 SWOT: Analysis ................................................................................................................. 14 Appendix 1 Organogram 2018 and Scientific Advisory Board Appendix 2 Research output Appendix 3 Funding situation Appendix 4 Research staff Appendix 5 Narrative on societal impact Appendix 6 Results of the bibliometric analysis Appendix 7 Success of PhD training Appendix 8 Future housing scenarios Appendix 9 Honors, prizes and awards Appendix 10 Information about the research groups Appendix 11 The Netherlands Brain Bank Appendix 12 The conclusion and recommendations of the previous peer review Appendix 13 Response of the board of KNAW to the previous assessment report Appendix 14 The most recent mid-term assessment This document describes the research program of the Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience (NIN) and our plans for the future. The research and achievements of the individual research groups are outlined in Appendix 10. Mission statement The NIN aims to explain how circuits of neurons enable us to see the world and act upon it. The institute’s position and strategy We aim to understand how circuits of neurons enable brain functions. The research of the institute bridges the neuroscience of nerve cell function, the functioning of circuits of neurons and the functioning of the brain at a psychological level of description. NIN researchers implement many new tools to investigate the interactions between neurons, adopt methods to influence neuronal activity and investigate the consequences The institute is an important nexus in the of these interventions for behavior. Netherlands for fundamental research into Examples of brain functions that we study circuits of nerve cells. include, but are not limited to, visual perception, attention, memory, motor behavior, sleep and empathy. The institute is an important nexus in the Netherlands when it comes to fundamental research into circuits of neurons. This position is based on the composition of the expert research groups and on the state-of-the art facilities and equipment to study the circuits in the brain. Many of the NIN researchers are young and they fan out to other research organizations to apply the knowledge that they acquired at the institute. Scope of scientific field The strategy of the institute is to host excellent research groups that span the continuum of topics from vision (starting in the retina) all the way to the system’s output (action), where output should be considered in its most encompassing meaning, including sleep, eating, and the endocrine system. At the same time, researchers at the institute cover a continuum of levels of investigation, ranging from the molecular level to the social level of brain-to-brain analyses. Many of the groups use in silico simulations to interpret their data and generate new, testable hypotheses. To generate critical mass, and to enable investment in advanced techniques, the institute has recruited groups that overlap in topic and level of investigation. The resulting synergies have created an exciting environment that enables groups to collaborate, exchange expertise and share equipment (Figure 1). 1 A B Figure 1: (A) Research groups at the NIN. Structural groups receive the bulk of their financial support from the NIN, and honorary groups are funded by other organizations. (B) Number of research groups studying the topics (x-axis) ranging from vision to action at the levels (y-axis) from molecules to brain-to-brain analysis. The line-plots at the top and side represent the number of groups investigating that topic (top) or level (side) at any level (top) or topic (side). The long-term investment in expertise and facilities for research into circuit function makes the institute FUNDAMENTAL unique in the Netherlands and complements research carried out at Dutch universities. There is an intensive RESEARCH collaboration with the universities. This is reflected, in part, by the 15 chairs at Dutch universities and Research into the academic medical centers held by influential NIN functioning of healthy research group leaders (Box 1). The NIN attracts and brains and brain diseases trains a new generation of researchers, including is a long-term investment young principal investigators (PIs), postdocs and PhD of great societal students. With regard to young PIs, Dutch universities have attracted a number of researchers who first built importance. Brain diseases their own group at the NIN. For example, the are a large health care universities of Utrecht and Leiden, and the AMC burden, costing over 800 (Academic Medical Center of the University of billion euros per year in Amsterdam) recruited Elly Hol, Jan Wijnholds and Europe, and expected to Arthur Bergen, respectively (2013-2014). rise due to the aging of Furthermore, the VUmc recruited Ysbrand Van der the population. Continued Werf in 2015 and the University of Amsterdam appointed Helmut Kessels as full professor in 2018. investments in fundamental brain Within the Netherlands, the academic medical centers research are crucial focus on translational and patient-related research because fundamental with the aim of improving treatments for the short and medium term. Research at the NIN is complementary insights and techniques to that, with its focus on fundamental new insights most often inspire new into brain function. It thereby helps to safeguard therapies. fundamental research in the Netherlands, which has been under increasing financial pressure 1 . To facilitate the translation of innovative treatments in the longer term, NIN researchers collaborate with several medical centers, including the AMC, VUmc, Leiden University and the Erasmus University Rotterdam. These collaborations are structured through mutual appointments and honorary group- leaderships of PIs of medical centers at the institute (Box 1). The institute makes its research climate attractive by bringing together top researchers in a flat organization, where PIs have a say in the important decisions, and are given first- class facilities and resources. For research on the human brain, the institute founded the renowned Netherlands Brain Bank and it is one of the founders of the Spinoza Centre for Neuroimaging, providing researchers access to 3T and 7T MRI scanning facilities. 1 https://www.knaw.nl/shared/resources/actueel/publicaties/pdf/binnenwerk-advies-witte-vlekken-ruimte-voor- ongebonden-onderzoek 2 Box 1: Chairs at universities and academic medical centers Damiaan Denys AMC-UvA Birte Forstmann UvA & Leiden University Andries Kalsbeek AMC-UvA Maarten Kamermans AMC-UvA Christian Keysers UvA Maarten Kole University of Utrecht Susanne la Fleur AMC-UvA Christiaan Levelt VU Christian Lohmann VU Pieter Roelfsema AMC-UvA & VU Joost Verhaagen VU Eus van Someren VU Dick Swaab Zhejiang University Hangzhou, China Chris de Zeeuw Erasmus University Rotterdam Moreover, the institute has a well-equipped sleep lab and the Dutch Sleep Register. Furthermore, there is unique expertise in single-cell recordings in patients implanted with depth electrodes as part of their epilepsy treatment. Fundamental brain research requires animal models. The NIN has facilities for research with rhesus monkeys, rats, mice and zebrafish. To register the activity of circuits of neurons during behavior, the institute has 2-photon microscopes, electrophysiological setups and facilities for chemo- and optogenetics. Noteworthy is that the NIN took the lead in Europe in the development of ultralight miniature microscopes to measure the activity of cells in multiple brain areas. These facilities for fundamental research are greatly valued by our academic partners.
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