NEUROTWIN · Promoting S&T excellence and increasing the innovation capacity of the Transylvanian Institute of Neuroscience

Neuroscience Neuroscience is an advanced field of science still poorly represented in Eastern Europe. Individual efforts have created some centres of excellence over the past years, mostly by scientists returning home from western labs. One such centre is the Transylvanian Institute of Neuroscience (TINS), located in Transylvania, Romania. TINS hosts one of the most important training centres in experimental neurosciences worldwide: the Transylvanian Experimental Neuroscience Summer School (TENSS). We propose a twinning between TINS and three internationally-leading European institutions from countries where neuroscience is most developed: Germany, France, and UK. TINS will twin with the Ernst Stüngmann Institute for Neuroscience in Frankfurt, Imagine Institute in Paris, and University College London. The objectives of the twinning are: i) to increase the scientific competence of TINS researchers; ii) to increase the innovation capacity of TINS; iii) to enhance the international visibility and prestige of TINS; iv) to improve TINS’ capability to compete for research funding; v) to promote the involvement of early stage researchers at TINS; vi) to enable TINS to become a neuroscience development pole in Romania and Eastern Europe. To attain these objectives, TINS and its three top international partners will organize periodically mutual research staff exchanges (short stays), training lectures at each institution, a top profile neuroscience seminar series at TINS, the TENSS summer school, periodic consortium retreats, dissemination and outreach activities with patient associations and industry, and collaboration among technology-transfer offices to implement best practices at TINS. The twinning will increase the scientific competence at TINS in neurosciences, develop a competitive innovation and technology transfer strategy, raise significantly its international visibility, and enable it to successfully partner with top institutions for future collaborative projects.