The Max Planck Institute for Neurobiology of Behavior – Caesar (MPINB) in Bonn focuses on basic research in neuroethology. Researchers at the institute study how the collective activity of vast numbers of neurons gives rise to the plethora of animal behaviors. The interdisciplinary research spans from imaging neural circuits at the nanoscale to analyzing neural activity in a freely moving and naturally behaving animal.

The DZNE pursues an integrated research approach which combines basic, clinical, population research as well as patient care. The central and largest DZNE site is located in Bonn, closely linked to UoB and UoC. The core objectives of DZNE research are to understand the causes of and risk factors for neurodegenerative diseases, and to develop new therapeutic and preventive strategies by translating fundamental discoveries into clinical and public health applications. Groups have a strong focus on imaging and cutting-edge technologies in Drosophila, nematodes, mouse, and human. DZNE has a strong emphasis on human and translational studies.

Research Center Juelich provide expertise in neuroscience and medicine which takes a major role in the nation-wide key Helmholtz program “Information”, and Juelich contributes with “Natural, Artificial and Cognitive Information Processing”. Here basic research on the brain is being linked to computing approaches such as quantum, neuromorphic and traditional network computation.

The RWTH Aachen University’s research focus in Neurobiology (Department of Biology) and clinical neuroscience (Faculty of Medicine) is directly pertinent to iBehave. Researchers at RWTH focus on mouse social & sensory neuroscience and behavior in naturalistic and virtual environments. They apply advanced analytical approaches and technology. Together with colleagues at Juelich, principal investigators are implementing approaches from computational neuroscience, advanced image analysis and simulation.

UoC connects experimentalists, computational neuroscientists, and theoreticians who are interested in unraveling the complex nervous system performance when an organism interacts with the outside world with special emphasis on the motor system, the metabolic system, and the immune system. Elucidating mechanisms mediating state-dependency and assuring optimal performance in health and neurological diseases are central research goals. Within iBehave, UoC researchers will contribute key expertise in cutting-edge research in a variety of animal models, notably various insect species and mice, and healthy humans and patients suffering from neurological and psychiatric diseases, combined with advanced behavior and neural circuit analysis techniques.

Neuroscience is a central focus of research at UoB with a vibrant neuroscience community and a particular focus on applying cutting-edge technology to understand higher brain functions in animals and humans on the cellular and systems level. This focus has led to the establishment of many research groups and new institutes that are devoted to both fundamental and translational neuroscience, e.g., Bonn Center of Neurosciences (BCN). UoB contributes expertise in cutting edge technology to uncover circuit mechanisms of behavior in mice, flies, amphibians and humans. UoB provides established key structures for preclinical and clinical translation, medical faculty renders unique expertise of single cell recordings in human brain during presurgical evaluation of epilepsy patients and faculty natural sciences will contribute key expertise in mathematics and computer science.