Welcome from the Director
Today, more than ever, we must promote and encourage the study of the brain. It is the organ that generates our thoughts and behaviours and stores our memories. Diseases of the brain are devastating and constitute such an immense social and economic burden that is a number one health challenge that continues to grow with the increase in life expectancy. Indeed, this social economic burden already exceeds cancer, cardiovascular disease and diabetes together. The brain is the most complex structure known and, to paraphrase Cajal, only when we discover the fundamental principles underlying the structural and functional complexity of the brain, will we understand the basis of brain thinking or brain disease. Studying the brain will bring about radical transformations of society as we will be able to understand ourselves and alleviate mental, neurological and degenerative disorders.
Juan Lerma
The Cajal International Neuroscience Center (CINC) arises under the auspices of the Spanish Research Council with the firm purpose of creating a multidisciplinary research space of high-level and international competitiveness. This initiative is proposed grounded on the conviction that no endeavor aimed at understanding the basic functioning of the nervous system should be spared in our quest to solve brain diseases and to optimally design educational and behavior-recovery programs.
To this end, the CINC launched an open call for Expressions of Interest (EoIs) for the recruitment of research group leaders from junior to senior consolidated level. After closing this call, we have received 140 applications expressing their interest to join the CINC, not only from CSIC established researchers, but also from group leaders belonging to different centers and universities from outside Spain. Similarly, a good proportion of EoIs corresponds to senior postdocs wishing to start an independent career in an optimal environment.
Now, these EoIs will be studied and evaluated with the cooperation of our Scientific Advisory Board. We will contact the applicants in due time. We hope that this initiative will enable us to organise the initial research programmes to be carried out in the new centre. Stay tuned.
Juan Lerma