The International Program for the Advancement of Neurotechnology (IPAN) was established in November 2015 at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor with fundings from the National Science Foundation of the United States. The goal of IPAN is to develop and deliver systems that fundamentally simplify the work of neuroscientists, especially when it comes to neuronal inputs und circuits. At the moment, the initiative consists of 10 institutions from America, Asia and Europe, among them big players such as the University College London or the Korea Institute of Science and Technology. The University of Freiburg has the honour to join this illustrious circle with their cluster of excellence, BrainLinks-BrainTools.
On June 13-14, IPAN will be stageing the International Conference for Advanced Neurotechnology (ICAN) at the Lurie Engineering Center in Ann Arbor. Keynotes will be given by luminaries of neurotechnology, Ken Wise (University of Michigan), Howard Eichenbaum (Boston University), and Charles Lieber (Harvard University). BrainLinks-BrainTools will send 5 principal investigators accompanied by 4 junior scientists. Moreover, IPAN will enable 4 undergraduate students from Ann Arbor to come to Freiburg. Student exchange corresponds to one of the key missions of IPAN: providing advanced educational opportunities and international experience for both undergraduate and graduate students.