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The MINDED programme

Neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) are characterized by brain function deficits that usually show up early in children and can run throughout the lifetime of individuals. These deficits can affect memory as well as ability to learn, socialize and maintain self-control. Societal and economic impact are therefore important for the affected patients, their families and society. MINDED wants to change the way these disorders are studied and treated, by combining Nanomedicine, Molecular Neuroscience and Cognitive Neuroscience Robotics. This novel approach is the basis of the MINDED educational program, led by IIT in Italy and involving 15 partners worldwide.

MINDED offers 24 prestigious 4-year fellowships for experienced researchers – MINDED fellows – with the objective of advancing the diagnosis, imaging and treatment of neurodevelopmental disorders. Selected fellows will be trained for business development and clinical translation of new biomedical technologies. MINDED will originate a new class of scientists and entrepreneurial scientists.

The MINDED approach relies on the integration of three major disciplines:

  • nanomedicine, for the precise delivery of therapeutic and imaging agents to diseased sites by rationally designing multifunctional nanoconstructs;
  • molecular neuroscience, for the identification and study of genes involved in NDDs and synthesis of RNAs for restoring their physiological expression;
  • cognitive neuroscience robotics, for the development of novel diagnostic and therapeutic sensorimotor approaches to NDDs by assistive robotics.

MINDED is a Marie Skłodowska-Curie COFUND Action.
Candidates can submit their proposal on the Application page according to eligibility criteria and procedures.