Our mission

Background

INCF was established through the Global Science Forum of the OECD to develop an international neuroinformatics infrastructure, which promotes the sharing of data and computing resources to the international research community. A larger objective of INCF is to help develop scalable, portable, and extensible applications that can be used by neuroscience laboratories worldwide. The proposal to create INCF was endorsed by the OECD science ministers in 2004. The core organization of INCF consists of the Secretariat, the Governing Board and the National Nodes.

Vision

INCF will comprehensively catalyze and coordinate the global development of neuroinformatics in the scientific community. This will result in the rapid development of brain sciences and advances in information technology. Neuroinformatics will ultimately contribute to new therapeutic methods for nervous system disorders, as greater knowledge about neural information processing systems leads to novel bio-inspired technologies.

Mission

 - To foster scientific interaction for discovery and innovation, and to facilitate the flow of information between researchers in academia and industry
 - To serve as a credible and sustainable global network for developing, maintaining, and evaluating internationally coordinated neuroinformatics activities and infrastructures for standards, guidelines, and references
 - To facilitate training of highly skilled neuroinformatics researchers worldwide

Values

 Openness – INCF activities are open to all researchers who can contribute to neuroinformatics at the international level
 Neutrality – INCF priorities are based solely on the collective benefit of science and research, with global brokerage being an important function of INCF
 Stability and Lasting Accountability – INCF-participating countries value and directly invest in sustainable neuroinformatics products, services, and programs
 Results – INCF criteria for actions reflect results and deliverables that fulfill its mission
 Global Excellence – INCF benchmarks for all activities are state-of-the-art and best-practice in academia and industry
 Leadership and Innovation – INCF innovative approaches help develop and maintain international leadership in neuroscience research