How to join the INCF Community

How to join the INCF community

The extended INCF community consists of individual researchers, research groups, consortia, funding agencies and publishers around the world. In the INCF People Directory you can find future collaborators among almost 200 scientists, listed in the Directory by research area. It’s also a useful way to gain visibility for your own research. Join the directory

The annual Neuroinformatics Congress is a valuable venue for interacting with the INCF Community. Held in one of the Member Countries, it provides an opportunity to set up new collaborations, keep up to date with neuroinformatics research and participate in specialized workshops.

How to join one of the Scientific Programs

The Scientific Programs tackle specific issues in various domains of neuroinformatics-related research. INCF currently has Programs in the following areas: Digital Brain Atlasing, Multi-Scale Modeling, Ontologies of Neural Structures and Standards for Datasharing. Each program has one or more Task Forces which are ad hoc for a specific project.

One of the most valuable forms of support we receive is the time spent by the Task Force members. Scientists with expertise in areas that are relevant to a Scientific Program can contact the Program Officer for the Program of interest. INCF provides travel and accommodation for members to participate in Task Force meetings around the world, but the time and effort that the Task Forces contribute are voluntary.

How to become a member country

The decision to join INCF as a member country is made on a governmental level, by the ministry of research & development; education; science & technology or similar structure. Usually the initiative comes from research groups who are knowledgeable about INCF activities and has identified a need to join INCF.

The annual membership fee is determined according to the country’s gross expenditure on research and development (GERD). A Member Country establishes a National Node, which is an institution or network that represents the country. The Node should coordinate neuroinformatics activity within the country and provide a connection with the Secretariat.

There are a number of benefits from being a Member Country. One of the most important benefits is having a direct impact on the decision making on future developments in international neuroinformatics infrastructure through representation on the INCF Governing Board.

The INCF Secretariat has assembled informational materials that research groups can use to present INCF when approaching their governments regarding membership. Please contact Development Officer Helena Ledmyr to request these materials, or if you have questions regarding the organization.