Brainbox Initiative Challenges Open for Submissions

The Brainbox Initiative's annual series of awards and challenges has returned for 2021, and calls for entries are now open until July 1, 2021.

A highlight of the calendar, the Brainbox Initiative awards and challenges provide an opportunity for early and - for the first time this year - mid-career neuroscientists working with non-invasive brain stimulation techniques the opportunity to gain access to new equipment; promote their completed and ongoing research; and the chance to win cash prizes for the very best submissions.

This year we are pleased to welcome back the Research Challenge and Young Investigator Award to the range of challenges, together with the brand new John Rothwell Award.

The Brainbox Initiative Research Challenge award provides a fantastic opportunity for early-career researchers with the very best ideas for multimodal non-invasive brain stimulation studies to gain crucial access and support to the equipment that they need to carry out their work. Applicants are encouraged to submit a concise proposal of their planned research that will be assessed by the Brainbox Initiative Scientific Committee for its scientific merit, feasibility, and the value, impact, and overall benefit that the prize would have on the applicant, their colleagues, and their institution. Winners of this challenge are supported with a three-month loan of Brainbox equipment and expert technical support from our team to help them carry out their proof-of-principle study.

The Young Investigator Award was established with the goal of recognising, promoting, and rewarding the very best neuroscience research that is being carried out worldwide by early-career academics. With a cash prize, a Brainbox Initiative Conference speaker slot, and opportunities for ongoing promotion of research, all early-career researchers with published work with direct relevance to non-invasive brain stimulation and imaging techniques are strongly encouraged to apply.

And finally, new for 2021, the John Rothwell Award has been introduced into the roster of prizes. Much like the Young Investigator Award, the John Rothwell Award seeks to recognise and reward the very best research at the cutting edge of the field. Focusing on mid-career researchers within 10-20 years of achieving their PhD, the John Rothwell Award provides applicants with the potential to win a generous cash prize, a guaranteed speaker slot at the Brainbox Initiative Conference 2022 (with travel and accommodation bursary), and the option to collaborate with the Brainbox Initiative in the design, creation, and delivery of a workshop relevant to the winner's research area.

All Brainbox Initiative award submissions are evaluated by our Scientific Committee, made up of neuroscientists from leading institutions. We welcome submissions from researchers around the world who are working with relevant non-invasive brain stimulation and/or imaging techniques. Call for submissions will remain open until July 1, 2021 and criteria for all awards can be found on the Brainbox Initiative website.