CogBooster: Rebooting Psychological Research through Cognitive Neuroscience

CogBooster aims at contributing to closing the research gap in Psychology between Widening and non-Widening countries by implementing a strong line of research in the area of Cognitive Neuroscience at the Psychology Department of the University of Coimbra, Portugal. It will do so under the leadership of one of the most respected and highly cited researchers in the fields of Psychology and Cognitive Neuroscience – Alfonso Caramazza. Importantly for CogBooster, Alfonso Caramazza successfully created and led research centers and departments to excellence in the field of Psychology and Cognitive Neuroscience, both in the United States of America, as well as in Europe.CogBooster will promote an institutional reform to align the Coordinator Institution with the cutting-edge psychological research and education currently provided in the Psychology Departments within non-widening European countries, and in the top Psychology Departments in the world. A close inspection of the major differences between Psychology Departments in Widening and non-Widening countries suggests that the presence of strong and dominant lines of research in Cognitive Neuroscience marks the divide between these two groups of countries in what concerns Psychology. To contribute to closing this research gap and increasing research quality and competitiveness at the University of Coimbra, the institutional reform under CogBooster will focus on: 1) attracting talents in the area of Cognitive Neuroscience to Portugal; 2) improving research and education, by providing top notch training in an area that is central for resolving complex societal challenges; and 3) bringing these scientific outputs to society. Overall, the scope of this action extends to the whole system: academia, target users (e.g., students), and the wider community. A group of prestigious and influential Cognitive Neuroscientists will advise on the different steps of the project, providing also a clear view for the future of Psychology.