Machine Intelligence from Cortical Networks (MICrONS)

MICrONS seeks to revolutionize machine learning by reverse-engineering the algorithms of the brain. The program is expressly designed as a dialogue between data science and neuroscience. Participants in the program will have the unique opportunity to pose biological questions with the greatest potential to advance theories of neural computation and obtain answers through carefully planned experimentation and data analysis. Over the course of the program, participants will use their improving understanding of the representations, transformations, and learning rules employed by the brain to create ever more capable neurally derived machine learning algorithms. Ultimate computational goals for MICrONS include the ability to perform complex information processing tasks such as one-shot learning, unsupervised clustering, and scene parsing, aiming towards human-like proficiency.

Performers (Prime Contractors)

Allen Institute; Baylor College of Medicine; Harvard University; Princeton University

Related Program(s)

• ICArUS
• KRNS
• SHARP

Research Area(s)

• Theoretical neuroscience
• Computational neuroscience
• Machine learning
• Connectomics
• Brain activity mapping

Related Publications

To access MICrONS program-related publications, please visit Google Scholar.

Related Article(s)

• An automated pipeline for understanding how the brain is wired
• Johns Hopkins APL and University Students Join Forces to Map the Brain
• Inside the Moonshot Effort to Finally Figure Out the Brain
• The Boss: A Petascale Database for Large-Scale Neuroscience Powered by Serverless Technologies
• IARPA Project Targets Hidden Algorithms for the Brain
• ReadCoor Joins The Wyss Institute’s IARPA MICrONS Brain Mapping Consortium
• Artificial intelligence project could yield clues about autism
• Mapping the Brain to Build Better Machines
• IARPA awards $18.7M contract to Allen Institute to reconstruct neuronal connections
• US Bets $100 Million on Machines That Think More Like Humans
• Unlocking the secrets of the brain's intelligence to develop smarter technologies
• Allen Institute for Brain Science receives $18.7M to help reconstruct the complex wiring of the brain
• Allen Institute joins in IARPA’s massive MICrONS project to create a tiny bit of virtual brain tissue
• Research on mouse's brain could lead to smarter machines
• The U.S. Government Launches a $100-Million "Apollo Project of the Brain"
• IARPA Wants Smarter Algorithms -- Not More of Them