31 October 2025
The importance of Brain, Behaviour and Cognition research in changing times and landscapes: Challenges, opportunities and future prospects

Research in the field of brain, cognition and behaviour (BCB) is highly relevant for education, safety, healthcare, and policy making. For this white paper, a group of 47 researchers in the Netherlands united to highlight the paramount importance of fundamental BCB research for society and to chart the essential next steps for the BCB field, including concrete recommendations for governments, funders, universities/academic institutions, and individual scientists. This agenda includes the necessary actions to maintain and bolster the virtuous circle of fueling innovation through fundamental BCB research to address the current and future societal challenges. To this end, we outline highlights of BCB research: its societal impact on the fields of healthcare, education and safety, and its fundamental impact on scientific knowledge. We characterize fundamental science as a crucial driver of innovation and impact. We reflect on the important challenges that the field faces in the Netherlands and in Europe: reduced societal and political trust in science, misinformation about brain function, budget cuts, threats to experimental research with animals, and limits to internationalization. We stress that BCB science is inherently multidisciplinary and call for a research agenda and funding schemes that transcend traditional boundaries, foster interdisciplinary collaborations, internationalization, team science, and open science practices. The Dutch BCB research agenda is broadly relevant, and can inspire BCB research and interdisciplinary initiatives across Europe and globally. This agenda lays a path toward a resilient, responsive, and socially embedded BCB research ecosystem—one that is equipped to conquer scientific frontiers while fulfilling societal needs.

Recommendations for fostering innovation with BCB research

The key identified catalysts for effective innovation are systemic financial support, fundamental curiosity-driven research, interdisciplinarity, internationalization, and sustainable career paths for early career scientists.

For governments, policy-makers and funding agencies

• Structural and increased support for scientific innovation:

*- Increase structural funding

• Curiosity-driven research:

*- Increase funding for curiosity-driven research (alongside thematic research)

• Interdisciplinarity involving multiple stakeholders and diverse perspectives:

*- Calibrate funding schemes and awards to support and stimulate interdisciplinarity and team-science.

• Internationalization:

*- Safeguard English-taught bachelor and master programs

For universities and research institutions

• Institutional support for interdisciplinary research:

*- Remove logistic and bureaucratic barriers

• Sustainable career paths for early-career researchers:

*- Promote conditions supporting a realistic workload

For researchers

• Science communication, public outreach, and citizen science:

*- Scientific communication and public engagement training should be structurally offered

• Team science, open science, and interdisciplinary collaborations:

*- Acknowledge and promote team science

• Strengthening our societal positioning through dialogue and advocacy:

*- Develop a structured and visible BCB advocacy strategy

Please find the full version here:

https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17493166

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  1. Heleen Slagter, Professor, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam
  2. Sanne Moorman, Assistant Professor Behavioural Neuroscience, University of Groningen, Groningen
  3. Maaike Kempes, Professor, Leiden Universiteit, Leiden
  4. Inti Brazil, Associate Professor, Radboud University, Nijmegen
  5. Robbert Havekes, Associate Professor, University of Groningen, Groningen
  6. Ewa Międzobrodzka, Postdoctoral researcher, Utrecht University, Utrecht
  7. Silvy Collin, Assistant Professor, Tilburg University, Tilburg
  8. Barbara Braams, Associate Professor, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam
  9. Stefan van der Stigchel, Professor, Utrecht University, Utrecht
  10. Michiel van Elk, Associate Professor, Leiden University, Leiden
  11. Kübra Gülmez Karaca, Assistant Professor, UMC Utrecht, Utrecht
  12. Roelof HUT, Full professor, University of Groningen, Groningen
  13. Ulrich Eisel, Professor, University of Groningen, Groningen
  14. Eliana Vassena, Assistant Professor, Radboud University, Behavioral Science Institute, Nijmegen
  15. Peter Meerlo, Associate Professor, University of Groningen, Groningen
  16. Petra Hurks, Professor, Maastricht University, Maastricht
  17. Alexander Kotrschal, Assoc. Prof., Wageningen University and Resarch, Wageningen
  18. Florian Krause, Researcher, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboudumc, Nijmegen
  19. Marijn van Wingerden, Associate Professor, Tilburg University, Tilburg
  20. karis colyer-patel, PhD, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Rotterdam
  21. Irene van de Vijver, Assistant Professor, Utrecht University, Utrecht
  22. Jocelien Olivier, Associate Professor, University of Groningen, Groningen
  23. Rares Radulescu, PhD candidate, Behavioral Science Institute, Nijmegen
  24. J. Alexander Heimel, Group leader, Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, Amsterdam
  25. Helena Rico, Institute Manager, Groningen Institute For Evolutionary Life Sciences, Groningen
  26. Saskia Koch, Researcher, Radboud University Nijmegen, Nijmegen
  27. Anita Harrewijn, Assistant professor, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Rotterdam
  28. Emese Kroon, Postdoc, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Rotterdam
  29. manon mulckhuyse, Assistant Professor, Leiden University, Leiden
  30. Huseyin Beykoylu, PhD candidate, Leiden University - Institute of Psychology, Arnhem
  31. Judith Schomaker, Assistant Professor, Leiden University, Leiden
  32. Jan Engelmann, Professor, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam
  33. Aminata Bicego, Postdoctoral researcher, Leiden university, Leiden
  34. Charlotte Franenberg, Co-founder & CEO, Axite, Leiden
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