Grant: Canada First Research Excellence Fund

The world is evolving toward a new ‘techno-social' collective: one composed of both humans and intelligent artificial agents. While the potential benefits are extensive, disruptive technologies may also create unexpected or harmful societal consequences, especially in equity-deserving communities. We will address this global challenge with a unique initiative: Connected Minds: Neural & Machine Systems for a Healthy, Just Society. Our vision is to co-create and co-lead socially responsible, community engaged research that produces innovative technologies, policies, and regulations that optimize the benefits and mitigate the risks of the new techno-social collective. Our strategic goals are: 1. Achieve global research excellence; 2. Attract and retain the best talent; 3. Amplify knowledge mobilization (KM)/commercialization; and 4. Promote success of Indigenous and other equity-deserving groups. York is well placed to lead this initiative, with traditional strengths in arts, social sciences, law and social justice, a proven collaborative ecosystem spanning neuroscience, engineering, arts & humanities, and effective partner engagement and commercialization. Queen’s complements these strengths with internationally renowned socially responsible, interdisciplinary health research and education programs, combining AI/robotics with population and brain health methodologies. Our interdisciplinary group spans life sciences, engineering, and humanities to pursue our goals across three investigational themes: I. Co-creating Research for Societal Needs and Predicted Impact; II. Fundamentals of Social Interaction: Neural, Algorithmic, and Social Networks; and III. Designing and Developing Socially Responsible Technologies. Connected Minds will fund 35 strategic faculty hires, partner-focused seed, team, and prototyping grants, KM/commercialization events, and an ambitious multi-institutional micro-credential training program with 385 trainees and cross-sector stakeholders. All activities will require interdisciplinary participation, and we will prioritize projects that benefit Indigenous and other equity-deserving groups. With CFREF funding, Connected Minds will lead Canada and the world in the socially responsible creation and adoption of scientific and technological innovation to promote a healthy, resilient, and just techno-social collective, advancing Canada’s ST&I priorities and having a broad, enduring impact on how research is conducted in Canada