UW Center Reels in $16M in Funding

The University of Washington’s Center for Sensorimotor Neural Engineering has scooped up $16 million in funding to support its research over the next four years.

The funding – awarded by the National Science Foundation – will support research on implantable devices that promote brain plasticity and reanimate paralyzed limbs. CSNE was founded in 2011 as a result of an $18.5 million NSF grant.

Rajesh Rao, CSNE’s director and UW professor of computer science and engineering, says the goal is to achieve proof-of-concept demonstrations in humans within the next five years.

Rao adds that there is a “huge” unmet need for treatments for progressive or traumatic neurological conditions. — Michael Cipriano