The Lyons share of cognition

The city of Lyons has been chosen as the site for France's first major research centre for cognitive sciences. The Pounds 5 million project for the future Institut des Sciences Cognitives is being funded jointly by the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), the education ministry and the Rhone-Alpes regional council.

Starting out at the end of next year with a core team of about 30 people, the institute will ultimately house 70 researchers and technicians. The French and foreign researchers are to be chosen from a number of specialities, including linguists, neurophysiologists and philosophers.

The research laboratories will be equipped with the latest cognitive mapping equipment, according to the CNRS, and the institute will house a breeding centre for rats and primates to be used in experiments.

Research into cognition has got off to a slow start in France, compared to neighbouring countries, with the first "cognosciences" research programme set up by the CNRS just six years ago.

Plans for a major research centre met funding difficulties. There was also some resistance to the multi-disciplinary nature of the field, breaking away from traditional academic subject areas.