The Vienna Cognitive Science Hub is a network of researchers at the University of Vienna active in various disciplines of Cognitive Science and Cognitive Neuroscience. At the Vienna CogSciHub our vision is to establish a unique profile in cognitive science that contributes basic and applied research to solve the significant issues of our time. The mission of the Vienna CogSciHub is to foster interdisciplinary research in the cognitive sciences in Vienna and thus support the strategic priorities of the University of Vienna in the areas of living systems, culture, and global health.

A unique characteristic of Vienna CogSciHub is that we incorporate cognitive sciences in the broadest sense: We expand the research areas of “traditional” fields like psychology and computer science in joint projects and programs with humanities (art history, linguistics, musicology, and philosophy) and life sciences (cognitive biology, evolution research, and cognitive neuroscience). What holds these fields together is an empirical mindset that involves using (and often sharing) a diverse set of methods, including eye-tracking, statistical modeling, field methods, virtual reality, EEG, fMRI, and brain stimulation (TMS and tDCS).

Interdisciplinarity is at the heart of the Vienna CogSciHub. We aim to foster and promote interdisciplinarity in our group and are working towards assessing excellence in the work of our researchers with metrics such as Web of Science. To determine to what degree our researchers work in different fields, we use the classification scheme of Statistik Austria. We are also mindful of the varying citation customs and impact factors of the individual fields, working towards adjusting our assessment of research strengths accordingly.

We aim to support and promote researchers who take the risk of multi-, inter- and transdisciplinary work and accept the increased stakes to do so. We offer young scientists services for developing and implementing innovative projects, research programs, and groups. We support established researchers in the evolution of their research program by providing benefits for developing and carrying out high-risk/high-gain proposals.