What Brain and Cognitive Sciences does

MIT's Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences (BCS), established in 1964, is an academic department within MIT's School of Science headquartered at 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Building 46 (43 Vassar Street), Cambridge, MA. It educates graduate and undergraduate students through four programs: Course 9 (Brain and Cognitive Sciences), Course 6-9 (Computation and Cognition) jointly with EECS, the Brain and Cognitive Sciences PhD program, and the Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience (MCN) program. Its research spans cellular/molecular neuroscience, systems neuroscience, cognitive science, and computational approaches, supported by Core Facilities (imaging centers, computational resources, specialized lab equipment), the InBrain data sharing collaboration platform, and co-location with the McGovern Institute for Brain Research and the Picower Institute for Learning and Memory.

The department operates as a non-profit academic unit and does not use commercial pricing models. Funding flows from four primary streams: federal research grants (NIH, NSF, DoD) and private research foundations (HHMI), tuition via MIT's structure for undergraduate and graduate programs, philanthropic gifts managed through the Champions of the Brain Fellows Society, and corporate partnerships and sponsored research. BCS's "customers" are its degree-program students (graduate PhD/master's, undergraduate Course 9 and 6-9), postdoctoral researchers, and external research collaborators; its go-to-market motion is event- and community-driven via research publications, conference presentations, the BCS-talks seminar series, the MIT Summer Research Program (MSRP), and the Post-Baccalaureate Research Scholars Program.

The faculty includes multiple Nobel laureates and HHMI investigators, and BCS is consistently ranked among the top five neuroscience and cognitive science departments globally. Strategic partnerships extend its reach: the McGovern and Picower Institutes share Building 46; CBMM (an NSF Science and Technology Center), the Simons Center for the Social Brain, the Broad Institute, the RIKEN-MIT Center for Neural Circuit Genetics, the Tan-Yang Center for Autism Research, the Alana Down Syndrome Center, the Center for Neurobiological Engineering, and HHMI serve as core affiliations and funding partners. Department operations are led by Department Head Michale S. Fee, with administrative support from a Director of Administration and Finance and dedicated program, HR, facilities, communications, and EHS staff.

Name

Brain and Cognitive Sciences

Legal name

Massachusetts Institute of Technology - Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences

Website

https://bcs.mit.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

1964

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

MIT's Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences is an academic department, established in 1964, that conducts neuroscience and cognitive science research and educates graduate and undergraduate students through Course 9, Course 6-9, PhD, and MCN programs in Cambridge, MA.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education / Neuroscience Research

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113), Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (54171)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Biomedical Sciences & Medical Research Institutes (University-Based) (EDAHAGAI)

Keywords

• Neuroscience research
• Cognitive science education
• Graduate academic programs
• Brain research facilities
• Molecular cellular neuroscience

Headquarters

HQ city

Cambridge

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Government Research Grants: Primary funding from federal agencies including NIH, NSF, DoD, and private foundations like HHMI for neuroscience research
2. Tuition and Fees: Revenue from undergraduate and graduate education programs including Course 9 (Brain and Cognitive Sciences), Course 6-9 (Computation and Cognition), and various certificate programs
3. Endowment and Donations: Philanthropic support through Champions of the Brain Fellows Society and other donor programs
4. Corporate Partnerships: Industry collaborations and sponsored research agreements with biotechnology and technology companies

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

BCS is an MIT academic department that offers undergraduate majors (Course 9 and Course 6-9), PhD and Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience graduate programs, and postdoctoral research training alongside faculty-led neuroscience and cognitive science research conducted in Building 46. The department operates shared research facilities and the InBrain data sharing platform to enable collaborative brain and mind research, and delivers community outreach programs including the MIT Summer Research Program (MSRP) and the Post-Baccalaureate Research Scholars Program.

Product overview

The MIT Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences is an academic department offering undergraduate (Course 9, Course 6-9) and graduate programs (PhD in Brain and Cognitive Sciences, MEng in Computation and Cognition, Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience Program). The department operates research facilities including the Picower Institute, McGovern Institute, and Core Facilities. Key research initiatives include InBrain (data sharing collaboration) and the Simons Center for the Social Brain.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Course 9: Brain and Cognitive Sciences Undergraduate major at MIT covering cellular/molecular neuroscience, systems neuroscience, cognitive science, and computation approaches to understanding the brain and mind.
• Course 6-9: Computation and Cognition Joint undergraduate program between Electrical Engineering and Computer Science and Brain and Cognitive Sciences, including an MEng track for advanced study in computation and cognition.
• Brain and Cognitive Sciences PhD Program Doctoral program providing training in neuroscience research methods, with tracks in various research areas in brain and cognitive sciences.
• Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience (MCN) Program Specialized graduate program focusing on molecular and cellular mechanisms in neuroscience, including coursework, model systems research, and faculty-mentored training.
• InBrain Data Sharing Platform Data sharing collaboration initiative for the neuroscience research community, accompanied by an InBrain Collaboration Data Sharing Policy governing use by researchers.
• Core Facilities Shared research infrastructure and facilities supporting neuroscience research activities, including imaging centers, computational resources, and specialized lab equipment.
• Post-Baccalaureate Research Scholars Program Program providing post-baccalaureate research opportunities for students seeking additional research experience before graduate school.
• MIT Summer Research Program (MSRP) Summer research program for undergraduate students interested in brain and cognitive sciences, focused on diversity and outreach to students considering graduate studies in brain science.

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

AI capability7 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and major.

• McGovern Institute for Brain ResearchcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBCS is co-located with McGovern Institute in Building 46. McGovern Institute Director Robert Desimone is a BCS faculty member. Joint facilities and collaborative research programs.
• Picower Institute for Learning and MemorycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBCS is co-located with Picower Institute in Building 46. Picower Institute Director Myriam Heiman is a BCS faculty member. Joint facilities and collaborative research programs.
• Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMultiple BCS faculty members are HHMI investigators including Steven Flavell. HHMI provides research funding and support for neuroscience research.
• Center for Brains, Minds and Machines (CBMM)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerNSF Science and Technology Center focused on the science and engineering of intelligence. BCS faculty including Joshua Tenenbaum serve as research thrust leaders. Joint research initiatives and training programs.
• Simons Center for the Social BraincoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBCS faculty Mriganka Sur serves as Director. Focused on understanding the neural mechanisms of social cognition. Joint research programs and postdoctoral training.
• Broad Institute of MIT and HarvardmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBCS faculty members including Guoping Feng hold institute memberships. Collaborative genomics and neurobiology research programs.
• RIKEN-MIT Center for Neural Circuit GeneticscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational research partnership with RIKEN. BCS faculty Susumu Tonegawa serves as Principal Investigator. Focused on neural circuit genetics research.
• Hock E. Tan and K. Lisa Yang Center for Autism ResearchmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBCS faculty Guoping Feng serves as Director. Focused on understanding and treating autism. Joint research initiatives.
• Alana Down Syndrome CentermajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBCS faculty Li-Huei Tsai serves as Co-Director. Focused on Down syndrome research. Joint research programs.
• Center for Neurobiological Engineering (CNBE)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMIT center focused on neurobiological engineering. BCS faculty members participate in center activities and research programs.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Harvard Center for Brain Science: Harvard's primary neuroscience research center, offering comparable interdisciplinary brain science research and graduate training in close geographic proximity to BCS. Direct peer in elite neuroscience research and graduate education.
• Yale Department of Neuroscience: Yale's neuroscience department covering molecular, cellular, systems, and behavioral neuroscience with PhD program. Comparable in scope and research breadth to BCS.
• UCSF Neuroscience Graduate Program: UCSF's interdisciplinary neuroscience graduate program focused on brain function and neurological disease. Direct peer in graduate-level neuroscience training and research with similar academic structure.
• Johns Hopkins Department of Neuroscience: One of the longest-standing and largest neuroscience departments in the US, offering PhD and undergraduate programs with comparable breadth across molecular, cellular, systems, and cognitive neuroscience.
• Princeton Neuroscience Institute: Princeton's dedicated neuroscience institute emphasizing theoretical and computational neuroscience alongside experimental work. Comparable in combining cognitive science and computation, similar to BCS's Course 6-9 program.
• Columbia Department of Neuroscience: Columbia's primary neuroscience department offering PhD training and research across molecular, cellular, systems, and cognitive neuroscience with similar program structure to BCS.
• Stanford Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute: Stanford's flagship neuroscience research and education institute combining neuroscience, cognitive science, and computational approaches. Direct peer in interdisciplinary brain research with similar scope to BCS.
• Caltech Division of Biology and Biological Engineering: Caltech's biology division encompasses neuroscience research with strong emphasis on computation and engineering, comparable in scale and interdisciplinary approach to BCS's programs.

Regional players

• Max Planck Institute for Brain Research: Leading European neuroscience research institute conducting fundamental research on brain function. Comparable as a top-tier neuroscience research organization but operates in a different geography than BCS.

Others

• HHMI Janelia Research Campus: HHMI's flagship research campus focused on neuroscience and imaging tool development, with multiple BCS faculty holding HHMI investigator appointments. Connected to BCS through funding relationships and shared investigators rather than direct competition.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/mitbrainandcog
• YouTubevimeo.com/mitbcs
• Facebookfacebook.com/MITBCS
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/mitbrainandcog

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Brain and Cognitive Sciences