Initiative: Map & Directory of Active Neuromorphic Institutions, Labs, and Companies

[neural-loop]

Context & Objectives

🎯 Objective

To research, structure, and publish a comprehensive, open-source global directory and knowledge graph of university research groups, academic institutes, startups, and enterprise organizations active in neuromorphic computing and sensing.

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🧠 Problem & Opportunity

The neuromorphic ecosystem is globally distributed and fragmented across computational neuroscience, VLSI/hardware design, event-based vision, and algorithm development. Newcomers, prospective students, and industry partners frequently ask "Which labs or companies are working on X?"

Creating an authoritative Ecosystem Directory:

1. Serves as the primary global knowledge graph for the field, boosting ONM's search authority.
2. Directly supports the Collaboration Network by giving labs and companies a dedicated profile page on ONM in exchange for backlinking to us.
3. Helps prospective students find graduate programs and research groups by region and technical focus.

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🧾 Key Outcomes & Deliverables

• Data Schema Definition: Define the standard JSON/Markdown front-matter schema for organization profiles:
  • Name, Country/City, Website
  • Focus Domains (e.g., Event-Based Sensing, SNN Algorithms, Analog VLSI, Bio-hybrid)
  • Associated PIs / Key Researchers
  • Open Positions / Collaboration Network status
• Initial Data Ingestion: Populate the first wave of 30+ entries using:
  • The 2026 Ecosystem Survey data (24+ org leads).
  • Existing Collaboration Network targets (Intel, SynSense, BrainChip, Innatera, IBM, IMEC, Heidelberg, Manchester, UCSC, VT, etc.).
• Website Directory & Map: Create a filterable directory page on open-neuromorphic.org (e.g., /ecosystem/directory/ or /labs/).
• Community Contribution Pipeline: Allow PIs and lab leads to submit or update their lab profile via a simple GitHub PR or Issue template.

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🗺️ Scope

• In Scope: Academic research labs, non-profit institutes, hardware startups, enterprise R&D teams, and open-source consortia in neuromorphic computing and sensing.
• Out of Scope: Individual personal profiles (these belong in the Fellowship or Contributor directories).

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🏷️ Suggested Labels

domain:partnerships, domain:publications, enhancement, Strategy Rollout