MindTech Launches April 2026

Work at the MIndTech Lab will begin in April 2026. Funded by a major UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Cross-Council grant, MindTech brings together philosophers, neuroscientists, psychologists, and physicists at the Universities of Glasgow and Oxford to embed ethical and epistemological principles in the development of neurotechnology. Neurotechnology can enhance our capacities of knowledge acquisition, but it can also be misused to compromise cognitive autonomy in various ways - from manipulating stored memories to influencing real-time information processing through unauthorized BCI access. Integrating philosophical expertise at early stages of the development process is thus critical. Rather than treating ethical and epistemological considerations as external constraints to be addressed after development, and in a way that involves reacting to risks unanticipated, our project will develop and employ a protocol for embedding them directly into the design process.

Brain scan highlighting neural activity in research

Understanding Mindtech

Neurotechnologies are advanced tools developed to repair and enhance brain functions. Recent progress shows that wireless thought-based communication will soon be widely available. This development offers potential societal benefits through improved cognitive capacities, accelerated scientific progress, and more efficient information access. However, significant challenges accompany these advancements. To responsibly navigate a future where cognition-enhancing technology is powerful and prevalent, we require a better understanding of how the integration of silicon-based and neural computing affects human cognition, and of the ethical and epistemological issues raised

The Importance of Innovative Interdisciplinary Research Techniques

The interdisciplinary work pursued at MindTech will achieve transformative reciprocity across disciplines along three interconnected dimensions:

(i) Neurotechnology informing philosophy:

Access to cutting-edge neurotechnological developments provides the philosophy team with real-world scenarios to test and refine our theoretical frameworks. Our team’s

theory of neurotechnology-mediated trust will be empirically-constrained by data concerning how individuals attribute trust in hybrid human-AI cognitive systems. Our views on neuro-authenticity will be grounded in data from individuals experiencing memory enhancement, and our neurotech epistemic risk assessment tools will be refined through empirical studies of how enhanced memory systems affect sensitivity to defeaters, evidence retention, and belief updating in practice.

(ii) Philosophy guiding neurotechnology:

Rather than treating ethical and epistemological considerations as post-hoc constraints, our

approach embeds these into the neurotechnology development from the outset. Philosophers will participate in experimental design meetings, helping identify hidden epistemological assumptions in protocols. For instance, when developing memory enhancement systems, our work on epistemic defeaters will inform design choices about how contradictory evidence is stored. Our authenticity framework will guide decisions about user control and transparency in memory modification. This proactive integration ensures that the neurotechnologies explored don't merely avoid ethical problems but actively promote human flourishing and epistemic virtue.

(iii) Laying groundwork for new subdisciplines:

Through this reciprocal engagement, we pilot research agendas and best practices for neuroethical and neuroepistemological engineering as rigorous academic fields. These aren't merely applied ethics or applied epistemology—they represent new ways of thinking that emerge from the intersection of philosophical analysis and neurotechnological possibility. These will have their own methodologies, standards of excellence that value both theoretical sophistication and practical impact, and educational pathways. We will pilot the first curriculum through a summer school that brings together philosophy and

neuroscience students, followed by master's courses that train the next generation of researchers to think fluidly across these domains.