UCLA has received a five-year $2.5 million grant from the National Science Foundation in support of this major new program. These funds are provided to the UCLA NET Program through the NSF IGERT (Integrative Graduate Education and Training) Program, and include support for student stipends and expenses, specialized research equipment, and for neuroengineering seminars and guest speakers.

IGERT is an NSF-wide program intended to facilitate the establishment of innovative, research-based graduate programs that will train a diverse group of scientists and engineers to be well-prepared to take advantage of a broad spectrum of career options. UCLA is one of only twenty-one institutions nationwide chosen in FY 99-00 to receive an IGERT grant. The IGERT program provides doctoral institutions with an opportunity to develop new, well-focussed multidisciplinary graduate programs that transcend organizational boundaries and unite faculty from several departments or institutions to establish a highly interactive, collaborative environment for both training and research. This specific award is supported by funds from the Directorates for Biological Sciences, for Engineering, and for Education and Human Resources.

The NET Program also receives funding from the UCLA Graduate Division for additional student stipends specifically designated for neuroengineering graduate students.