Creative processes and their underlying mechanisms in our nervous system were the focus of the conference "Bridging Fields in Creativity Research." The interdisciplinary meeting took place in mid-September 2024 at the historic Old Courthouse in Oppenheim. Organized by Jens-Bastian Eppler (FIAS) and Matthias Kaschube (FIAS) from the Frankfurt Institute for Advanced Studies (FIAS), and Simon Rumpel from the Research Center for Translational Neurosciences (FTN) at the University Medical Center Mainz, the event brought together over 50 leading scientists from neuroscience, psychology, and artificial intelligence to investigate the neural mechanisms behind creativity.

The Rhine-Main Universities (RMU) supported the conference via the funding line “Funding of RMU networking in innovative projects”. As part of the Initiative Funding for Research, this funding line offers start-up funding of up to 20.000 to 40.000 euros per year for networking activities to new, innovative RMU collaboration projects.

The renowned memory researcher Daniel Schacter (Harvard University) opened the event with a talk on the relationship between creativity, memory, and imagination, laying the foundation for the subsequent sessions. Over the following three days, speakers covered a wide range of topics, from associative thinking to the neural dynamics of creativity.

Roger Beaty (Penn State University) emphasized in his talk that connecting unrelated ideas is key to creative problem-solving, while Yoed Kenett (Technion, Israel) described how brain networks collaborate during moments of creative thinking. Jaan Aru (University of Tartu) discussed how we control our thoughts and explained how the brain navigates through abstract ideas. Caroline di Bernardi Luft (Brunel University London) is investigating the potential role of alpha oscillations in creative processes. Anna Abraham (University of Georgia) addressed why creativity is such a challenging process, highlighting its individuality and the fact that we often don't engage in truly creative tasks in everyday life.

The conference's panel discussion, moderated by Jozsef Fiser (Central European University, Budapest), brought out diverse viewpoints on the open questions surrounding creativity. While the precise brain mechanisms remain elusive, the shared enthusiasm for advancing and exploring new research directions was palpable. Participants discussed many potential mechanisms, including flexible brain networks and oscillatory patterns, with a focus on collaboration and future discoveries.

Beyond the presentations, informal discussions and networking sparked new ideas and partnerships. "The conference was fantastic," said co-organizer Jens-Bastian Eppler. "We are heading in an incredibly exciting direction – a tremendous opportunity for FIAS and others in this field to explore the fascinating and complex foundations of creativity."

The "Bridging Fields in Creativity" conference successfully laid the groundwork for future interdisciplinary research on the neural mechanisms of creativity. Inspired and motivated, the participants are eager to continue this exciting journey. First plans have been made, applications are in progress and an opinion paper will summarize the outcome of the conference.