The human brain is one of science’s last great frontiers.

Over the past century of scientific research and development we have made great strides in understanding the world we live in.

We have put people in space, increased human health by developing medical technologies to fight disease and made other advancements to improve human life.

As our technological capabilities have advanced, understanding of the human brain has advanced with it, but the most intricate workings of the human brain remain a mystery.

President Barack Obama recently announced $100 million research initiative to map the human brain. The initiative, which is called the Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies (BRAIN) will be overseen by the National Institute of Health (NIH), Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and the National Science Foundation (NSF). The funding for this research initiative will come out of the 2014 national budget.

Private research institutions like the Allen Institute for Brain Science, the Kavli Foundation and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute are all planning to support the BRAIN initiative, according to the White House Blog.

Backlash from this decision is to be expected, especially since the government is trying to reduce spending and allocate the money more efficiently. The questions of ethics and how to properly conduct this research will also likely come into play.

For those concerned about whether this is an intelligent use of government money: government funded research helped create computer chips, GPS and the internet, all of which are pretty great inventions.

Beside leading to the raw knowledge of how the brain works, this research will likely prove vital in understanding and treating a wide range of neurological disorders and conditions that are debilitating.

Understanding how the brain works could lead to more effective treatments for Alzheimer’s and other kinds of dementia, epilepsy, autism and traumatic brain injuries.

That kind of knowledge would be able to improve the lives of millions, who before would have had little hope of recovery.

While the goal of the project is to map the human brain, it is going to take innovations across a wide array of scientific fields to accomplish that task. New technologies will have to be developed that will allow researchers to observe brain activity with more precision and clarity than is possible with currently technologies.

Unlocking the mysteries of the human brain will mean pulling together top researcher in neuroscience and other fields like IT and computer science, as well a medical professional. The innovations that come out of this research will likely not just be limited to the neurosciences.

Innovative thinking is extremely important. Not only does it drive research and new discoveries, but it also drives our economy.

Innovations excite investors and entice them to spend money.

Money coupled with innovation leads to more jobs and economic growth, something that we could really use right now.

However, people should not expect to result right away. These things take time.

Because allocating funds, planning and executing new research and developing new technologies is a lengthy process, it will be at least a few years before we start to see the results of this new research initiative.

Even if it is years before the public sees the results, the implications of this research initiative are exciting.

This could unlock so many secrets about the human mind and improve the lives of millions, which would be well worth the wait.