Bringing research into educational practice is necessary but does not happen automatically. The Transfercenter for Neuroscience and Learning, at the University of Ulm in Germany, is set up to transfer (neuro)scientific knowledge into educational practice. In doing so we have learned why this does not happen automatically, and have tried to make sure it happens anyway. We have realized that transferring research into educational practice needs a special research approach, which we suggest could be labeled "translational research" as seen in medical research. We have also realized that transfer requires a special type of scientist. We try to hire generalists who work and think interdisciplinarily and who are committed to providing a service to practitioners. Finally, we feel that neuroscience provides a possible foundation for learning sciences.