Federation of European
Neuroscience Societies
(FENS)
FENS has been established in 1998 to advance
research and education in neuroscience in Europe.
http://www.fens.org
FENS represents a large number of national European neuroscience
societies and several monodisciplinary societies.
28 national member societies:
Armenian Neuroscience Society
Austrian Neuroscience Association
Belgium Society of Neuroscience
Brain Research Society of Finland
British Neuroscience Association
Croatian Society for Neuroscience
Czech Neuroscience Society
Danish Society for Neuroscience
Dutch Neurofederation
Georgian Neuroscience Association
German Neuroscience Society
Hellenic Society for Neuroscience
Hungarian Neuroscience Society
Israel Society for Neurosciences
National Neuroscience Society of Romania
Neuroscience Society of Turkey
Norwegian Neuroscience Society
Polish Neuroscience Society
Russian Physiological Society
Slovak Society for Neuroscience
Slovenian Neuroscience Association
Sociedad Española de Neurociencia
Sociedade Portuguesa de Neurosciências
Società Italiana di Neuroscienze
Societé des Neurosciences
Swedish Neuroscience Network
Swiss Society for Neuroscience
Ukranian Society for Neuroscience
7 Monodisciplinary Societies:
EBBS European Brain and Behaviour Society
EBPS European Behavioural Pharmacology Society
ECNP European College of Neuropsychopharmacology
ESN European Society of Neurochemistry
Euro-CNS European Confederation of Neuropathological Societies
FEPS Federation of Psychophysiology Societies
IBANGS The International Behavioural and Neural Genetic Society
FENS represents more than 17.000 European neuroscientists.
FENS is governed by the FENS Council. The FENS Council is formed by
representatives of all member societies. The FENS administration is
delegated to the Executive Committee, elected by the Council. Members
of the Executive Committee are elected for two years, and can be re-elected
only once. The Executive Committee is supported by three offices based in
Berlin, Bordeaux and Kuopio.
FENS Executive Committee 2006 -2008
President
Secretary-General
Treasurer
Richard Morris, United Kingdom
Asla Pitkänen, Finland
Alois Saria, Austria
President-elect
Helmut Kettenmann, Germany
Past President
Tamás Freund, Hungary
Chair Programme Committee
Chair Schools Committee
Chair NENS Committee
Eckart Gundelfinger, Germany
Susan Sara, France
Denise Manahan-Vaughan, Germany
FENS Activities:
 FENS Forum
 FENS NENS (Network of European Neuroscience Schools)
 FENS PENS (Programme of European Neurosience Schools)
 European Journal of Neuroscience (EJN)
 FENS Awards
 FENS Services
FENS Forum
Every two years, in summer, FENS organises
a large European meeting, called the
FENS Forum. Every second year the FENS
Forum attracts up to 5.000 participants.
FENS members are entitled to participate in
the FENS forum at the reduced members
rate.
 1998 - Berlin, June 27 - July 1
 2000 - Brighton, June 24 - 28
 2002 - Paris, July 13 - 17
 2004 - Lisbon, July 10 – 14
 2006 – Vienna, July 8 - 12
 2008 - Geneva, July 12 – 16
 2010 – Amsterdam, July 3 - 7
Facts on FENS Forum 2006 in Vienna
Total number of participants: 5.145
Number of students: approx. 2.000
Participating countries: approx. 70
Strongest participation from
Germany (approx. 850),
France (approx. 480),
UK (approx. 460),
Italy (approx. 430),
Spain (approx. 400)
Poster: 3289
Symposia: 56
Plenaries and Lectures: 18
Number of Exhibitors: 102
Exhibition Area: 1053 qm
NENS
(Network of European Neuroscience Schools)
These are the goals of NENS:
the promotion of European higher education in neuroscience
 assisting in generating quality standards in neuroscience programmes
 encouraging and supporting mobility among students and teachers
 increasing choices and opportunities for students (and teachers)
 improving the cooperation among current and future European scientists
 generating new and significant knowledge in the field
 laying the basis for obtaining funding within EU programmes (e.g. M. Curie)

More than 140 programmes are listed in the programme directory on the FENS
homepage.
PENS
(Programme of European Neurosience Schools)
 PENS is a collaboration between FENS and IBRO
 PENS combines previous activities of FENS (FENS Schools
Programme) and IBRO (WERC and CEERC-sponsored
schools)
 PENS supports Schools and Courses that cover broad
aspects in the Neurosciences. Particular emphasis is laid on
an active involvement of the students.
****PENS Schools 2009: Call for
Organizers now open****
 PENS is sponsored by:
Deadline: July 31, 2008
www.fens.org/pens/form
NEUROTRAIN
Neurosience Training in Europe
Topic of the programme: brain function and dysfunction linked by neuroplasticity as common key mechanism in adult brain development, e.g. for
learning and memory as well as for the recovery of the injured brain.
 Satellite Event of the FENS Forum
2006 in Vienna
 Training Course in Portugal (early
summer 2007)
 Training Course in Croatia (fall 2007)
 Training Course in Austria (summer
2008)
Supported by the European Commission, Research Directorate General, Marie Curie
Conferences and Training Courses, Contract No. MSCF-CT-2005-029703
European Journal of Neuroscience (EJN)
 EJN is the official journal of FENS
published by Wiley-Blackwell Publishing.
 Free access to EJN online is offered
to the individual members of the FENS
member societies.
 Print subscriptions to EJN are also
offered at advantageous rates to
FENS members.
FENS Awards
FENS biennially launches four research awards. The call for
application for all four awards is open in the odd years in spring.
 Boehringer Ingelheim FENS Research Award
This award is donated by the pharmaceutical company
Boehringer Ingelheim. This award of 25.000 Euro is bestowed to
a young scientist under 40 years of age.
 GSK Neuroscience Award
This award is donated by GlaxoSmithKline, in recognition of
outstanding and innovative scientific work in neural stem cell
research. The prize money is 25.000 Euro. There is no age limit.
 FENS EJN Award
This award is donated by Wiley-Blackwell, publishers of EJN. This
personal prize of 18.000 Euro is bestowed to a senior scientist.
 FENS EJN Young Investigator Prize
This award is donated by Wiley-Blackwell, publishers of EJN. This
personal prize of 12.000 Euro is bestowed to a young scientist.
The age limit is 40 years.
Brain Awareness Week
The directors of the Dana Foundation
approved a grant in the amount of
24.000 Euros to FENS, which was
supplemented with 5.000 Euros by
FENS. This money enabled FENS to fund
small grants to European Brain
Awareness Week partner organizations
for public programming during the
campaign in 2008. FENS distributed
these grants in a competitive procedure.
A call for applications was launched and
34 projects in 16 different European
countries were selected for support.
FENS Services
Offers for members at a glance
 FENS members can register at reduced rates for the FENS Forum.
 FENS members have access to EJN online free of charge and can subscribe to
the print edition at a reduced rate.
 FENS members can apply for one of the free abstracts slots for the Annual
meetings of the American Society for Neuroscience. Slot holders can register
for the SfN meeting at reduced rates.
 FENS members can subscribe at very attractive discounts to several leading
neuroscience journals.
 FENS members receive regularly the FENS e-mailings with job ads, the EJN table
of contents, the FENS News etc.
 FENS members can apply for stipends for the FENS Forum.
FENS Relations
FENS has close relationship with several societies and associations:
 International Brain Research Organization (IBRO)
 European Brain Council (EBC)
 European Commission (EC)
 European Dana Alliance for the Brain
 American Society for Neuroscience
FENS Offices
FENS Office Berlin
Prof. Dr. Helmut Kettenmann
(Meino Gibson / Annika
Buchheister)
MDC
Robert-Rössle-Str. 10
13092 Berlin
Tel.: 0049 30 9406 3133 / 3336
e-mail: gibson@mdc-berlin.de
a.buchheister@mdc-berlin.de
FENS Office Bordeaux
Dr. Dominique Poulain
FENS Executive Director
(Clémence Fouquet)
Université Victor Segalen
146 rue Léo Saignat
F-33076 Bordeaux cédex
France
Tel.: 0033 557 573 731
e-mail:
fensforum@bordeaux.inserm.fr
Tasks: Fens Homepage, e-mail
Tasks: Consultancy activities,
service, EJN online, FENS awards, Electronic handling of the FENS
financial matters, printed matters, Forum, online registration,
NENS, PENS
handling of symposium
proposals, abstract handling
FENS Office Kuopio
Prof. Dr. Asla Pitkänen
(Sari Koskelo)
University of Kuopio
A.I. Virtanen Institute
P.O. Box 1627
Fin-70211 Kuopio
Finland
Tel.: 00358 17 163 296
eMail: asla.pitkanen@uku.fi
Tasks: International affairs,
council meetings, executive
committee meetings, travel
grants, fellowships
......we wish you a
pleasant stay in Geneva!
FENS Forum 2008
July 12 – 16, 2008
......we hope to see you again
in Amsterdam!
FENS Forum 2010
July 3 – 7, 2010