How is the neuroscience research community responding to its increasing societal importance? Why is international cooperation essential to its progress? What can an aspiring neuroscientist hope for? 

FENS (Federation of European Neuroscience Societies) is an organization trying to offer answers to questions like those. Founded in 1998, FENS has since then grown into a huge network representing 22 000 scientists in 33 European countries. They facilitate knowledge exchange and application, advocate for and promote neuroscience, and provide essential training for researches, all with the purpose of understanding the brain and helping it withstand challenges. 

As their executive director, Lars Kristiansen tells us more about their mission, where they see neuroscience and its role in the future, and helps us understand the progress of neuroscience. Pointing out that Alzheimer’s disease used to only be diagnosable post-mortem, he emphasizes that it is a lot of small steps that eventually make a condition less harmful and patients’ lives better. This is why, Kristiansen states, availability of all the accumulated knowledge is key to progress.

To see how FENS contributes to this availability and how you can be a part of it, we are posting links to:
- FENS neuroscience conferences: Forums of Neuroscience and Regional Meetings
- advocacy and promotion activities: Brain Awareness Week and European Journal of Neuroscience, and
- options for aspiring neuroscientists: hands-on training course programs and grants.

Kim Baden-Kristensen is the co-founder and CEO of Brain+, a digital therapeutics company that helps people with brain disorders and injuries to recover their fundamental cognitive brain functions and daily life capabilities by using an app-based cognitive rehabilitation platform, which is developed in close collaboration with patients, clinicians and researchers.https://www.linkedin.com/in/kbadenk/ |
Alessia Covello is a life science IT consultant working in the field of healthcare technology implementation, and advocating for better services for people with brain conditions and learning disabilities.https://www.linkedin.com/in/alessiacovello/

Topics discussed:

• 6:52 What is FENS? Their mission, activities, and funding
• 19:30 Practical advice to neuroscientists, aspiring and established
• 24:52 Major questions in neuroscience and why they need answers
• 31:51 Value chain of research and the importance of knowledge accumulation
• 35:23 Recent discoveries in neuroscience resulting in new treatment options
• 38:41 The future of neuroscience
• 42:53 Digital technology and neuroscience research
• 50:53 Take-home message

Disclaimer:
All references to products, companies, and organizations in this podcast and the article that accompanies it are it are included with the purpose to inform, rather than promot