Return to attendance-only events

(29.07.22) Held every two years in a different European city, the FENS Forum is the major neuroscience conference in Europe and includes contributions in all research areas. Since it was only possible to hold the last FENS Forum in virtual form due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the conference organisers of the Federation of European Neuroscience Societies (FENS) now once again opted to make the FENS Forum 2022 in Paris a purely face-to-face event. This was welcomed by the more than 7,800 conference participants from around 92 different countries: when entering the conference building, there was a tangible sense of the pleasure among the scholarly community in being able to engage in dialogue in person once again.

As part of the “Research in Germany” initiative, the DFG was represented on site with an exhibition stand together with the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation (AvH) and the Paris branch office of the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD). The “Research in Germany” stand was clearly visible in the immediate vicinity of other German research institutions, which also had their own stands at the fair. It offered researchers at all career stages the opportunity to obtain extensive information and advice on research and funding opportunities in Germany. The stand attracted lively interest, with most of the information material having been handed out by the end of the first day.

Networking event – “Meet Neuroscientists and Funding Organisations from Germany”

In addition to the trade fair stand, an information and networking event organised in collaboration with the German Embassy in Paris was the real highlight of the “Research in Germany” presentation at the FENS Forum in the French capital. On 12 July 2022, some 60 doctoral students and early-career researchers from 22 European and non-European countries had the opportunity to meet leading neuroscientists from various German university locations at the Embassy and obtain further advice on research and career opportunities in Germany. The event also provided the perfect setting in which to promote further networking between German and French neuroscientists.

The evening programme was opened with brief welcoming speeches given by Dr. Anne Seitz, Science Section of the German Embassy in Paris, and Dr. Andreas Görlich of the DFG Neuroscience Division. Afterwards, participants were able to meet with the experts and other contact persons from relevant German research institutions and research networks at seven themed tables so as to engage in dialogue over a light snack. The themes covered career-related aspects such as “A reviewer's perspective on grant proposals”, “Coming to Germany from abroad", “Starting your own lab: How to become a successful group leader” and “Funding opportunities for all career stages”, and early-career researchers were keen to make active use of the dialogue sessions – not least so as to establish initial contacts in Germany.

In the pleasant atmosphere that pervaded the leafy courtyard of the German Embassy in Paris, the talks could have continued well into the summer evening. The lively conversations once again underscored the importance of in-person contact opportunities as well as demonstrating the continued interest in international mobility and Germany as a research location. Participants were very grateful for the event and the opportunities it offered, and they felt honoured to have been invited to the German Embassy, too.

Researchers involved in the networking event:

• Prof. Dr. Laura Busse, LMU Munich
• Prof. Dr. Andreas Draguhn, University of Heidelberg
• Prof. Dr. André Fiala, University of Göttingen
• Professor Dr. Ileana L. Hanganu-Opatz, University Medical Centre Hamburg-Eppendorf
• Dr. Livia de Hoz, Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin
• Prof. Dr. Johannes Letzkus,University of Freiburg
• Ph.D. Silvana Valtcheva, University of Cologne

Representatives of various research institutions and networks who attended the networking event:

• Lena Bittl, German Graduate Schools of Neuroscience
• Matthias Bolz, Max Planck School of Cognition
• Silke Dutz, Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research
• Dr. Tobias Niemann, Network of German Neurocenters
• Dr. Janina Radny, Bernstein Netzwerk Computational Neuroscience

Research funding institutions represented at the networking event and at the information stand:

• Alexander von Humboldt Foundation
• German Academic Exchange Service , Paris branch office
• German Research Foundation (DFG)

Further Information

• About the conference
• About the “Research in Germany” initiative