Looking Back at FENS Forum 2026 in Barcelona – A Successful Joint Presence of "Neuroscience in Germany"

From 6–10 July 2026, the FENS Forum 2026 took place in Barcelona, bringing together the international neuroscience community for Europe's largest neuroscience meeting. With more than 8,000 participants, over 5,000 abstracts, and more than 400 speakers, this year's Forum was the largest in FENS history, providing an outstanding platform for scientific exchange, networking, and the development of new collaborations.

For the first time, Germany's neuroscience community was represented through a joint exhibition booth under the banner "Neuroscience in Germany." Together with the German Graduate Schools of Neuroscience, the Max Planck Society, the Bernstein Network Computational Neuroscience, and the Neurocenters in Germany, we showcased the diversity, excellence, and international strength of neuroscience research in Germany.

Throughout the five-day meeting, we welcomed numerous visitors to our booth and enjoyed many inspiring conversations with researchers from around the world. The exchange of ideas on current scientific developments, future collaborations, research opportunities, and career perspectives made our joint presence a great success. We were particularly pleased by the strong interest in Germany's neuroscience landscape and in the activities of the participating institutions and networks.

A special highlight of this year's Forum was the presentation of the FENS-Kavli Network of Excellence (FKNE) Mentoring Prize 2026 to Prof. Dietmar Schmitz. The award recognizes his outstanding commitment to mentoring and supporting the next generation of neuroscientists.

^{Team "Neuroscience in Germany"}

We would like to thank everyone who visited our joint booth, as well as our partners, co-exhibitors, and all those who contributed to making our presence at FENS Forum 2026 such a success. The many valuable conversations and new connections made throughout the meeting will continue well beyond Barcelona.

We are already looking forward to FENS Forum 2028 in Glasgow!!