Through history, most human endeavors have involved a supporting community, with individual members tackling the same issue from unique perspectives. The establishment of a cooperative network composed of individuals with different backgrounds and expertise has been key to the success of daring enterprises like the Space Race, or the discovery of the elementary particles and basic building blocks of matter. Arguably, the same approach can create synergies in our efforts to understand the inner working of the brain and biological underpinnings of behavior. This is one of the foundational ideas of the FENS-Kavli Network of Excellence (FKNE). Established in 2014 through a collaboration by the Federation of European Neuroscience Societies (FENS) and the The Kavli Foundation, FKNE brings together 30 early to mid-career European neuroscientists to promote scientific exchange among its scholars and alumni, improve neuroscience in Europe and beyond, provide opportunities for young scientists, influence science policy, and facilitate interaction between science and society.

In this symposium (scheduled for Friday, 5 May, from 13:45 to 16:30 GMT) the speakers will explore a cross-section of the diversity of approaches by which FKNE scholars intend to deepen our understanding of brain functions, from development to ageing, from molecules to network, in the fly and all the way up the evolutionary tree till humans.

For detailed information and speakers, please check the FRM 2023 webpage.