During Brain Awareness Week, a global initiative promoted by the Dana Foundation to foster public support for brain research, EARA members across the globemade clear their commitment to improving public understanding of the brain and the importance of research. 

In Brussels, the Federation of European Neuroscience Societies (FENS), an EARA member, and the European Brain Council (EBC), in collaboration with the Brain Health Mission and the European Academy of Neurology, organised the ‘Brain Health Day: Prevention, Policy, Progress’. The event, supported by Angelika Winzig, Austrian politician and Member of the European Parliament, brought together policymakers, researchers, clinicians and patient advocates to discuss how policy and practice can improve brain health.  

Lundbeck, also an EARA member, published perspectives from people living with neurological conditions and interviewed brain researchers: “As neuroscientists, we are working every day to try to alleviate symptoms from patients suffering from brain disorders,” said Morten Grunnet, Head of Neuroscience.  

In Portugal, EARA member Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), received children from schools to visit the institute, interact directly with scientistsand explore the brain through interactive activities. This initiative launched a program that will be followed by visits from the researchers to schools in the upcoming months. In Lisbon, the Champalimaud Foundation and the Gulbenkian Institute for Molecular Medicine (GIMM), both EARA members, welcomed nearly 100 students in their installations as part of a mentoring programme connecting researchers and students from schools in underserved communities. 

In Hungary, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, an EARA member, organised an open-day where researchers showcased their work and offered a glimpse into the world of neuroscience to hundreds of students (pictured below), including discussions about why animals are essential to study the brain. The event was attended by BrainVisionCenter, also an EARA member.

In Canada, EARA member Western University used social media to spotlight the work of the Western Institute for Neuroscience, namely how researchers work across disciplines to understand perception, memory and language and how they are working to map the brain, during health and disease, using brain imaging. 

These initiatives highlight the commitment of EARA members across the globe to public engagement with science.