REVIEW - ibro.org · applications are made by the IBRO African (IBRO-ARC), Asia/Pacific (IBRO-APRC), Latin American (IBRO-LARC) and Pan-European (IBRO-PERC) Regional Committees. After

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GLOBALADVOCACYINITIATIVE

Sincethelaunchofactivitiesin2014,theGlobalAdvocacyInitiativeaimstoincreasepublicawarenessofbrainresearchandbuildsupportforneuroscienceresearch,informedpolicymaking,trainingandeducationaroundtheworld.

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GlobalAdvocacySeedGrantactivitiesin2018continuedtounderlinetheimportanceofthisjointinitiativeinareasoftheworldchallengedbyalackofawarenesss,resourcesandsupport.

Awardeesofglobaladvocacyseedgrantsin2018willhavecompletedtheiractivitiesbytheendof2018.Mostawardeeshavealreadysuccessfullyconcludedtheirevents.

Eventshaverangedfromscientificmeetings,symposia,publiclectures,educationalschoolactivities,mediaevents,localcommunityengagement,coursesandBrainAwarenessWeekactivities.

Theyhavebeentakingplacein12countriesintheAfrican,Asia/Pacific,EuropeanandLatinAmericanregions:Bangladesh,Brazil,Colombia,Cuba,Egypt,Ethiopia,Greece,Ireland,Nepal,Russia,UgandaandtheUnitedArabEmirates.

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Inthefourthroundofseedgrantapplicationsin2018,therewasahealthynumberofsubmissionsfor4regions.Moretargetedpublicitywasmade,especiallythroughengagingthesupportofallpartners.

Therewereatotalof64applicationsthisyear,incomparisonto44lastyear.Therewere26fromAfrica,14forAsia/Pacific,12fromLatinAmericaand12forEurope.

ThiswasthesecondyearthattheEuropeanregionwasincludedandtherewasapositiveincreasefrom7to12Europeancandidateswhoapplied.

Seedgranteventswilltakeplacein11differentcountriesin2019:Argentina,Australia,Bolivia,Chile,Egypt,Ghana,Italy,Mongolia,TheNetherlands,NigeriaandPanama.

2018REVIEWFOUNDINGPARTNERS

• AustralasianNeuroscienceSociety(ANS)

• DanaFoundation

• FederationofEuropeanNeuroscienceSocieties(FENS)

• InternationalSocietyforNeurochemistry(ISN)

• JapanNeuroscienceSociety(JNS)

• SocietyforNeuroscience(SfN)

IBRO255rueSaint-Honoré75007ParisFrance•Tel:+33(0)146479292•Email:[email protected]•Web:www.ibro.org

A2018BrainAwarenessWeekofTolimaeventsupportedbyaglobaladvocacyseedgrantinColombia.

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BUDGETSUMMARYExpensesin2018,coveredatotalof12seedgrantsin4regionsandonenetworkingreception.Threegrantsof€5,000eachweredistributedtoeachregion-Africa,Asia/Pacific,EuropeandLatinAmerica,withanoverallexpenditureof€60,000.TherewasalsoaGlobalAdvocacyInitiativeNetworkingReceptionthattookplaceatthe2018FENSForuminBerlin,Germany,thatamountedto€2186.Totalexpensesfor2018cameto€62,186.

Fortheyear2019,atotalof11seedgrantswereawardedto4regions.Africareceived3grants,Asia/Pacificreceived2grants,Europereceived3grantsandLatinAmericareceived4grants.Theoverallexpenditurewillbeapproximately€59,000.

FundingforactivitiessupportedbytheIBROGlobalAdvocacyInitiativesince2014hascomefromgenerouscontributionsmadebyIBRO,theDanaFoundation,theFederationofEuropeanNeuroscienceSocieties(FENS),theInternationalSocietyforNeurochemistry(ISN),theJapanNeuroscienceSociety(JNS)andtheSocietyforNeuroscience(SfN).

REVIEWPROCESSReviewsandrankingsoftheIBROGlobalAdvocacySeedGrantapplicationsaremadebytheIBROAfrican(IBRO-ARC),Asia/Pacific(IBRO-APRC),LatinAmerican(IBRO-LARC)andPan-European(IBRO-PERC)RegionalCommittees.

Afterproposalshavebeenevaluatedandranked,theyarethensenttoasuperreviewer,theIBROSeniorDirectorofGrants,whomakesafinalreview.Oncehe/shecompletesthefinalassessment,applicantsarenotifiedofthedecisionsandawardeesareofficiallyannouncedontheIBROwebsiteandthroughIBROsocialmedia.

2018REVIEWFOUNDINGPARTNERS

• AustralasianNeuroscienceSociety(ANS)

• DanaFoundation

• FederationofEuropeanNeuroscienceSocieties(FENS)

• InternationalSocietyforNeurochemistry(ISN)

• JapanNeuroscienceSociety(JNS)

• SocietyforNeuroscience(SfN)

2018NeuroethicsSymposiumattheAmericanUniversityofCairo,Egypt.

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2018AFRICAREPORTS

EGYPT:MohamedSalama,EgyptianNetworkforNeurodegenerativeDisorders(ENND)

MohamedSalamafromtheEgyptianNetworkforNeurodegenerativeDisorders(ENND),usedtheGlobalAdvocacySeedGranttoorganizethefirsteversymposiumonneuroethicsattheAmericanUniversityofCairo(AUC).Itincludedascientificwritingworkshop,acourseonteachertrainingforyoungAfricanscientistsandhands-onsessionsonselectedanimalmodelsofbraindisorders.Atotalof100attendeesparticipated,includingtheAUCDeanoftheSchoolofSciencesandEngineering,HassanEl-Fawal.

ETHIOPIA:BereketDukoAdema,HawassaUniversity

BereketDukoAdemafromHawassaUniversityusedtheGlobalAdvocacySeedGranttoholdtwodaysofglobaladvocacyworkshopsthatincludedpubliclecturesonthefirstdayandpaneldiscussionsonthesecondday.Topicscoveredincludedthescienceofthebrain,basicsofneuroscience,historyofneurosciences,neurosciencesandmentalillness,neurosciencesandneurology,neurosciencesandbehavior,neurochemistryandpsychopharmacologyandasessiononwhyweneedtostudyneurosciences.ChallengesforneuroscienceinEthiopiathattheworkshopsbroughtupincludedalackoffunding,publicawareness,governmentsupport,neuroscienceschoolsandneuroscienceresearchcenters.

UGANDA:AngelinaKakooza-Mwesige,UgandaEpilepsySociety

AngelinaKakooza-MwesigefromtheEpilepsySocietyinUgandaplanstoenhancetheknowledgeandskillsaboutepilepsythrough5one-dayworkshopswhichwillhost100participatingteachersfromgovernmentandprivateprimaryandsecondaryschoolsineachofthefivedivisionsoftheKampaladistrict.TheseworkshopswilltakeplaceinDecember2018sothereporthasyettobesubmittedatthetimeofthisreview.

Threeglobaladvocacyseedgrantsof€5,000eachwereawardedtotheAfricanregionin2018tothefollowingorganizers:

• EGYPT:MohamedSalama,EgyptianNetworkforNeurodegenerativeDisorders(ENND)

• ETHIOPIA:BereketDukoAdema,HawassaUniversity

•UGANDA:AngelinaKakooza-Mwesige,UgandaEpilepsySociety

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ASIA/PACIFICREPORTS

Threeglobaladvocacyseedgrantsof€5,000eachwereawardedtotheAsia/Pacificregionin2018tothefollowingorganizers:

•BANGLADESH:AminShakhawat,BangladeshiAssociationforNeuroscience

•NEPAL:SandipShah,BPKorailaInstituteofHealthSciences

•UNITEDARABEMIRATES:SadafAhmed,AdvanceEducationalInstitute&ResearchCentre(AEIRC)

BANGLADESH:AminShakhawat,BangladeshiAssociationforNeuroscience

AminShakhawatfromtheBangladeshiAssociationforNeuroscienceusedtheGlobalAdvocacySeedGranttoformanofficialorganizationbygatheringBangladeshineuroscientistsaroundtheworldunderoneumbrella,organizeeventsencouragingyoungchildrentolearnaboutneuroscienceandincreasesocialawarenessaboutneuroscienceresearchinBangladeshbygatheringlocalpoliticians,studentsandscientiststogethertodiscusschallenges.Theyincludedalackofgovernmentsupporttodostate-of-the-artneuroscienceresearch,therearenotmanyneuroscientistsinBangladeshwhocanactivelydolong-termresearchinthecountryandthere’snoplatformtoconnectalltheneuroscientistswhoareinBangladeshandabroad.

NEPAL:SandipShah,BPKorailaInstituteofHealthSciences

SandipShahfromtheBPKorailaInstituteofHealthusedtheGlobalAdvocacySeedGranttoorganizeaprogramthatwasheldinschoolsintheDharanMunicipalityofNepalandtocreateabilingualvideo(inNepalesewithEnglishsubtitles)toincreaseawarenessandunderstandingaboutepilepsy.ThisisfeaturedonIBRO’swebsite:https://ibro.org/fighting-spirits-in-nepal/.Viewersfollowayounggirlwhohasanepilepsyattack.Herfamilythinksthatshehasbeenpossessedbyevilspiritssotheytakeherfirsttoawitchdoctor.Theyeventuallyvisitamedicaldoctorwhoexplainsthatshehasepilepsy.Thestoryinformsthepublicandpolicymakerswhatepilepsyis,howtorecogniseitandwhatoneshoulddoincaseofanattack.

UNITEDARABEMIRATES:AidaMohammedeid,ArabicNeuroscienceAwareness

AidaMohammedeidfromArabicNeuroscienceAwarenessusedtheGlobalAdvocacySeedGranttoincreasebrainawarenessthroughthecreationofawebsitetargetedtoArabicsocietiesintheArabiclanguagebasedoninternationalneuroscienceresourcesandespeciallytailoredtoArabicculture.TheobjectivewastoimproveArabicsociety’sknowledgeregardingriskfactorsofbraindisorders,removemythssothepublicwillapproachissuesmorerealisticallywithapositiveattitude,provideinformationaboutfactsandfigures,encourageArabicsocietytodonate/transfermoreresourcesforresearchactivities,provideallinformationaboutcareandtreatmentoptionsforpatientsandestablishacommunicationplatformamongstakeholderssotheycancommunicate,shareexperiencesandsupporteachother.Thewebsitecanbefoundhere:www.asabme.com.

2018

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LATINAMERICAREPORTS

BRAZIL:MariaLuciaDeBustamanteSimas,LaboratóriodePercepçaoVisual

MariaLuciaDeBustamanteSimasfromtheLaboratóriodePercepçaoVisual,planstousetheGlobalAdvocacySeedGranttoorganizeaNationalForumonSchizophreniainBrazilwithkeynationalspeakersandinternationalresearchpartners.Itwillincludesymposia,roundtables,courses,conferencesandthematiccommunicationsinvolvingallaspectsofresearchonthesubject,withanemphasisonpreventionandqualityoflife.Theseeventshavenottakenplaceyetsothereporthadnotbeensubmittedatthetimeofthisreview.

COLOMBIA:LilianaFrancisTurner,UniversidaddelTolima

LilianaFrancisTurnerfromtheUniversidaddelTolima,usedtheGlobalAdvocacySeedGranttoorganizeBrainAwarenessWeekactivitiesoverfivedaystoworkwiththeyoungestpopulation(preschool,elementary,andhighschoolstudents)andsensitizethemtotheimportanceofthebrainforbodyhealthandshowthemhoweasyandfunitcanbetostudythenervoussystem;towork,reflectandprovidetoolstoteachers-preschool,primaryandsecondarylevels-intheidentificationandtreatmentofconflictsintheclassroom;andhighlighttheroleplayedbyseedgrantsinthesocialextensionactivitiesaimedatteachingtheneurosciences.AlecturebyDr.LisetteBlancoLezcano,aresearcherattheInternationalCenterforNeurologicalRestoration,inHavana,Cuba;apaintingcontest;alecture,“PayAttention”andBrainRallyatahighschool;asymposiumforteachers;andasurveywasconductedforthewritingofthebook,100questionsthatchildrenaskaboutthebrain.

CUBA:VivianReigosa-Crespo,CubanNeuroscienceCenter(CNEURO)

VivianReigosa-CrespofromtheCubanNeuroscienceCenter(CNEURO)planstousetheGlobalAdvocacySeedGranttoorganizeaone-dayeducationalneuroscienceadvocacyworkshopinHavanatohighlighthowthebrainlearns,orthescientificunderstandingoflearning,amongteachers,policymakers,authoritativeleadersandphilanthropists.ThiseventwilltakeplaceinJanuary2019sothereporthasnotyetbeensubmitted.

Threeglobaladvocacyseedgrantsof€5,000eachwereawardedtotheLatinAmericanregionin2018tothefollowingorganizers:

•BRAZIL:MariaLuciaDeBustamanteSimas,LaboratóriodePercepçaoVisual

• COLOMBIA:LilianaFrancisTurner,UniversidaddelTolima

• CUBA:VivianReigosa-Crespo,CubanNeuroscienceCenter(CNEURO)

2018

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PAN-EUROPEREPORTS

2018

Threeglobaladvocacyseedgrantsof€5,000eachwereawardedtothePan-Europeanregionin2018tothefollowingorganizers:

•GREECE:FotiniStylianopoulou,HellenicSocietyforNeuroscience

• IRELAND:BarryBoland,UniversityCollegeCork

•RUSSIA:ElenaRybnikova,PavlovInstituteofPhysiology

GREECE:FotiniStylianopoulou,HellenicSocietyforNeuroscience

FotiniStylianopouloufromtheHellenicSocietyforNeuroscienceusedtheGlobalAdvocacySeedGranttoorganizeameetinginAthenswithgovernmentofficialsfromrelevantministriesandfundingbodies,aswellasParliamentandEuropeanParliamentmembers.Itfocusedoncommunicatingtheextentoftheburdenofbraindiseases,bothfinancialandsocial,theimportanceofbasicneuroscienceresearchinunderstandingbrainfunctionanddysfunctionandthedevelopmentofeffective,preventive,therapeuticandrehabilitationapproachesforbrain-relateddiseases.Specifictopicsincluded:VerylowGreekpublicandprivatesectorfundingforneuroscience;nationalbudgetforbrainresearchvariesalot;andtheongoingeconomiccrisis(2009–present)anditsaffectontheavailabilityoffunds.

IRELAND:BarryBoland,UniversityCollegeCork

BarryBolandfromtheUniversityCollegeCorkusedtheGlobalAdvocacySeedGranttoconductameetingentitled‘FundingIrishResearchforDegenerativeDiseasesoftheBrain’.ItwasorganisedbyCorkNeuroscienceCentreandDNNI(DementiaandNeurodegenerationNetworkIreland)inordertoexploretheissueoffundingIrishresearchfordegenerativediseasesofthebrainandtofocusonfourthemesasfollows:Session1-TheGrowingHealthPriorityofNeurodegenerativeDiseasesSession;2-Patient-Public-ResearcherAdvocacy;Session3-CharityandPhilanthropicFundingSupport;andSession4-Academic-IndustryEngagement.

RUSSIA:ElenaRybnikova,PavlovInstituteofPhysiology

ElenaRybnikovafromthePavlovInstituteofPhysiologyinRussiausedtheGlobalAdvocacySeedGranttoproduceabilingualmedia-movieproduct,areelwithtwo-dimensionalanimationwithpictorialreviewsandnewsreelsofPavlov’stimeinKoltushi.ItwascreatedbytheartschoolofRussianstagedirectorandmuseumdesignerEugeneStrelkov(NizhnyNovgorod)andfocusedonthehistoryofPavlov’sKoltushiandthefirstfamousexperimentsonPavlovianconditioning.IthasbeenpostedontheIBROwebsiteandcanbefoundhere:https://ibro.org/global-advocacy-in-russia-pavlovs-koltushi/.

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2019AWARDS

AFRICAEGYPT:MohamedSalama,EgyptianNetworkforNeurodegenerativeDisorders(ENND)

Neuroepidemiologyisacriticalfieldofneurosciencethatisunder-estimatedinAfricaandMiddleEast.Studyingtheepidemiologicalfactorscontrollingvariousneurologicaldisorderswilladdahugeamountofknowledgetoourunderstandingofdiseasepathogenesis,riskfactorsandprotectivepotentials.MostEgyptianneurologistssufferfromalackofunderstandingandappreciationaboutneuroepidemiologysoweplantoorganizeaseriesofawarenesseventsaboutthefieldoverthecourseoftheyearindifferentEgyptiancitiessolocalneurologistscanmeetexpertsinthefield,understandandidentifythevalueofneuroepidemiologyandbuildfuturecollaborations.Inaddition,wewillofferonlinecoursesandlecturesofferedbyinternationalexpertstoallEgyptianandAfricanneuroscientists.

GHANA:HephziAngelaTagoe,GhScientific

Theproposedprojectisaseriesofthree“Neuroscienceexperiencedays”forhighschoolstudentswhichwilltakeplaceinAccra(GreaterAccraRegion),Ho(VoltaRegion)andKoforidua(EasternRegion)inthefirstquarterof2019.Eachdaywillbefocusedongivingstudentspracticalexperienceinneurosciencetechniqueswithanelementofcareermentoring.Twoeventswillbeforgirlsonlyandthethirdwillbeforbothboysandgirls.Lastly,theopportunitytocollectdatafromparticipantswillbetakenandusedtohelpdesignfutureactivitiesandinformthegovernmentandpolicymakersonbestpracticeswhenintroducingstudentstoanewfieldofstudy.

NIGERIA:ChinnaOrish,NigerianWomeninNeuroscienceGroup

Autismspectrumdisorder(ASD)isadevelopmentaldisordertypifiedbyimpairedcommunicationandsocialskills.TheroleofnutritioninpreventionandmanagementofASDislargelynotemphasized.OurinterventionisaimedatemphasizingtheroleofnutritioninbothmaternalandchildhealthasacheapandaffordableapproachinpreventionandmanagementofASDintheNigerDelta,Nigeriawithcharacteristicenvironmentalpollution.Activitieswillincludelecturesonautismandotherneuropsychiatricdiseasesingirlssecondaryschools,universitycampusesandchurches;televisionandradioprograms;andacareerlectureonneurosciencetomotivateyounggirlstopursuecareersinneuroscience.

ElevenglobaladvocacyseedgrantswereawardedtotheAfrican,Asia/Pacific,LatinAmericanandPan-Europeanregionsfor2019.

•AFRICA:Egypt,Ghana,Nigeria

•ASIA/PACIFIC:Australia,Mongolia

• LATINAMERICA:Argentina,Bolivia,Chile,Panama

• PAN-EUROPE:Italy,TheNetherlands

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ASIA/PACIFICAUSTRALIA:LindaRichards,AustralianBrainAlliance

Thetollofbraindisease,disordersandinjuryishigh.Conditionsintimatelylinkedtothebrainareprevalent,andmanyremainintractable.InAustralia,400peoplediefromMotorNeuronDiseaseeveryyear.32peoplearediagnosedwithParkinson’sDiseaseeveryday.Andsomeonesuffersfromastrokeeverynineminutes.TheAustralianBrainAlliance(theAlliance)planstoholdasignificantpoliticalengagementeventaimedatsecuringpublic,businessandpoliticalsupportforanationalbraininitiativeinAustralia,andachievingcloserengagementbetweenAustralianandinternationalbrainresearchnetworks,andinitiatives.Specifically,theAlliancewillconveneaone-daybrainsciencesymposiumandtargetedmeetingswithelectedrepresentativesatAustralia’sParliamentHouseduringBrainAwarenessWeekinMarch,2019.

MONGOLIA:BattuvshinLkhavgasuren,MongolianNeuroscienceSociety

ToaddresstheimportanceofestablishingabrainscienceinstituteinMongolia,theMongolianNeuroscienceSocietyplanstoorganizeaNationalForumforBrainSciencewiththemotto,“NeedforaBrainScienceInstitute,”intheHouseofParliament.Attendanceisestimatedaround100expertsincluding10representativeofficersfromgovernmentagencies,10academicians,10physicians,10psychologists,10graduatestudents,10scientists,and30representativesfromthegeneralpublic.WeaimtodevelopandsubmitamemorandumofdemandtothegovernmentforestablishingaBrainScienceInstitute,asanation,inordertosupportbasicresearchonneurologicalandpsychiatricdisorders,trainingofyoungscientists,andintegrationofscientistsintoamultidisciplinaryresearchplatform.Toactivelyengageattentionofboththegeneralpublicandthegovernment,asocialmediacontestinconjunctionwiththeforumwillbelaunchedpriortoit.TheNationalForumwillbebroadcastnationwideanddisseminatedthroughtelevision,radio,newspapersandpubliclectures.

AWARDS2019






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LATINAMERICA

ARGENTINA:SilviaKochen,InstituteforStudiesinNeurosciencesandComplexSystems,ENyS-CONICET

WiththeGlobalAdvocacySeedGrant,wewillrunaseriesofone-daySeminars“Neuroscience&Art”thatwillbringtogetherresearchersandlocalartistswiththeaimofdisseminatingscientificknowledgeinneuroscienceandhighlightingtheimportanceofneuroscienceinpublichealthandeducation,amongothers.Theseminarsaretargetedatawiderangeofaudiences,universitystudents,healthcarepractitioners,educators,policymakersandthepublicinterestedinunderstandingbrainfunction.EachSeminarincludes6talksgivenbyexpertsinthefieldthatworkinonespecifictopic(forexample:MemoryReconsolidation).Attheendofthetalks,agroupofartistswillpresenttheirartworktoshowhowArtunderstandsandinterpretsthefindingsofscience.Thus,theaudiencewillhavetheopportunitytoreachneurosciencefromtwodifferentperspectives:fromthescientistitselfandfromconceptionoftheartist.

BOLIVIA:MohammedMostajoRadji,ClubesdeCienciaBolivia

Despiteoveradecadeofgovernmentstability,theplurinationalstateofBoliviapersistsastheLatinAmericannationwithhighestincomeinequality.Rankedlastintheregionforinnovationandhealth,Boliviademonstratesaclearneedforeffectivescienceoutreachanditsrichnaturalresourcespositionthenationtogreatlybenefitfromscientificliteracyandpolicyimplementation.ThenonprofitClubesdeCienciaBoliviawillrunworkshopswithlabsessionsforstudentsthatwillexposethemtocuttingedgefindings(suchasoptogenetictechniquesandhowthesehavebeenusedtoimplantfalsememoriesinrodentbrainstounderstandhippocampalfunction)thatwouldnototherwisebeaccessibleundercurrenteducationalconditions.AguestspeakerfromJohnsHopkinsUniversitywillalsobeinvitedtospeak.

CHILE:PatricioRojasMontecinos,ChileanSocietyofNeuroscience

ChileisthesecondhighestconsumerofcocaineandmarijuanainLatinAmericaaccordingtothe2015WorldDrugReportelaboratedbytheUNOfficeofDrugsandCrime.ItisonlysurpassedbyUruguay,whichlegalizedtheuseofmarijuanalastyear.ThemainriseinmarijuanaconsumptioninChilehasoccurredamongadolescentsandyoung

AWARDS2019






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LATINAMERICA

adults,andthisisacalltoeducateandgenerateadeepawarenessabouttheimpactofdruguseonthedevelopingandadultbrain.TheChileanSocietyofNeuroscienceplanstodevelopeducationalmaterialandorganizeatwo-daySymposiumthatwillincludekeypresentationsanddiscussionsamongresearchers,cliniciansandpolicymakers,aimingtoaddressthegeneralpublic,withspecialemphasisonhigh-schoolanduniversitystudents.

PANAMA:JagannathaKosagisharafi,InstituteofScientificResearchandTechnologicalAdvances

PanamahasauniqueagingpopulationunlikeotherSpanishgroupsbecauseofgeneticdiversityduetotheCanal,etc.Diet,stress,alcoholandexercisearemajorissuesinthecountrywhichallaffectmentalhealth.BraindisordersarethesecondmajordisorderinPanama.TheInstitutewilladvocateevidence-basedinformationontheroleofnutrition,stress,alcoholandexerciseonhealthybrainaging.Wewillconductaspecialsessionbasedonthemixingofyoungandagedgroupstounderstandthesocialrelationsonhealthaging.Duringthesessions,wewillconductmini-mental,bloodpressure,andglucosetestsandademonstrationofEEGandDopplerincollaborationwithdoctors.Wewillfocuson75agedand75youngstudentcommunities.Wealsoplantoinvitediplomatsforthisactivitysothattheyaremotivatedtoinvestinbrainresearchinthenearfuture.

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PAN-EUROPE

ITALY:MicaelaMorelli,ItalianSocietyforNeuroscience

DuringtheUniStemDayattheUniversityofCagliari,theItalianSocietyforNeurosciencewillhelpraiseawarenessandunderstandingaboutbrainresearchandgrownetworksofresearchersthroughthefollowingactivities:Supportingtwospeakerstodescribethebasisofcellduplicationandwhatstemcellsare;producingandshowingakick-offvideoandanaudioconnectionwithinparticipatingEuropeancountries;talksbyscientistsandresearchersabouttheireverydaylifeinsciencewillbeconducted;educationalactivitiesincludingvisitstoneurosciencelaboratorieswillbesupported;andgames,discussions,filmsandopenworkshopswithsciencecommunicators.

ITALY:GiuseppePignataro,ItalianSocietyforNeuroscience

TheItalianSocietyforNeurosciencewouldliketostart,encourageandfostertheinterestofpre-universitystudentsintheprofessionalworldofneuroscience.Inananalogywithotherscientificsocieties,itisproposedanamendmenttotheStatutesoftheItalianSocietyofNeuroscience(SINS)inordertomakeitpossibletoenrollhighschoolstudentsasSINSmembers.Thesemembers,coordinatedbyaRegionalCoordinator,willbecalledJuniorMembers.TheseedgrantwillhelpsupportJuniorMemberswillmeetinconjunctionwiththeNationalConventionofSINS.Duringtheconference,somerepresentativeswillbeabletovisitlocalinstitutionsofscientificimportanceandattendconferencesessions.Anadhocdata-clubsymposiumwillalsobeorganizedforJuniorMembers.

THENETHERLANDS:BertLenaert,BrainInjuryCenter

IntheprovinceofLimburg(Netherlands),oneoutoffourpeoplewillbeconfrontedwithbraininjurycausedbyaccident,stroke,surgery,ordiseaseintheirpersonalenvironment.ThemissionoftheBrainInjuryCenterLimburg(BICL)istoimprovethequalityoflifeofindividualswhosustainedbraininjuryandtheirenvironmentbyacquiring,applying,andspreadingscientificknowledge.Duringthe2019BrainAwarenessWeek,BICLwillorganizeitsthirdsymposiumcoveringabroadrangeoftopicsrelatedtoresearchonandcareforindividualswithbraininjury.TheGlobalAdvocacySeedGrantwillallowpatients,familiesandcaregiverstoenrollatstronglyreducedadmissionfees(freeiffinanciallyfeasible),therebyloweringthethresholdtotheirparticipation.Thiswillincreasepublicawarenessandwillhelpputtingthelong-termneedsofpatientsandtheirenvironmentontheagendaofpolicymakers.

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NextyearwillbethesixthyearthattheGlobalAdvocacyInitiativewillofferseedgrants.

Currentfundingpartners-IBRO,theFederationofEuropeanNeuroscienceSocieties(FENS),theJapanNeuroscienceSociety(JNS)andtheSocietyforNeuroscience(SfN)–haveshowngenerousandcontinuedsupportofthisinitiative.

Expandingglobalactivityinadvocacyandoutreachwork,agrowingresourceandnetworkofseedgrantalumniandexperiencesaswellasthesuccessfulimplementationofselectedeventshaveencouragedthisongoingcommitmenttotheInitiative’sseedgrantfunding.

Brainadvocacyaroundtheworldhasproventobeanecessaryprerequisiteforincreasingpublicawarenessandunderstandingofneuroscience,developingmulti-disciplinarypartnershipnetworks,

communicatingresearchadvancesandattractingmorefundingandpolicysupportforbrainresearch.

Toreinforceoureffortsandempowertheprogramwithpreviousworkandlessonslearned,seedgrantsawardedforeventstotakeplacein2020willcontinuetobeopentoapplicantsfromfourregions–Africa,AsiaPacific,LatinAmericaandPan-Europe.

Specialattentionwillbepaidtothoseareaswhichhavemorechallengingresearchenvironments,includingrestrictivefundingandinstitutionalsupport.WorldBankcategoriesoflowerandmiddleincomecountrieswillcontinuetobeusedtodistinguisheligibility,aswellasconsiderationofchangingeconomicandpolicyenvironments.

IBROthanksitspartnersandparticipatingawardeesfortheirdedicatedcommitmenttobrainadvocacy.

2019LOOKINGAHEAD

PoliticiansattendingtheHellenicSocietyforNeuroscienceAdvocacyeventinAthensin2018.

IBRO255rueSaint-Honoré75007ParisFrance•Tel:+33(0)146479292•Email:[email protected]•Web:www.ibro.org

Documents

REVIEW - ibro.org · applications are made by the IBRO African (IBRO-ARC), Asia/Pacific (IBRO-APRC), Latin American (IBRO-LARC) and Pan-European (IBRO-PERC) Regional Committees. After