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Belgian Society for Neuroscience Award

We are pleased to announce the launch of the first Belgian Society for Neuroscience Award, which will recognize an outstanding neuroscientist currently established in Belgium.

As we celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Belgian Society for Neuroscience (BSN) this year, we believe this is the perfect occasion to initiate this award and highlight the excellence of neuroscience research in Belgium.

The grantee of this award will receive 1000 € during an award session at our biannual BSN meeting on October 20th 2025 and will be invited as keynote speaker at this meeting.  

Please find below the eligibility criteria, evaluation process, and timeline for the 2025 Belgian Society for Neuroscience Award.

Eligibility Criteria

  • Candidates must be under 40 years of age at the time of application. Career breaks (e.g. maternity/paternity leave) will be taken into account, with appropriate age adjustments.
  • Candidates must be affiliated with a Belgian institution.
  • BSN membership is required.
  • The award is open to researchers from all fields of neuroscience, regardless of methodology or topic.
  • Candidates must be available to give a keynote lecture at the BSN Meeting on October 20, 2025.

Evaluation Criteria

Applications will be evaluated based on a 1-page CV, which should include:

  • A selection of 5 publications where the candidate is first or last author, chosen for their scientific impact and to demonstrate growing independence.
    • Please indicate the number of citations for each selected publication.
  • A bibliometric overview, including:
    • Total number of citations, normalized by the number of years since the start of the PhD.
    • The candidate’s H-index.

The evaluation will focus on:

  • Scientific excellence and originality,
  • The impact of selected publications,
  • Evidence of growing independence and potential for sustained contributions to neuroscience. 

Timeline

  • Application deadline: June 20, 2025
  • The name of the award winner will be announced by July 24th 2025

As part of the same process, we will nominate one candidate for the FENS Eric Kandel Young Neuroscientists Prize (nomination due on July 24th 2025).

Applications should be sent to the email: info@belgianneuroscience.be

Please note: While high-impact journal publications are important for the FENS nomination, they are not strict requirements for the BSN Award—though they may strengthen an application. Candidates for the Belgian Society for Neuroscience Award and for the FENS nomination may be two different individuals.

We look forward to receiving your applications and encourage you to share this call widely with colleagues and networks.

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