European Journal of Neuroscience, Vol. 42, pp. 2371, 2015
doi:10.1111/ejn.13027
EDITORIAL The voice of the next generation €ls3 Monica Di Luca,1 Barry J. Everitt2 and Marian Joe 1
Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences, University of Milano, Milano, Italy Department of Psychology and Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK 3 Department of Translational Neuroscience, Brain Center Rudolf Magnus, University Medical Center Utrecht, P. O. Box 85060, 3508 AB, Utrecht, Netherlands 2
In May 2014, the Federation of European Neuroscience Societies (FENS) and the Kavli Foundation signed an agreement to establish a joint Network, celebrating and supporting the most talented midcareer neuroscientists in Europe. This Network, known as the FENS-Kavli Network of Excellence, is meant as a platform for exceptional young neuroscientists, to encourage mutual exchange of the latest developments in the field and to be inspired by each other’s knowledge and expertise. Their extraordinary knowledge and commitment to science is also expected to be useful in facilitating the exchange between science and society (http://www.fens.org/Outreach/FENS-Kavli-Network-of-Excellence/). Currently, the Network is composed of twenty mid-career group leaders who were not only selected on the basis of their scientific excellence but also their interest and engagement in science policy and public outreach. They all share a major interest in neuroscience and have already successfully achieved the first steps establishing and accelerating their careers, but otherwise the group is diverse: their geographic background ranges from Turkey to Iceland, and from Trondheim in Norway to Heraklion on Crete. Some have just acquired an ERC Starting grant, others have secured an ERC Consolidator grant. Their scientific fields are diverse, yet overlapping. The group encompasses clinicians, experimental neuroscientists and theoretical neuroscientists; collectively they cover the richness of neuroscience from molecules through cells and systems to populations. Clearly, they represent the next generation of scientific
leadership in Europe. Members are elected for a period of 4 years and every other year 15 new members are selected through an entirely open and merit-based procedure. Strikingly, during the first meeting of the FENS-Kavli Network of Excellence most members expressed their genuine concern about the careers of junior neuroscientists in Europe and beyond. Despite the fact that they have successfully negotiated many of the early hurdles in establishing themselves, they all realize that the demands placed on them by institutions, granting agencies and editors of journals are frequently extreme and that many talented juniors are discouraged and seek other careers. This was felt to be a loss for the field and a serious impediment to the many challenges we face as a global neuroscience community, including finding effective ways to treat disorders of the brain, to lift the burden of these disorders from patients, their families and society at large. Following their discussions, the members of the FENS-Kavli Network of Excellence decided to write a series of articles in order to address issues close to their hearts, such as the hurdles of starting a research group, developing alternative metrics to judge scientific performance, and the power of collaboration. We sincerely hope this series will initiate a lively discussion in EJN, in which the neuroscience community will together try to optimize research practices, now and in the future. The careers and scientific world of young neuroscientists are not just their concern, it is the future of the field in general and this therefore deserves the full attention of everyone.
Correspondence: Marian Jo€els, as above. E-mail:
[email protected]
© 2015 Federation of European Neuroscience Societies and John Wiley & Sons Ltd
