Call for Symposium Proposals

We invite members to submit symposium proposals. Approximately 50 symposia will be held during the meeting, including those organized by JNS and Neuroscience2027 Program Committee. We are seeking proposals for timely and innovative projects, and interdisciplinary collaborations.

Submission Period: August 3 (Mon)-October 7 (Wed) 17:00 Japan time, 2026

Index

1. Selection Criteria
2. Guidelines for Symposium Proposal Submission
3. Grant for CJK Symposium
4. Grant for Early-Career and Women-Led Symposium
5. Grand for Joint International Symposia
6. Corporate Sponsorship
7. Symposia Co-Organized with Grant-in-Aid for Transformative Research Areas
8. Submission Instructions for Proposals

1．Selection Criteria

Novel and Interdisciplinary Themes

In addition to universal scientific values and novelty, we place special emphasis on interdisciplinary topics that span multiple specialist fields and emerging areas. To ensure we incorporate innovative topics from a broad range of fields, proposals that are highly similar to those selected in the annual meetings over the past two years will be given lower priority in the selection process.

Diversity and Cross-disciplinary Integration

Priority will be given to proposals that include a diverse range of symposium speakers (or co-organizers) across different age groups, genders, and institutions. We ask that you pay particular attention to diversity (including age, gender, nationality, and regional representation). Please note that proposals deemed to lack a clear commitment to Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) in their speaker composition will receive lower priority during the selection process.
In the interest of fostering interdisciplinary growth, we also welcome proposals that include symposium speakers (or co-organizers) who are members of related academic or clinical societies but are not currently members of the Japan Neuroscience Society.
Proposals organized by early-career researchers (within 15 years of obtaining their PhD) or female scientists serving as the main organizer are eligible to apply for the "Early-Career and Women-Led Symposium" category, as detailed below.

Promotion of internationalization

To promote the internationalization of the meeting, symposium proposals that involve overseas-based researchers (regardless of nationality) as speakers will be preferred. Symposia co-organized with overseas-based researchers is eligible to apply for the Joint International Symposium Grant.

2．Guidelines for Symposium Proposal Submission

1. Meeting Format
   The meeting will be held exclusively in person. We kindly ask that you only invite speakers (including those from overseas) who are able to travel to the venue and participate on-site.
2. Session Format and Basic Structure
   The standard time slot is 120 minutes (tentative). Each symposium should typically feature 4 to 6 speakers. Presentations must be delivered in English, and as a general rule, Q&A sessions should also be conducted in English.
3. Eligibility for Main Organizers
   The Main Organizer, who serves as the project lead, must be a Regular, Junior, Overseas Regular, or Overseas Junior member of the Japan Neuroscience Society. While you may appoint one Co-organizer to assist with the planning and act as a co-chair, the Main Organizer remains fully responsible for the overall management and successful execution of the symposium.
4. Coordinating with Speakers
   Please obtain provisional consent from all speakers before submitting your proposal.
   However, please be careful not to make a final commitment to your candidates at the application stage, as all proposals are subject to a selection process and may not be accepted.
5. Registration and Travel Expenses for Speakers
   Registration fees for the annual meeting will be waived for symposium speakers from Japan who are not members of JNS. However, travel support will not be provided.
6. Travel Support for Overseas Speakers
   If you require financial assistance from the meeting to invite speakers residing abroad, please indicate this in the "Special Notes" section along with a brief justification.
   Should the necessary funding be secured, the Program Committee will review the requests and determine the allocation of support. Please be aware that the overall budget framework will likely not be finalized until around April 2027.
   To ensure that your symposium can proceed even if official support is unavailable, we kindly ask organizers to make every effort to secure independent funding (such as external grants or departmental funds).
7. Potential Adjustments to Proposals
   Please note that the Program Committee may request adjustments to your proposal. This may include merging your session with similar proposals, adjusting the list of speakers, modifying the title, or incorporating relevant presentations from the general oral sessions.
8. Presentation Limits
   Individuals are limited to submitting one abstract for presentation as a first author. Speakers participating in a symposium are not permitted to present in other symposia or oral/poster sessions. Organizers are responsible for communicating this policy to the speakers when seeking their consent to participate in their symposia. If an organizer does not deliver a presentation in their symposium, they may present in another session.
9. Notification of Acceptance and Post-Selection Process
   The Program Committee will review all proposals, including potential integration or merging of sessions. Applicants will be notified of the results by early November 2026 (tentative). Following acceptance, Main Organizers are responsible for ensuring that all speakers in their session complete their abstract registration within the designated submission period.

3．Grant for CJK Symposium

We invite proposals for CJK Symposia, held in conjunction with the 4th CJK International Neuroscience Meeting.

Eligibility: The session must include speakers from at least two of the following countries: China, Japan, and Korea.

Speaker Ratio: To ensure diversity, speakers from any single country cannot represent 75% or more of the session (e.g., 3/4 speakers from one country is ineligible; 3/5 is eligible).

Grant: Financial support of approximately 300,000 JPY is available per symposium for travel and invitation-related expenses.

Application: Select the "Apply for Grant for CJK Symposium" checkbox on the application screen.
A web link to the Scientific Content Guidelines will be uploaded soon.

4．Grant for Early-Career and Women-Led Symposium

We enthusiastically welcome fresh, innovative proposals from diverse organizers. Grant is available for symposia that meet the following criteria:

Eligibility: The Main Organizer must be a female researcher OR an early-career researcher (within 15 years of obtaining a Ph.D. as of October 7, 2026).

International Requirement: The session must feature at least one speaker who resides overseas.

Grant: Grants ranging from 50,000 to 400,000 JPY per symposium are available to offset invitation and travel costs.

Application Process: Select the "Apply for Grant for Early Career / Women-Led Symposium " checkbox on the submission portal and upload the Main Organizer's CV.

5．Grant for Joint International Symposia

We strongly encourage proposals that promote international collaboration through our Joint International Symposia framework

Requirement: The symposium must be co-organized with a researcher currently residing overseas.

Grant: Approximately 50,000 to 400,000 JPY per symposium will be provided to help cover travel and invitation costs for the overseas Co-Organizer.

How to Apply: Select the "Apply for Grant for Joint International Symposium" checkbox on the submission portal and upload the Co-Organizer's CV.

6．Corporate Sponsorship

Companies may provide financial support for your symposium. After a symposium proposal is accepted, the organizer will be notified of any sponsorship offers.

＜Sponsored Symposium＞

1. Partial support for symposium hosting expenses, such as travel expenses for invited speakers from overseas, will be provided
2. Some companies may request to have their company names, such as 'Sponsored by XXXX,' displayed following the title of the symposium on the website of the annual meeting or in the meeting program. Additionally, they may request to have a link to their website included alongside their company names on the meeting website.
3. Materials related to sponsor companies for distribution onsite at the symposium must be approved by the meeting and symposium organizers.
4. When organizers are to seek sponsorship from companies by themselves, we ask them first to contact the secretariat to get some advice on sponsorship fee arrangements. When organizers submit their proposals after they have found sponsors, please be sure to inform them that the holding of the symposium is not fixed until the proposal is accepted.

7．Symposia Co-Organized with Grant-in-Aid for Transformative Research Areas

If you wish to co-organize your symposium with Grant-in-Aid for Transformative Research Areas, please enter the name of the area on the application page. Joint sponsorship fees for the meeting are not required. The use of rooms or equipment provided by the meeting is free; however, charges may apply for signage or additional equipment usage.

8．Submission Instructions for Proposals

Access the application page via the provided link, complete the form with the required information, and submit your proposal. The person responsible for the proposal, typically the main organizer, should submit the application. It is expected that the organizer (and co-organizer, if applicable) will serve as the chair(s) of the symposium.

1. Symposium Category (select from the dropdown menu)
2. Symposium Title
3. Main Organizer Information (for a regular or junior member of JNS only): Name, Affiliation, Contact Information (Email Address, Phone Number, Website URL)
4. Co-Organizer Information (if applicable):
   Name, Affiliation, Contact Information (Email Address, Phone Number, Website URL)）
5. Aim and Synopsis (approximately 400 characters)
6. Speaker Information:
   Name, Affiliation, Email Address, Phone Number, Website URL
7. Abstract Title for Each Speaker *Tentative title is acceptable.
8. Key Publications of Each Speaker (1 to 2 papers per speaker)
9. Keywords for the Entire Symposium (5 keywords)
10. Request for Co-Hosting with Grant-in-Aid for Transformative Research Areas
11. Financial Resources Secured for Travel Expenses of Overseas Speakers (e.g., Grants-in-Aid for Transformative Research Areas)
12. Consideration of Diversity: Age, Gender, International Representation, and Other Factors (Approximately 400 characters) - Diversity breakdown examples may include: # in their 30s, # females / # males, # from USA / # from Europe (Personal information disclosure is not required.)
13. Special Notes (Approximately 400 characters) - Please describe your intended contribution to this meeting or relevance to clinical practices if applicable.

Proceed to the Application Page

Contact：Neuroscience2027 Secretariat

A & E Planning, Co., Ltd　 Hitotsubashi Bekkan 4F 2-4-4,
Hitotsubashi, Chiyodaku, Tokyo 101-0003 JAPAN
Tel:+81-3-3230-2744
E-mail: jns2027@aeplan.co.jp