Incorporated in 1961, IBRO now counts 81 member societies in 61 countries around the globe with a membership of over 75,000 neuroscientists.

The International Brain Research Organization (IBRO) is the global neuroscience federation dedicated to the promotion of neuroscience and communication between brain researchers around the world with special emphasis on assisting young investigators in the developing world. It is based in Paris, France.

[edit] History

The International Brain Research Organization (IBRO) was founded in 1961 in response to the growing demand from neuroscientists in many countries for the creation of a central organization that would cut across world boundaries and improve communication and collaboration among brain researchers. At present, IBRO membership includes more than 80 Corporate and Academic Affiliated Associations with a combined membership of over 75,000 neuroscientists, making it the world's largest organization of scientists and physicians devoted to advancing understanding of the brain and nervous system. IBRO publishes a bi-monthly journal, Neuroscience, which is widely regarded as one of the preeminent journals in the field.

The origin of IBRO can be traced back to a meeting of electroencephalographers in London in 1947, which led to the establishment of an International Federation of EEG and Clinical Neurophysiology. At a conference of this group and others in Moscow in 1958, there was unanimous support for a resolution proposing the creation of an International Organization representing brain research worldwide.

This plan was welcomed by UNESCO, and in 1960 IBRO was established as an independent, non-governmental organization. IBRO established close links with the International Council of Science (ICSU), a division of UNESCO, and in 1976 was given Associate Status (in the category Scientific Unions) in ICSU.

The stated mission of the society is to:

• develop, support, co-ordinate and promote scientific research in all fields concerning the brain;
• promote international collaboration and interchange of scientific information on brain research throughout the world;
• provide for and to assist in education and the dissemination of information relating to brain research by all available means.

[edit] IBRO Regions

IBRO wishes to assist in giving neuroscientists in different parts of the world a direct voice in defining their own needs and priorities in research and science education. One step in this direction has been for IBRO to identify a set of six regions on the basis of geographical, social and economic criteria. Each region has a Regional Committee, composed of eight active scientists, that defines its priorities and receives an annual budget from IBRO that is used for the organization of activities in that area. The Regional Committees, are:

• Africa

• Asia and the Pacific

• Central and Eastern Europe

• Latin America and the Caribbean

• US and Canada

• Western Europe

[edit] IBRO Programmes

[edit] Funding

The IBRO Funding Programme aims to foster neuroscience, especially in less well-funded countries, by providing support to high quality neuroscientists from diverse geographic and scientific areas. Calls for funding are made in March and September of each year. Grants are available for:

• Research Fellowships - to foster neuroscience research especially in less well-funded countries by providing support to high quality neuroscientists from diverse geographic and scientific areas (US/Canada Region excluded) who wish to broaden the scope of their training in neuroscience by working abroad in good laboratories, or participating at international neuroscience meetings.

• Travel Grants - to foster neuroscience research especially in less well-funded countries by providing support to high quality neuroscientists from diverse geographic and scientific areas (US/Canada Region excluded) who wish to participate at international neuroscience meetings.

• Symposia and Workshops - support for meetings on important topics in neuroscience with the aim particularly of encouraging neuroscience research and scholarship in regions of the world with limited funds for science.

• Grants to Return Home - to provide aid to those researchers trained overseas who wish return to their less-developed home countries.

• Public Education - funds activities around the world to increase public awareness of the brain, including events during Brain Awareness Week held in March of every year.

More information can be found on the IBRO Funding website.

[edit] Education

The mission of the IBRO Education Programme is to provide top-class training for young neuroscientists, with a special focus on those in less well-funded countries.

• IBRO Neuroscience Schools - No IBRO programme has done more than the Schools and the VLTP to expose young people from developing countries to scientists from leading institutions and to sensitize teachers from the richer countries to the problems faced by their colleagues in the less fortunate parts of the world.

• Alumni Programme - The Schools are also the main vehicle used by IBRO to interact with young people in all of the regions and are the basis for the entire mentorship effort that led to the creation of the Alumni, now totaling several thousand former students from Schools and Visiting Lecture Team Programme (VLTP) courses.

• Visiting Lecture Team Programme (VLTP) - The VLTP offers experiment-based lecture courses in economically developing countries that cover a variety of topics of current interest in basic neuroscience. Since 1994, the VLTP has given more than 40 courses in 26 countries.

• FENS-IBRO Neuroscience Schools Programme - The FENS-IBRO Neuroscience Schools Programme is a collaboration between IBRO and FENS (the Federation of European Neuroscience Societies) and organizes high-quality Schools and Courses on a wide range of important topics in the Neurosciences.

More information can be found on the IBRO Schools website.

[edit] Public Awareness

IBRO is dedicated to increasing public awareness about the progress and benefits of brain research through programmes in:

• Animals in Research - helps organize sessions at IBRO and other neuroscience meetings to discuss the ethical and practical issues surrounding animal experimentation.

• Brain Awareness - is a joint venture between IBRO (the International Brain Research Organization), DABI (the Dana Alliance for Brain Initiatives), SfN (the Society for Neuroscience), EDAB (the European Dana Alliance for the Brain) and FENS (the Federation of European Neuroscience Associations). Increasing public awareness world wide in regard to the contributions made by brain research and its application to human diseases is its primary goal.

• History of Neuroscience - works to bring together and publicize relevant aspects of the history of the neuroscience in a concise and clear manner. In particular, the programme wishes to identify authors who might make interesting contributions and to encourage them to participate.

• Women in World Neuroscience - aims to improve career development, mentoring and networking opportunities for women neuroscientists around the world, with special attention to women in disadvantaged regions.

[edit] World Congresses and Regional Meetings

Every four years, IBRO holds a World Congress that is attended by scientists from around the world. The 7th World Congress was held in Melbourne, Australia in 2007. Over 3,500 people from around the globe gathered to exchange ideas about the latest discoveries and research on the brain, spinal cord, and nervous system. Special interest forums ranged from the IBRO Alumni Symposium “Molecular and system neurobiology in development and affective disorders” (four IBRO alumni were the speakers), “Animals in research” (presented by IBRO Animals in Research Committee), through “Parkinsons’s Disease”, “Current Australian research into spinal cord injury”, “Australian pioneers of the neurosciences” to “Neuroscience and addiction: evidence for informed public policy” and “Training in neuroscience research”.

The 8th World Congress will be held in Florence, Italy in 2011. A complete list of future and past annual meetings is posted on IBRO's website.

[edit] Publications

• ''Neuroscience'' Neuroscience is the official journal of IBRO. It is published as 28 issues a year, by Elsevier Science.

• The IBRO NEWS A yearly newsletter.
• Neuroscience: The Science of the Brain A booklet on the brain destined for the general public and available in 18 languages.
• The Reporter A monthly e-newsletter.
• Neuroscience TOCs The table of contents of the Neuroscience journal.

[edit] Leadership

• Officers
• Past Officers
• Governing Council
• IBRO Affiliated Organizations

[edit] Donors & Partners

• Our grateful thanks to the following generous organizations.

[edit] External links

• IBRO Main Web site
• IBRO Funding Web site
• IBRO Schools Web site
• IBRO Alumni Web site
• IBRO Brain Campaign Web site
• Neuroscience journal home page
• Africa Region Web site
• Central & Eastern Europe Region Web site
• Latin America Region Web site
• US/Canada Region Web site
• IBRO: An International Organization for the Third Millennium, Torsten Wiesel