We proudly announce the winner of the Otto Loewi Award 2025: Nadine J. Ortner, an outstanding Neuroscientist and Group Leader of the University of Innsbruck, Austria

Find out more about Nadine and her exciting research on Neuro(patho)physiology & Molecular Pharmacology of Voltage-Gated Calcium Channels. 

The aim of Otto Loewi Award is the promotion of neuroscience research in Austria by awarding this prize for outstanding scientific contributions in an active field of neuroscience. The particular intention is to honor research achieved in Austria. The awared is offered biannually.

Know more about the prestigious Otto Lewi Award, distributed by ANA and graciously supported by the Peter und Traudl Engelhorn Stiftung.

The Austrian Neuroscience Association (ANA) is delighted to announce the winners of the Best Poster Award at the ANA Meeting 2025.
These exceptional researchers have been recognized for their outstanding scientific contributions and innovative approaches to advancing neuroscience.

First Place
Nino Kobakhidze (University of Innsbruck)
“Behavioral and Neural Responses to Interoceptive Stimuli in a Mouse Model of Autism Spectrum Disorder”

Second Place
Jan Frederik Ahrend (Medical University of Innsbruck)
“From sound to movement: The neural backbone of the acoustic startle reflex”

Third Place (Equal Merit)

• Francesca Silvagni (Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck)
  “Salience Signaling in the Anterior Insular Cortex During an Oddball Paradigm”
• Fabio Nächt (University of Vienna)
  “Towards Naturalistic Optogenetic Virtual Realities with Machine Vision and Model Predictive Control”
• Dimitrios Mariatos Metaxas (Medical University of Vienna)
  “The Firing Activity of GABAergic Interneurons in the Orbitofrontal Cortex During Value-Guided Decision Making”

Thank you for casting your votes, and congratulations to all the winners!

The ANA warmly congratulates all awardees for their inspiring achievements and groundbreaking research. Their work embodies the spirit of innovation and scientific excellence that drives the Austrian neuroscience community forward.

Calling Young Neuroscience Trailblazers!
The Otto Loewi Award—Austria’s prestigious prize for outstanding neuroscience research—is now open for applications! Presented biannually by the Austrian Neuroscience Association, this €5,300 award honors exceptional work conducted in Austria by researchers under 40.

Apply by June 15, 2025, and get recognized at the ANA Conference!
Parental leave considered. ANA membership required.

Celebrate excellence. Advance neuroscience. Apply now!

We are happy to announce that the registration for the ANA meeting 2025 is open!

For more information and registration, follow this link

We look forward to seeing you on September 8-10 at the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA); Am Campus 1, 3400 Klosterneuburg, Austria

The International Society for Serotonin Research (ISSR) invites you to its 2025 international meeting "A Serotonin Symphony in Vienna", July 7-11, 2025 in Vienna, Austria.  For details on the program, registration, and venue please visit the ISSR website.

Join Us for the 2025 Venusberg Conference on Neuroinflammation

On behalf of the organizers, we are excited to announce the upcoming edition of the Venus Conference on Neuroinflammation, a premier international event dedicated to advancing our understanding of neuroinflammation and its implications for neurological disorders.

Conference Theme: "Cerebral Immune Activation at the Crossroads of Healthy Aging, Senescence, and Neurodegeneration"

This year’s conference will bring together leading researchers from around the world to explore the intricate relationship between neuroinflammation, aging, and neurodegeneration. Through a comprehensive program featuring cutting-edge research, innovative methodologies, and emerging perspectives, attendees will gain fresh insights into the field of neuroinflammation and its far-reaching implications for neurodegenerative disease therapies, including Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, and spinal cord injury.

Location: Campus Belval, University of Luxembourg
Registration deadline: 30 April 2025

Registrations are now open! Don't miss the opportunity to join leading experts in the field and contribute to the future of neuroinflammation research.

Visit https://neuroinflammation.uni.lu/ to register and explore the full conference agenda.

We look forward to welcoming you to an inspiring exchange of ideas in the heart of Luxembourg!

These are tough days for science in the US. Well, the problems there go far beyond and have significant impact also on us. In any case, some brain would not hurt in these difficult times.

Back to science: What happens in the US could also (have) happen(ed) to us, likely in an alleviated (Austrian) manner. However, for many years, US science has been on the forefront and exemplary also for us. I thus want to draw your attention to the upcoming "March for Science" which will start next Friday, March 7 at 13.00 hours in front of the University of Vienna. On this day, our colleagues in the US will have demonstrations around the country ("Stand up for Science). As Europeans we want to back them.

The joint International NPY-Galalnin and related Peptides Meeting will occur from July 14-17, 2025 in Innsbruck, Austria.

Supported by the Austrian Neuroscience Association and the Medical University of Innsbruck, the conference will bring together neuropeptide experts from all fields to provide novel and exciting insights into neuronal circuitry studies, structural analyses of receptor functioning, and emerging targets for the development of new therapeutics.

Registration and Abstract submission are open now!

MORE INFO AND REGISTRATION --> here!

Celebrate Your Academic Excellence!

Graduated? Now it’s time to earn recognition for your hard work and groundbreaking research! Apply for the Best Thesis Award and let your achievements shine.

Awards

Best Thesis: €500
Second & Third Place: €100 each

Eligibility

• Open to ANA members with PhD theses defended between 1 January and 31 December of the previous year.
• Submissions must clearly demonstrate your contributions, with experimental work by co-authors appropriately outlined.

How to Apply

Send the following documents to secretary@austrian-neuroscience.at between 1 and 31 January:

1. A brief application letter explaining why you deserve the award.
2. A copy of your PhD thesis, including a one-page abstract (max. 300 words).
3. A statement specifying experimental work conducted by co-authors.
4. Your CV (and list of publications, if available).
5. An endorsement letter from your thesis advisor.

Don’t miss this opportunity to showcase your accomplishments and inspire the scientific community. Apply now!

We are happy to announce that we are organizing the 5^th European Calcium Channel Conference (ECCC), to be held in Alpbach, Austria, from May 26-30, 2025. 

With the European Calcium Channel Conference, we try to cover a wide scope of calcium signaling, bring in workshops of general interest, and make it affordable also for early career scientists.

We regularly update the information on our meeting website (www.calciumchannel.eu). In addition, the website provides information about past meetings, for example, lists of speakers and pictures.

The European Calcium Channel Conference devotes much attention to poster presentations and will offer many presentation slots and special workshops for early career scientists.

Hence, in addition to presenting the newest and most exciting scientific developments in the field of calcium channel research, the conference provides an excellent networking opportunity and allows early career scientists to get in contact with the leaders in the field.

We look forward to your participation and contributions!

The organizers:

• Gerald Obermair, Karl Landsteiner University, Krems
• Thomas Gudermann, LMU Munich
• Petronel Tuluc, University of Innsbruck
• Marc Freichel, University of Heidelberg
• Martin Biel, LMU Munich
• Nadine Ortner, University of Innsbruck
• Tobias Moser, University of Göttingen
• Marta Campiglio, Medical University of Innsbruck
• Jörg Striessnig, University of Innsbruck
• Veit Flockerzi, Saarland University
• Bernhard Flucher, Medical University of Innsbruck