SfN Council Acts to Ensure Society’s Long-Term Viability
SfN Council held its summer meeting in Toronto, Canada, July 29–30. Several key areas of focus included an update on SfN’s finances and planning for Neuroscience 2025. Council held strategic, forward-looking discussions on U.S. science funding policy changes, their impacts on the field, and the Society’s response to these changes.
After receiving updates on the Society's investment portfolio and finances and subsequent conversations on the future of membership, programming, and support to the field, Council reviewed and approved the multi-year planning targets to ensure the continued long-term financial health of the Society. As a part of its planning discussions, Council completed its annual review of the Society’s Strategic Plan. Council also continued discussion from its spring meeting on potential new revenue sources and strategic opportunities. The discussion will continue at the fall Council meeting.
Council received an update on SfN’s advocacy efforts in response to the actions taken by the U.S. administration and continued discussing what else SfN can do to further support the field. Council asked that staff continue to monitor, provide updates, and engage the membership where possible.
Council heard an update on Neuroscience 2025 preparations and the plans for Late-Breaking Abstracts opening in September. Late-Breaking Abstracts will be grouped together on the poster floor at Neuroscience 2025 and presented in one big session, organized by theme. During the regular abstract submission period there were 10,030 abstracts from 70 countries submitted. The majority of these submitters expressed their intent to present in person. The Virtual Component of the meeting will be the same as 2023 and 2024, with live-streamed lectures from the main lecture hall and virtual posters. The content will be available on demand for 30 days after the meeting. Virtual attendees of the sessions will have the ability to submit questions in real time through the mobile app.
Finally, Council completed some administrative business including the review and approval of updates to the Neuroscience Training Committee charter. The Trainee Advisory Committee also proposed several changes to its charter, and further discussion was requested by Council, with a vote deferred to the fall Council meeting. Council also approved a slate developed by the Committee on Committees with recommendations for new incoming committee chairs who will begin their terms at Neuroscience 2025.
