The Program Committee is now soliciting symposia proposals for the 2026 ICN in Vancouver. The Symposia will be 90 minutes in total duration, consisting of a 5-minute introduction by the chair, two 15-minute talks, followed by three 10-minute talks. Each speaker will have 5 additional minutes to answer questions. The symposium organizers must be members of ISN, but they can recruit non-members as speakers.

Proposals are due September 1, 2025. They will be reviewed by the Program Committee according to the criteria listed below, with final decisions made by September 30, 2025.

Proposal Criteria

The basic criteria for symposia include:

• The topic should be timely and of relevance to a broad range of neuroethologists. Applications that incorporate innovative approaches and analyses for the study of the neural bases of behavior are encouraged.
• The topic and proposed speakers should not substantially overlap with symposia presented at recent ICN meetings, particularly Berlin (2024). The program committee will also give priority to proposals that do not overlap with the 2025 Gordon Research Conference in Neuroethology.
• In accordance with ISN’s status as an international society of students, post-docs, technicians, and group leaders, the list of proposed speakers should display an equitable representation with respect to career stage, gender, geography.
• Proposals must document the willingness of all listed speakers to attend.
• The proposed list of speakers may not include a keynote speaker at the 2026 ICN meeting. Please visit https://icn2026vancouver.com to see the current list of those talks.

If your symposium is chosen, the program committee may suggest revisions to ensure that there is minimal overlap across events and that the topic and list of speakers match the criteria described above. The program committee expects that the symposium organizers will be willing as necessary to provide content for grant proposals that ISN will be submitting to raise funds for the conference. Symposia organizers should not make commitments to speakers regarding financial support at this time.

Post your proposal by filling out the form found here

This is the information that we ask you to include in your 1-page proposal:

1. Name and affiliation of symposium Chair(s).
2. Title of the proposed symposium.
3. A clear description of the symposia and its relevance to the ISN membership (800 character limit, including spaces).
4. A list of the proposed speakers including their affiliation.
5. A short (2-3 sentences) statement of how the symposium meets the criteria listed above.

Call for Satellite Symposia for ICN 2026 in Vancouver

As in previous years there will be opportunities for satellite symposia at the 2026 ICN meeting. Typically, these ancillary meetings are either half-day events on the opening day, or two-day events starting a day earlier. Please contact Doug Altshuler, the Chair of the Local Organizing Committee as soon as possible but no later than October 1, 2025 if you are interested in organizing a Satellite Symposium.

Questions?

Please contact the ICN 2026 Conference Secretariat by email