BNA2021 announces UK DRI as Festival Partner

14th Jan 2020

The British Neuroscience Association (BNA) is delighted to announce UK Dementia Research Institute (UK DRI) as our Festival Partner for the BNA Festival of Neuroscience 2021.

11-14 April 2021 will see the BNA hosting its fifth Festival of Neuroscience, this time in Brighton. UK DRI will be working alongside the BNA to shape and steer the whole event, as well as designing their own scientific and public programme streams in the Festival.  

Taking place at the Brighton Centre, right on Brighton’s beautiful seafront, BNA2021 will be the largest neuroscience event of its kind across Europe in 2021. Drawing together leading neuroscientists across disciplines and countries to celebrate and share the latest thinking in neuroscience today.

Commenting on the partnership, BNA Chief Executive, Dr Anne Cooke, said, “UK DRI is a revolutionary research organisation, experts at galvanising global expertise to make a real difference to the understanding and treatment of dementia in the UK. This makes them a perfect partner match for BNA2021 as we bring people together from across the world to connect, share and celebrate the latest research in neuroscience.

“We’re very much looking forward to working closely with UK DRI to make BNA2021 the best Festival yet!”

Professor Bart De Strooper, UK DRI Director, said, “The BNA’s Festival of Neuroscience brings together fantastic science and workshops with a vibrant public programme. We are delighted to be partnering with BNA for this special event – it is especially fitting in 2021 with their themed year of ‘ageing’. Dementia is complex and we need to bring together thinking from all angles and specialisms to conquer it, so we look forward to meeting everyone and sharing life-changing ideas next spring.”

About BNA2021

This will be the fifth Festival of Neuroscience, held bi-annually, to celebrate and share all the latest research and developments in fundamental, applied, translational and clinical neuroscience, ensuring the full range of neuroscience interests are represented.

The first Festival (BNA2013, London) set the template for a completely novel forum, where other organisations with an interest in brain research were invited to join the BNA to create a cross-disciplinary and celebratory neuroscience event, bringing together fundamental research with clinical expertise and public engagement as well.

About BNA

The British Neuroscience Association (BNA) is the largest UK organisation representing and promoting neuroscience and neuroscientists. Our members' interests cover the whole range of neuroscience, from ion channels to whole animal behaviour to real-life applications in the clinic and beyond.

The origins of the BNA stretch back to the 1960s, when informal meetings of neuroscientists in the pub became formalised into what was then known as the Brain Research Association. The BNA now has around 2000 members and looks forward to the next 50 years being even more transformative and exciting than the first. 

About UK DRI

The national UK Dementia Research Institute (UK DRI) is the single biggest investment in dementia research in the UK. Established in 2017 by the Medical Research Council, Alzheimer’s Society and Alzheimer’s Research UK, the £290million institute is located across six leading UK universities: University of Cambridge, Cardiff University, University of Edinburgh, Imperial College London and King’s College London, with its central hub at UCL.

The UK DRI accelerates discoveries to prevent, treat and care for people with all types of dementia, and helps us understand ways to keep the brain healthy. The UK DRI attracts the brightest minds in research, both in the UK and globally, and will ultimately be made up of 700 researchers, continuing to make the UK one of the best places in the world to study neuroscience. For further info: www.ukdri.ac.uk