In the golden autumn of Fuzhou, distinguished guests gathered from far and wide. On the morning of September 11, 2026, the 19th National Academic Conference of the Chinese Neuroscience Society (CNS 2026) grandly opened in Fuzhou. The conference was hosted by the Chinese Neuroscience Society and co-organized by Fujian Medical University, Xiamen University, and Fuyao University of Science and Technology. More than 4,500 top experts, scholars, industry guests, and young researchers in the field of neuroscience from home and abroad gathered in Fuzhou to participate in this grand academic event. Academician Zhang Xu, Chairman of the Chinese Neuroscience Society and President of the Guangdong Institute of Intelligent Science and Technology, delivered a speech on behalf of the society as the conference chairman, and together with Supervisory Board Director Wang Yizhi, presented badges and certificates to the society's new batch of honorary members.
Conference Opening: Internationalization, Youth, and Industrialization
The opening ceremony was presided over by Professor Zhang Jie, Deputy Chairman of the Local Organizing Committee and Dean of the School of Medicine at Xiamen University. He introduced the guests attending the opening ceremony and extended a sincere welcome to all delegates and industry guests.
In his speech, Academician Zhang Xu closely followed the current era background of the deep integration of artificial intelligence and neuroscience, pointing out that this conference further highlights three major characteristics: internationalization, youth, and industrialization. He introduced that the conference invited a total of 395 speakers from home and abroad, of which 116 foreign speakers came from 29 countries around the world, with the proportion of English-language session reports increased to 70%. The conference expanded the youth display platform, continuously increasing the proportion of young session speakers, and opened a "Youth·Insights" open mic stage. An industrial transformation docking platform was established, inviting 123 enterprises related to neuroscience from home and abroad to participate in exchanges and showcase the latest technologies, with a focus on the brain-computer interface industry, bringing together 16 key domestic brain-computer interface enterprises.
Calling to Seize Historical Opportunities and Promote Scientific and Technological Self-Reliance
Academician Zhang Xu called on all colleagues to implement the instructions of General Secretary Xi, seize historical opportunities, meet the challenges of the era, accelerate the promotion of high-level scientific and technological self-reliance, firmly march toward the goal of building a powerful country in science and technology by 2035, and practically support and lead Chinese-style modernization through scientific and technological innovation.
Subsequently, Professor Chen Wanjin, Deputy Chairman of the Local Organizing Committee and Vice President of Fujian Medical University, delivered a speech on behalf of the local organizers. He expressed that Fujian Medical University was honored to play the role of host and strive to provide excellent service for the conference. He hoped that experts and scholars would take the opportunity to explore Fuzhou, experience the city's ancient heritage and open vitality, and warmly welcomed everyone to provide guidance on the discipline construction of Fujian Medical University and support the growth of young talents.
Honorary Member Conferment Ceremony
The opening ceremony held the conferment ceremony for the Chinese Neuroscience Society's new batch of honorary members. Professor Li Yunqing from the Airforce Medical University and Professor Ruan Huaizhen from the Army Medical University received this honor in recognition of their long-term contributions to the society's construction and disciplinary development. Chairman Zhang Xu and Supervisory Board Director Wang Yizhi jointly presented badges and certificates to the two honorary members.
2025 Major Advances in Chinese Neuroscience
The conference presented certificates to the first completers and team representatives of the "2025 Major Advances in Chinese Neuroscience," with 10 research achievements representing the highest level of Chinese neuroscience research selected. Deputy Directors Du Jiulin and Fang Fang presented certificates to the first completer of each project.
The selected achievements cover areas such as meningeal lymphatic system regulation, thalamus-prefrontal cortex circuits and conscious perception, neural energy mechanisms of cognitive anti-aging, social decision-making encoding, new drug targets for Parkinson's disease, artificial photoreceptors, three-dimensional peripheral nerve imaging, microglial cell replacement therapy, near-infrared visual enhancement, and new tissue clearing technologies, fully demonstrating the strong strength and innovative vitality of Chinese neuroscience in basic and translational research.
International Travel Fellowships
At the end of the conference, the 2026 International Travel Fellowships were announced. Deputy Directors Xu Guangyin and Wang Liping presented certificates to award-winning young scholars from Japan, the United States, the Netherlands, Turkey, Portugal, and other countries and regions. A total of 11 outstanding international young scholars were selected, covering three major international organization recommendation channels: the Japan Neuroscience Society (JNS), the Society for Neuroscience (SfN), and the Federation of European Neuroscience Societies (FENS), demonstrating the Chinese Neuroscience Society's commitment to deepening international cooperation and supporting the growth of young global talents.
Looking Ahead to Three Days of Academic Feast
The opening ceremony of the conference concluded with warm applause. Over the next three days, a scientific feast bridging basic and clinical research and crossing academia and industry will unfold in full. Focusing on cutting-edge directions such as neural development, synaptic plasticity and learning and memory, brain-computer interfaces and neural regulation, and brain-inspired intelligence and computational neuroscience, the conference will intensively present 9 plenary session reports, 55 symposiums, and 10 special forums, with hundreds of top scholars from home and abroad sharing the latest breakthrough achievements on the same stage.
Beyond academic exchanges, the conference also carefully arranged cultural and creative points redemption, allowing participants to redeem exclusive conference cultural and creative products through fun methods such as academic check-ins and exhibition interactions, adding warmth to the rigorous academic atmosphere. The conference's real-time photo live broadcast conveyed the wonderful moments of the venue. Inside and outside the venue, the society's exhibition area attracted many delegates to pause and learn about the continuous expansion of international exchanges, the tiered training system for young talents, public science popularization activities, innovative exploration of scientific and technological achievement transformation, and the scientist spirit exhibition boards showcasing two pioneers who made outstanding contributions to the development of Chinese neuroscience, Mr. Zou Gang and Mr. Wu Jianping, comprehensively demonstrating the society's responsibility and humanistic depth as an academic community.
Delegates will collide ideas and gather consensus on cooperation in this blessed land, with an open attitude and pragmatic actions, working together to steadily advance the cause of Chinese neuroscience on the path of high-quality development and write a new chapter.
(Source: Chinese Neuroscience Society)
