National Networks
ATgliaNet brings together Austrian and foreign researchers working in Austria who are interested in the role of glial cells in the function of the nervous system in health and disease conditions. We potentiate collaboration among research groups for efficient use of resources and for funding opportunities. Meet us at our annual in-person symposium or in our monthly webinars. Furthermore, we promote the mobility of researchers and the diversification of their training. We disseminate research focused on glial cells both in scientific channels and for society. For example, on our website https://atglia.net/, we showcase glia labs in Austria. Follow us on our LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/106947459 and Bluesky at https://bsky.app/profile/atglianet.bsky.social.
CANGlia Over the last few decades, glial science has grown exponentially worldwide, with some remarkable glial scientists located in Canada. However, we often find ourselves in the position of being one of few, or even the only, glial researcher at our respective institutions. As such, we established a network called the Canadian Association of Neuroscientists who study Glia (CANGlia) to bring together Canadian glial researchers, from trainees to Principal Investigators, to highlight the diversity of our researchers, disseminate our newest findings, share leading-edge methodologies and encourage data sharing, networking, and teambuilding among research groups. We held an inaugural event in May 2024 (Ottawa, Canada) which featured the work of Principal Investigators and trainees from across Canada through a full day of talks and poster presentations. In addition to our annual meeting, our trainees are organizing bimonthly seminars highlighting the work of trainees from across Canada.
Importantly, CANGlia values our trainees, our diversity, and we strive to always create an inclusive environment to ensure that everyone is welcome. In the same way that we cannot understand central nervous system function, health, and disease without considering glia and neurons, we also strengthen our science by bringing together many voices from all walks of life.
The French Glial Cell Club is one of the scientific clubs under the aegis of the French Neuroscience Society and is part of Network Glia. The Club aims to promote research on every aspects of glial cell physiology and pathology, to actively encourage the career of young researchers, to organize working groups and to gather and support scientific events in France related to glial cells. The Club organizes one-day annual meetings as well as biennial symposium (2 1/2 days), and held the European Conference on Glia in 2009 in Paris.
GliaNed was founded in 1988 and forms a networking group for all interested in Glia research in the Netherlands.
Currently, it consists of over 300 members in 15 universities and institutes. GliaNed organizes an annual meeting to connect Dutch glia researchers, exchange protocols and provide networking and training for early stage researchers. Follow us on LinkedIn at:
The German Glia Net is an upcoming national initiative dedicated to gather together researchers across Germany who are exploring the diverse roles of glial cells in health and disease. The aim is to foster interdisciplinary collaborations, supporting early-career scientists, and facilitating knowledge exchange, ultimately strengthening the visibility and impact of glia research. In alignment with ongoing funding efforts, the German Glia Net will provide a platform to coordinate scientific activities, share resources, and catalyze innovation within the vibrant German neuroscience community.
Italian Glia Network (IGN) was founded in 2023 by a group of passionate scientists dedicated to glia research. IGN has the MISSION of creating a community of scientists interested in glial biology. IGN goals are networking, tool sharing, facilitate collaborations, organize online and in-person meetings, exchange job information.
https://italianglianetwork.wixsite.com/italian-glia-network/
The Portuguese Glial Network gathers Portuguese researchers, as well as foreign researchers working in Portugal, who are interested in the role of glial cells in the function of the nervous system, in health and disease conditions. The main goals are: (a) To gather and share information about Portuguese researchers (or foreign working in Portugal) that study glial cells, their approaches: techniques and models used; (b) To potentiate the collaboration among research groups to make the most of human, technical and scientific resources, in order to promote the generation of knowledge with greater impact and attraction of competitive funding; (c) To foster mobility and diversify the training of researchers; (d) To disseminate research focused on glial cells both in scientific channels and for the society.
The Spanish Glial Network (Red Glial Española, RGE) was founded in 1997 by Manuel-Nieto Sampedro and Bernardo Castellano with the goal of promoting collaborative glia research and boosting the formation and mobility of young investigators. The RGE celebrates a biannual one-day meeting, within the Congress of the Spanish Neuroscience Society (SENC) . It also organizes, with the Portuguese Glial Network, a biannual two-days Iberian Glial Networks Online Symposium, that features primarily students and early-career researchers devoted to glia research. Currently, the RGE consists of over 120 members in 40 research groups, and is currently headed by Arantxa Tabernero (University of Salamanca).
The UK Glia Network was founded in 2023 by a group of researchers passionate about glia. The overall mission of the network is to create an open and interactive community of scientists who are from or working in the UK and interested in pushing the boundaries of glia research. The goals of this community are to encourage networking and collaboration among glia researchers which potentially will lead to impactful discoveries, attracting competitive funding, and promote the sharing of state-of-the-art tools and technologies used to study glia. UK Glia Network hopes to reinforce mobility and training of early career researchers and strengthen the UK glia community. Follow UK Glia Network on X (Twitter) https://x.com/UKGlia – or if you are not on social media sign up for updates of the network https://shorturl.at/3CDze – and visit their website https://www.glianetwork.org.uk/about-us.
Warsaw Glia Community was established in 2024 by a group of Polish scientists and enthusiasts passionate about glial cells and their role in the nervous system. Based in Warsaw, Poland, we aim to build an open, dynamic, and collaborative space for the exchange of ideas, experimental approaches, and scientific inspiration.
Our mission is to foster collaboration, promote the sharing of cutting-edge discoveries, and strengthen the visibility and integration of glial research not only in Warsaw, Poland, but also across Europe. We strive to connect researchers at various stages of their careers, from students to established principal investigators, and create opportunities for meaningful scientific dialogue.
To achieve this, we organize bimonthly seminars featuring invited speakers from leading institutions in Poland, Europe, and the United States. These meetings provide a platform for presenting new data, discussing challenges, and sparking collaborations.
Our growing community currently comprises over 50 active members from multiple institutions. We welcome anyone with an interest in glial biology to join us and contribute to shaping the future of glia research in Poland.
You can find us here:
https://x.com/WarsawGliaComm
https://bsky.app/profile/warsawgliacomm.bsky.social
https://www.facebook.com/WarsawGliaCommunity
https://www.instagram.com/warsaw_glia_community/
Other networks or institutes
The Achucarro Basque Center for Neuroscience is a research institute fostered by the Basque Science Foundation (Ikerbasque) and the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU). It is devoted to fundamental and translational research in neuron-glial biology, and to the discovery of new therapies for brain diseases.
Glial Assembly: A new regulatory machinery of brain function“, funded by by Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, is a consortium focussing on functions of „glial assembly“, a gigantic glial circuits in the CNS. The purpose of this project is to clarify the mechanism that underlies the formation of glial assembly and to understand how they control the brain function. We also aim to clarify how abnormalities in glial assembly are related to the pathophysiology of neuropsychiatric disorders.
Neuroglia represents a concerted effort of European research groups dedicated to increase our knowledge on glial function and to unravel the role of neuron-glia interaction in the healthy and diseased brain. In particular, the consortium investigates glial cells in initiation and progression of epilepsy.