The 8th Meeting of the European Society for Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience (ESCAN) will take place from June 3–6, 2026, at Sapienza University of Rome, bringing together researchers from across Europe and around the world for four days of scientific exchange, collaboration, and community building.

This year's meeting marks one of the largest ESCAN conferences to date, with almost 900 registered participants and more than 750 scientific contributions, including symposia, oral presentations, posters, keynote lectures, workshops, and networking events. The conference continues ESCAN’s mission of promoting excellence in cognitive, affective, and social neuroscience while fostering collaboration across disciplines, institutions, and countries.

A Strong European Community with Global Reach

ESCAN 2026 reflects the growing international profile of the society. More than 80% of participants are affiliated with European institutions, representing a broad range of countries and research traditions across Western, Northern, Southern, and Eastern Europe. The meeting also welcomes researchers from the Middle East, Asia, North America, Oceania, and South America, ensuring a vibrant exchange of perspectives and ideas.

The conference community spans all career stages. Approximately half of participants are registered as full delegates, more than 40% are students, and nearly two-thirds are ESCAN members, highlighting the society's strong and engaged membership base.

Outstanding Scientific Programme

The scientific programme features three keynote lectures delivered by internationally recognized leaders in cognitive and affective neuroscience:

• Catherine Tallon-Baudry (ENS-PSL, France), whose work explores how interoceptive signals contribute to subjective experience and cognition.
• Carmen Sandi (EPFL, Switzerland), whose research investigates the role of brain metabolism and mitochondrial function in anxiety, motivation, and resilience.
• Ewelina Knapska (Nencki Institute, Poland), whose pioneering work examines emotional contagion, empathy, and the neural mechanisms underlying social behaviour.

Alongside the keynote lectures, attendees will participate in a rich programme of symposia, oral presentations, and poster sessions covering the full spectrum of contemporary cognitive, affective, and social neuroscience.

Pre-Conference Events

ESCAN 2026 opens with a series of pre-conference activities designed to highlight emerging directions in the field and foster new collaborations.

The Social Neuroscience pre-conference symposium will focus on how social neuroscience can contribute to societal impact, addressing topics such as human-AI interaction, clinical and health applications, environmental challenges, and public policy.

A second pre-conference workshop organized by the newly established ESCAN Special Interest Research Group on Embodied Neuroscience (SIREN) will explore multisensory integration, body representation, and brain-body interactions. The workshop will bring together researchers working on embodied cognition, interoception, sensory systems, and translational applications.

Additional activities organized by the ESCAN Junior Committee will provide opportunities for networking, mentoring, and career development for students and early-career researchers.

Society Activities and Community Engagement

Beyond the scientific programme, ESCAN 2026 will host several important society events, including the ESCAN General Assembly, where members will review recent achievements, discuss future initiatives, and contribute to the continued development of the society.

The meeting will also feature presidential addresses from both the current and incoming ESCAN Presidents, reflecting on the growth of the society and outlining future directions for cognitive, affective, and social neuroscience in Europe and beyond.

A variety of social events—including the Welcome Cocktail, Junior Social Event, and Conference Dinner—will provide further opportunities for networking and community building in an informal setting.

Looking Forward

As ESCAN 2026 begins, we warmly welcome all participants, speakers, organizers, volunteers, sponsors, exhibitors, and partners who have contributed to making this meeting possible.

We look forward to four days of outstanding science, stimulating discussions, new collaborations, and the continued strengthening of our international neuroscience community.

For the full programme and practical information, please visit:

https://escan2026.eu/

Con i nostri più cordiali saluti,

The ESCAN Board

The Early Career Award of the European Society for Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience honors the early achievements of scientists working in the area of Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience and is meant to encourage career development and scientific endeavors in the field.

This year we have two recipients of the ESCAN Early Career Award:

Dr. Paula Celeste Salamone

Dr. Paula Celeste Salamone has made substantial and innovative contributions to the field of cognitive and affective neuroscience, particularly in understanding brain–body communication in emotional and social functioning. Her work, focusing on interoception and affective touch, combines behavioral approaches, electrophysiology, neuroimaging, and pharmacological models to investigate how bodily signals are integrated across multiple levels of the nervous system. By bridging basic and clinical research, her studies provide important insights into the mechanisms underlying emotional regulation and socio-affective processes.

Dr. Rita Pasion

Dr. Rita Pasion has made substantial and innovative contributions to the field of cognitive and affective neuroscience, specifically in the study of psychopathology from a transdiagnostic perspective. Grounded in contemporary frameworks such as the Hierarchical Taxonomy of Psychopathology (HiTOP) and the Research Domain Criteria (RDoC), her research aims to identify multimodal neurobiological mechanisms underlying vulnerability to mental disorders. Her work integrates EEG-based measures to advance the understanding of shared processes across psychopathological conditions.

Congratulations!

With warm wishes,
The ESCAN Board

The ESCAN 2026 Conference will take place in Rome from 3 to 6 June 2026, bringing together the international community in cognitive, affective, and social neuroscience.

• Call for symposia & single presentations opens: 1 December 2025
• Symposia deadline: 7 January 2026
• Single presentation deadline (postponed): 25 February 2026 (23:59 CET)
• Early registration deadline: 20 March 2026

Official ESCAN 2026 Conference Website

Ahead of ESCAN 2026 in Rome, two complementary pre-conference events will highlight key directions in contemporary neuroscience and offer high-impact opportunities for scientific exchange and collaboration.

Social Neuroscience Pre-Conference Symposium

Focused on translating social neuroscience into societal impact, this symposium addresses major domains including AI and human interaction, clinical and health applications, environmental and climate neuroscience, and societal and political decision-making.

The programme combines expert introductions, Early Career Researcher flash talks, and focused discussions.

→ Detailed programme (Social Neuroscience)

SIREN Pre-Conference Workshop – Embodied Neuroscience

This workshop marks the launch of SIREN, a new ESCAN network dedicated to Embodied Neuroscience. It focuses on multisensory integration in body representation and brings together researchers working on body representation, interoception, and sensory systems.

The event features invited expert talks and structured networking sessions designed to foster collaborations and future grant initiatives.

→ Detailed programme (SIREN Workshop)

Both pre-conferences are open to all ESCAN delegates and provide a strong, visible opening to ESCAN 2026—combining cutting-edge science with community building across applied, social, and embodied neuroscience.