Chennai, June 08: Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras) hosted the ‘3rd BRICS Neuroscience Symposium 2026’ from 5th to 7th June 2026, bringing together leading neuroscientists, clinicians, academicians and researchers from BRICS.
The event, being held in India for the first time, focused on increasing collaboration between BRICS nations to advance international cooperation in neuroscience research and neuro-technologies.
The event spotlighted the growing importance of global scientific cooperation to understand the human brain and develop technologies that can address neurological disorders and improve healthcare outcomes worldwide.
Organised by Sudha Gopalakrishnan Brain Centre (SGBC), IIT Madras, the symposium was themed ‘Expanding Neuroscience: BRICS & Extended Nations’ and featured scientific sessions, keynote lectures, panel discussions, clinical perspective talks, cultural events and a major data release of the Human Brainstem Atlas by SGBC.
The Symposium was graced by Shri Vikram Misri, Foreign Secretary, Prof. Ajay Kumar Sood, Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India, Prof. V. Kamakoti, Director, IIT Madras, Shri Kris Gopalakrishnan, Co-founder, Infosys, and delegates from the BRICS Nations.
Welcoming delegates from all over the world, Shri Vikram Misri, Foreign Secretary, said, “We are entering a world today where the problems are multiplying faster than they ever were before. but we are also in a world where some of the solutions that we are finding are themselves creating new problems of their own. It is in that kind of a world that the value on international collaboration and cooperation is even more. And that spirit of collaboration and cooperation of working together is precisely what BRICS symbolizes. This gathering of countries that represent developing countries and emerging markets pooling their resources, abilities and knowledge. This is what is remarkable about BRICS.”
Wishing the researchers success in their efforts, Shri Vikram Misri added, “India is chairing BRICS this year. We are working up to the summit of BRICS countries in September of this year. I am sure in every week, there are 200 different meetings at different levels that are being organized in the runup to this conference. I am sure the work that this conference is doing will also, in its own way, feed into the success of BRICS summit in September.”
Addressing the international gathering virtually from Delhi, Chief Guest Prof. Ajay Kumar Sood, Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India, said, “An important feature of SGBC is that it has been a multi-institutional, multinational and multi-disciplinary endeavour with the support of the Government, industry and philanthropy. The Centre has become an exemplar of research and innovation through collaboration and diversified support system for long-term sustainability.”
Addressing the symposium, Prof. Mohanasankar Sivaprakasam, Head, SGBC, IIT Madras, added, “In a highly complex field like neuroscience, multi-national and multi-disciplinary teams are key to solve hard problems and create breakthroughs. This gathering will further expand our international collaboration network at SGBC.”
The symposium aimed to strengthen international scientific partnerships, promote collaborative research frameworks, encourage interdisciplinary knowledge exchange and position India as a key contributor to global neuroscience initiatives. The scientific programme covered a broad range of topics, including human brain organisation, neural function in health and disease, developmental neuroscience, comparative studies across model systems and application of emerging technologies in neuroscience research.
The event also showcased the capabilities of the SGBC, which developed and operates a world-class high-throughput multimodal whole-brain imaging pipeline to map human brains at cell resolution. The symposium continued the momentum created by the earlier BRICS Neuroscience Symposia held in Shanghai in September 2023 and Moscow in October 2024. These international meetings were jointly organized by neuroscientists from BRICS nations to foster multilateral cooperation in neuroscience research, capacity building and technology development.
Launched in March 2022, SGBC is a cutting-edge R&D Centre for human brain research to create transformative impact in neuroscience and neurotechnologies.