British Neuroscience Association

What British Neuroscience Association does

The British Neuroscience Association (BNA) is a UK not-for-profit charitable organization (Charity Number 1103852, Company Number 04307833) and the largest organization dedicated to neuroscience in the United Kingdom. It operates as a membership-driven community connecting over 3,000 neuroscientists across academia, clinical practice, and industry, supported by 50+ geographically organized Local Groups across UK regions and internationally (Republic of Ireland and Worldwide). The organization is headquartered in Bristol, with a wholly-owned subsidiary, BNA Events Ltd, that manages events and conferences.

BNA's core offerings include a tiered individual membership program spanning eight career stages (Future Neuroscientist, Undergraduate, Postgraduate, Career Starter, Early Career Researcher, Professional, Associate, and Retired), all billed annually; the society-owned peer-reviewed journal Brain and Neuroscience Advances; a portfolio of awards and bursaries (including Outstanding Contribution to Neuroscience, Public Engagement, Credibility in Neuroscience, Green Neuroscience, and Neuroscience Communication awards); training programs via the BNA Training Academy; and the recurring International Festival of Neuroscience (BNA2023, BNA2025, BNA2027). Distribution is primarily direct: individual memberships are sold through bna.org.uk, organizational memberships are sold to enterprises and institutions, and events are delivered both in-person and online. The organization also convenes collaborative events with partners including the Federation of European Neuroscience Societies (FENS), the Joint Neurosciences Council, and disease-focused funders such as Alzheimer's Research UK.

BNA's revenue model is a mix of recurring annual membership subscriptions (both individual and organizational), transactional event registration fees, and sponsorship/support from aligned organizations. Partnerships extend the value proposition—for example, Wiley joined as an Organisational Member in July 2026, and sharing data with FENS and the Joint Neurosciences Council provides members access to additional benefits such as ebrain. The organization engages in policy and advocacy, including formal endorsement of the ALBA Declaration on Equity and Inclusion, and is governed by a Council led by the BNA President (currently Professor Narender Ramnani, succeeding Professor Tara Spires-Jones who served 2023–2025).

Name

British Neuroscience Association

Legal name

British Neuroscience Association Ltd

Website

https://bna.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1968

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The British Neuroscience Association is a UK not-for-profit membership organization serving over 3,000 neuroscientists across academia, clinical practice, and industry. It provides tiered annual memberships, the Brain and Neuroscience Advances journal, regional Local Groups, training programs, and the biennial Festival of Neuroscience.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Scientific Association

NAICS

Business Associations (813910), Professional Organizations (81392), Professional Organizations (813920)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Association & Society Conference Management (Nonprofit, Professional Bodies) (THAHACAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Medical, Scientific & Healthcare Congress Organizers (THAHACAD), Life Sciences & Biotechnology Congresses (THAHAJAB), Sponsorship, Exhibitor & Partnership Management Services (THAHACAK)

Keywords

• Neuroscience professional membership
• Scientific society
• Neuroscience events
• Research grants and bursaries
• Peer-reviewed journal publishing

Headquarters

HQ city

Bristol

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Membership Subscriptions: Annual membership fees from individual members across various categories (Future Neuroscientist, Undergraduate, Postgraduate, Career Starter, Early Career Researcher, Professional, Associate, Retired) and organizational members. All individual membership packages are paid on an annual basis for a 12-month period.
2. Event Registration Fees: Revenue from paid events including the Festival of Neuroscience, training webinars, networking events, and collaborative events with partners. Some events are free while others require registration fees.
3. Sponsorship and Support: Support from organizations such as Alzheimer's Research UK for specific events and training programs. Wiley joined as an Organisational Member.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The British Neuroscience Association is a not-for-profit professional membership organisation that sells individual membership packages (across career-stage tiers from Future Neuroscientist to Retired) and Organisational Memberships to universities, publishers, and related bodies. It also delivers paid events (Festival of Neuroscience, training webinars), publishes the peer-reviewed society-owned journal Brain and Neuroscience Advances, and provides bursaries, grants, awards, and policy representation to the UK and international neuroscience community.

Product overview

The British Neuroscience Association operates as a not-for-profit professional membership organization connecting neuroscientists across academia, industry, and clinical practice. The core offerings include the society-owned journal 'Brain and Neuroscience Advances' for publishing research, and comprehensive membership packages serving members across all career stages from students to professionals. The organization facilitates networking through regional Local Groups, provides awards and prizes recognizing excellence, administers bursaries and grants supporting research and career development, and organizes major events including the triennial Festival of Neuroscience.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Brain and Neuroscience Advances: The BNA's society-owned journal publishing neuroscience research
• BNA Events Ltd
• BNA Training Academy

Products and services

• Brain and Neuroscience Advances Journal The BNA's official peer-reviewed journal publishing research across all areas of neuroscience, serving as the society-owned publication for sharing research and expert insights among the membership and the wider community.
• Individual Membership Annual membership packages serving individual neuroscientists across all career stages from students to retired professionals, offering benefits including networking, events access, bursaries, grants, awards, journal access, and policy representation.
• Organisational Membership Institutional/organisational membership sold to universities, publishers, and related bodies (for example, Wiley's Advanced Portfolio joined as a new Organisational Member), providing enhanced resources and services to the neuroscience community.
• Festival of Neuroscience Major periodic (triennial) in-person conference run via BNA Events Ltd bringing together the UK and international neuroscience community for scientific sessions, networking, and partner exhibitions (e.g., BNA2025, BNA2027).
• BNA Training Academy Online and in-person training, education, and webinar programmes delivered by the BNA for neuroscientists and related professionals, supporting career development and continuing education across the field.
• Local Groups Network A geographically organised network of 50+ Local Groups across UK regions and internationally, providing grassroots networking and community building for BNA members at a local level through volunteer-led activities.

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• WileycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2026Wiley's Advanced Portfolio has joined as a new Organisational Member of the British Neuroscience Association, providing enhanced resources and services to the BNA membership community.
• Federation of European Neuroscience Societies (FENS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBNA shares member data with FENS so members can access benefits of FENS membership. BNA collaborates on events including the FENS Forum 2026 in Barcelona.
• Joint Neurosciences CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBNA shares member data with the Joint Neurosciences Council to provide access to ebrain resources as part of BNA membership benefits.
• Alzheimer's Research UKmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerAlzheimer's Research UK provided support for the PPIE (Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement) webinar event on communicating science and shaping research.
• ALBA (Alliance for Brain Science Organizations)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBNA formally endorses the ALBA Declaration on Equity and Inclusion, joining over 200 organizations in committing to concrete, positive, evidence-based action to promote equity and inclusivity in neuroscience.
• BNA Events LtdcoreOthersWholly-owned subsidiary company (Company Number 07784689, VAT GB 131 4333 57) that manages BNA events and conferences.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Federation of European Neuroscience Societies (FENS): FENS is the umbrella European neuroscience federation that BNA already partners with for joint membership and the FENS Forum 2026. Both organisations operate membership-driven models serving academics, clinicians, and industry professionals across neuroscience, with overlapping congress and training offerings.

Others

• Wellcome Trust: While not a peer organisation, Wellcome is a major UK neuroscience research funder that BNA members depend on for grants. Its funding priorities materially shape BNA's member value proposition and policy advocacy agenda.
• National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS): NINDS is the US federal neuroscience research funder. While governmental rather than membership-based, it operates in the same neuroscience ecosystem and influences research priorities and career trajectories of BNA's clinical and academic members.

Regional players

• European Brain Council: The European Brain Council is a Brussels-based advocacy and partnership platform for brain-related organisations. While more policy-oriented, it shares BNA's cross-sector neuroscience convening purpose and offers a comparable at the European policy level.
• BioIndustry Association (BIA): BIA is the UK trade association for biotech, providing membership, events, and policy advocacy. Although life-sciences-industry focused rather than purely neuroscience, its membership and partnership model is comparable to BNA's industry-professional segment.

Broad incumbents

• Royal Society of Biology: The Royal Society of Biology is a UK umbrella life sciences organisation offering membership tiers, accreditation, events, and publications. It is a structural peer in the UK membership-based biology society space, even though neuroscience is only one of many disciplines it covers.
• Society for Neuroscience (SfN): SfN is the largest global neuroscience professional society (~35,000+ members) and a direct comparable in mission, structure, and offerings (membership tiers, annual meeting, journals, awards). Its scale and resources set the upper benchmark for what BNA could become globally.
• International Brain Research Organization (IBRO): IBRO is a global neuroscience organisation supporting research, education, and outreach worldwide. Its global scope and similar professional-society model position it as a peer in championing neuroscience communities, albeit with broader international reach than BNA.
• British Psychological Society (BPS): BPS is a UK chartered professional body for psychologists with a similar membership model, regional branches, journals, and Continuous Professional Development offerings. While broader in scope, it provides a useful comparable for non-profit scientific society economics in the UK.

Emerging players

• Alzheimer's Research UK: Alzheimer's Research UK is a major charitable funder and convener in UK dementia/neuroscience. BNA already partners with them on PPIE events. They share audience overlap (neuroscience researchers, clinicians) and overlapping mission around brain disease research.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/britishneuro
• Facebookfacebook.com/britishneuroscienceassociation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/british-neuroscience-association-bna-

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about British Neuroscience Association