Centre d'apprentissage en neurosciences (CAN)

Name

Centre d'apprentissage en neurosciences (CAN)

Legal name

Canadian Association for Neuroscience

Website

https://can-acn.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1988

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Scientific Professional Association Services

NAICS

Professional Organizations (813920), Convention and Trade Show Organizers (56192)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Medical, Scientific & Healthcare Congress Organizers (THAHACAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Academic & Scientific Conferences (MPAGAGAD), Training, Enablement & Talent Development Summits (THAHAMAH)

Keywords

• Neuroscience professional association
• Scientific conference services
• Research membership organization
• Scientific award programs
• Academic networking platform

Headquarters

HQ city

Victoria

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual membership fees from neuroscientists across Canada, including regular members, student members, and corporate members
2. Conference Registration Fees: Registration fees from annual Canadian Neuroscience Meetings (19th in 2026, 20th in 2027)
3. Partner Funding: Co-administration funding from CIHR-INMHA for Brain Star Awards program; supplemental funding from Brain Canada and other neuroscience funding bodies

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels11 records

Core offering

CAN operates as a nonprofit professional association that advances Canadian neuroscience through paid annual membership tiers (Regular, Student, Postdoctoral Fellow, Corporate), the CAN Annual Scientific Meeting and CANGlia meeting, member recognition programs (Brain Star Award, New Investigator Award, Outreach & Advocacy Awards), travel awards, and the CNS-PDS Speaker Exchange seminar series. It also delivers member services such as the NeuroJobs job board and a public Event Calendar, while coordinating with funders such as CIHR-INMHA, Brain Canada, IBRO, and SfN.

Product overview

The Canadian Association for Neuroscience (CAN/ACN) is a professional association that serves as the primary national organization for neuroscience researchers in Canada. The organization does not offer a unified software product or platform but rather provides a portfolio of member services including annual scientific meetings (the 19th Canadian Neuroscience Meeting in 2026 and 20th in 2027), award programs (Brain Star Awards, New Investigator Awards, Outreach and Advocacy Awards), travel grants for trainees, the CNS-PDS seminar series, and the CANGlia specialized glial science meeting). Additional services include an event calendar, NeuroJobs board for career opportunities, and advocacy for neuroscience funding and science policy in Canada.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• CAN Membership Annual paid membership program offered in Regular, Student, Postdoctoral Fellow, and Corporate tiers, granting members access to society benefits including voting rights, NeuroJobs board access, and reduced registration at the CAN Annual Meeting.
• CAN Annual Scientific Meeting Annual paid scientific conference organized by CAN for the Canadian neuroscience community, featuring research presentations, symposia, and networking for members and non-members.
• CAN Event Calendar Online public calendar listing CAN-hosted and partner neuroscience events, symposia, and seminars across Canada, maintained as a community resource.
• NeuroJobs Board Online neuroscience-specific job board hosted by CAN that lists research positions, postdoc roles, and graduate openings at Canadian institutions, available to members and job seekers.
• Brain Star Award Recognition award presented by CAN to Canadian neuroscientists for outstanding peer-reviewed publications, sponsored and administered through the annual award cycle.
• New Investigator Award Recognition award presented by CAN to early-career Canadian neuroscience investigators, sponsored and administered through the annual award cycle.
• CAN Outreach and Advocacy Award Recognition award presented by CAN to members who demonstrate excellence in neuroscience outreach, public engagement, and advocacy for brain research.
• CAN Travel Awards Travel-grant program administered by CAN that funds trainees (students and postdoctoral fellows) to attend the CAN Annual Meeting and present their research.
• CNS-PDS Speaker Exchange Seminar Series Joint virtual seminar series organized by CAN with partner neuroscience societies, featuring invited speakers and hosted via Zoom and YouTube for the Canadian neuroscience community.
• CANGlia Annual Meeting Annual specialized scientific meeting organized under CAN's umbrella focused on glial-cell research within the Canadian neuroscience community.

Quantifiable outcome

• 15 Brain Star Awards of $1,500 CAD given annually to top neuroscience trainees
• +2 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered major, core, minor and supporting.

• International Brain Research Organization (IBRO)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 May 2026IBRO organized a Special Interest Event at CAN 2026 Meeting on Building Capacity and Community in Global Neuroscience, funded by Wellcome, focusing on neuroscience capacity building in Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs) through the NCAMH program.
• CIHR Institute of Neurosciences, Mental Health and Addiction (INMHA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2001CAN has a formal co-administration partnership with CIHR-INMHA for the Brain Star Awards program since March 2001. CAN manages the application process, peer review, and awardee promotion for the Brain Star program, which awards up to 15 students and trainees annually with $1,500 CAD each for published neuroscience research.
• Women in LearningminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWomen in Learning organized a networking luncheon at CAN 2026 meeting to bring together voices in neuroscience for mentorship and professional development, open to all regardless of gender identity.
• CANGliamajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCANGlia is a subgroup of CAN representing Canadian neuroscientists who study glial cells, holding its third annual meeting May 15-16, 2026 at McGill University with two days of specialized glial science content.
• Society for Neuroscience (SfN)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerCAN maintains relationship with SfN; the CAN Board meets at the annual SfN meeting, and SfN membership is accepted as evidence of eligibility for CAN membership.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Society for Neuroscience (SfN): SfN is the largest U.S. neuroscience professional association and the most direct global peer to CAN; it runs an annual meeting, awards programs, and member services structurally identical to CAN's, and CAN explicitly coordinates with SfN and accepts SfN membership as eligibility evidence.
• Federation of European Neuroscience Societies (FENS): FENS is the European equivalent of CAN, organizing a major annual neuroscience congress, awards, and training programs; CAN explicitly partners with FENS Forum events, making it a directly comparable regional peer.
• British Neuroscience Association (BNA): BNA is the UK national neuroscience association running a biennial festival, awards, and member services that closely mirror CAN's portfolio; same scale, same national mandate in a comparable academic ecosystem.
• Australasian Neuroscience Society (ANS): ANS is the Australia and New Zealand national neuroscience association with an annual scientific meeting, awards, and student/trainee programs paralleling CAN's structure in a similarly sized regional market.

Broad incumbents

• American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS): AAAS is a much larger general science association that intersects with neuroscience through its Science journal and advocacy; it is a broader incumbent whose portfolio partially overlaps with CAN's science advocacy and member-service role.
• International Brain Research Organization (IBRO): IBRO is the global umbrella federation for neuroscience societies and a partner of CAN at the 2026 meeting; it offers comparable membership, congress, and capacity-building services at a worldwide scale, making it a broader incumbent peer.

Emerging players

• Canadian Psychological Association: CPA is a Canadian professional association covering psychology with overlapping interest in cognitive and behavioural neuroscience; it competes for the same Canadian academic mindshare and member dues in adjacent disciplines.

Others

• Brain Canada Foundation: Brain Canada is a major funder and supplemental partner for CAN awards and programs; it operates in the same Canadian neuroscience funding ecosystem and is an adjacent ecosystem participant rather than a direct competitor.
• Canadian Institutes of Health Research - Institute of Neurosciences, Mental Health and Addiction (CIHR-INMHA): CIHR-INMHA is CAN's longest-standing institutional partner and co-administrator of the Brain Star Awards; it is not a peer association but is a key adjacent funding and policy body shaping the Canadian neuroscience ecosystem CAN serves.

Regional players

• Japanese Neuroscience Society (JNS): JNS is the national neuroscience society for Japan, operating annual meetings, awards, and member services in a different geography but with a portfolio highly comparable to CAN's mission and structure.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/CAN_ACN
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@can_acn
• Facebookfacebook.com/can.acn
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/association-canadienne-des-neurosciences
• Instagraminstagram.com/canneuro

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Centre d'apprentissage en neurosciences (CAN)