The Challenge Workshops
Unique Retreats in the Swiss Alps
Neuroscience is accelerating the pace of change, and this is placing extraordinary demands on senior investigators.
A workable framework upon which future studies can be built requires a profound knowledge of emerging puzzles, paradoxes and conflicts in each field. Leaders, at any level, today must possess a level of foresight, agility, and resilience that our predecessors never imagined.
To this end, the Neuroscience School of Advanced Studies has honed a unique approach. The thought leaders of specific fields -many of whom have pioneered and redefined areas of research or clinical applications- arrive prepared for in-depth study sessions with a very small group of accomplished investigators, ready to share their overarching future perspective and their vision. Wherever you come from, you will be plugged into one network that truly matters, the global neuroscience elite.
And you will experience all of this while staying for four full days at 2112 mt, in the idyllic Swiss Alps, within the amazing venue of Chetzeron, which will be exclusively and entirely reserved for the Challenge Workshop.
An Unforgettable Experience
The past is not much of a model today, and effective progress in neuroscience entails critical thinking and questioning the status quo. To this end, experiences of participants will be carefully deconstructed, reflected on, strengthened, and reconstructed. Your greatest potential will be tapped, and you can expect both professional and personal breakthroughs, which will enable you to seize new opportunities
Together with a very small group of colleagues, you will learn as much from each other as you will from the faculty. Peer learning does not occur by accident: it will be greatly stimulated at the unique venue of Chetzeron, and a strong global network of colleagues will be formed, which will be an enduring source of support, advice, and personal connections.
The small group of faculty, an unparalleled convergence of a select and unique group of experienced investigators and the setting and social context ensures a strong sense of common purpose among participants and a high bar level of conversation and insights. This is unattainable at regular meetings and is priceless.
You may be an experienced neuroscientist or clinician at an inflection point in your career, or thinking of embarking on an entrepreneurial venture, or looking to broaden your global perspective by exchanging experiences with a selected, small group of colleagues from around the world. If you are ready to be challenged and to challenge others, you will take away actionable plans for tackling complex, multi-dimensional responsibilities, with renewed energy and a readiness to make a difference.
What to expect
Participants and Faculty will arrive at Chetzeron the first day of the workshop, and a session will be planned that same day between the afternoon and the evening. This will set the tone for the Workshop and will initiate networking. The number of participants will not exceed 20. Throughout the Workshop the faculty will focus on insights into shared elements of their field that represent challenges and questions of particular relevance for seasoned investigators.
From day 2 to day 4 daily sessions there will be two 90-min sessions in the morning, followed by a 30-min open discussion. The faculty and participants will then spend approximately 3 hours in the late afternoon within the lecture hall, delving into an in-depth analysis of each faculty member’s domain. Ample time will be set aside to outdoor activities at 2112 mt, which will strengthen connections, thus allowing participants to flourish in an optimal, relaxed but very intense, environment. On the morning of the last day informal discussion will take place among participants and faculty who are not pressed to leave early.
Application
Applications are encouraged from all established scientists and scholars active in the research, clinical and otherwise scientific areas of neuroscience. We understand that some career paths may be atypical, and if you would like to submit your personal case or if you have doubt, we encourage you to contact us with a detailed CV indicating your specific experience.
Selection of Applications will be based on merit only.
Deadline
There is no specific deadline to submit an Application: admissions are on a rolling basis, and it is recommended that applications be submitted as early as possible in order to receive prompt consideration and increase the probability of acceptance. When a Challenge Workshop is full, its title will no longer be available in the Application Form, and this will be marked on the event’s webpage.
Accommodation
At the venue, a few rooms are available to accommodate participants, and they can be booked through the NSAS by confirmed participants at the time of registration. A room may be booked at a later time, pending availability. Participants who wish to arrange their own accommodation at other hotels in Crans-Montana may certainly do so, and there will be an evening off-road shuttle to the village through a scenic route, while they can come up to Chetzeron in the morning using the uphill gondola service.
Mens sana in corpore sano: a heated swimming pool (34°) and a wellness area are available at Chetzeron, and the entire venue will be exclusively dedicated to The Challenge Workshop.
Extended Stay: The dates of Workshops are typically near a weekend; participants may therefore extend their stay at Chetzeron either before or after the Workshop, pending availability, and fully appreciate the stunning beauty of the Alps of Crans-Montana, one of the most renowned mountain resorts in Switzerland.
Family and Guests: The Challenge Workshops are designed for participants to fully profit from interaction with the faculty and the other participants both during the lectures and outside the lecture hall. For these reasons, in order to maintain a small group that serves such goals, we remind participants that the presence of family, accompanying persons, and guests is welcome but must be well harmonized with the rest of the group.