The University of Helsinki has several top-level scientific centers conducting research of the nervous system. It maintains developed infrastructure for research with state-of-the-art technological equipment and services such as magnetoencephalography (MEG), functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), multichannel high-density electroencephlography (EEG), advanced optical and electrophysiological setups for cellular and molecular studies, transgenic animal facilities etc. In addition, vast collaboration networks with international partners formed by all research groups provide both students and staff with international academic expertise. The HU has a long-term experience of transferring a large number of courses from being taught in the national language to teaching either entirely or partly in English. Furthermore, the University has adopted a flexible strategy, in which additional courses may be offered in English if demand arises. This allows to accept international degree students in the University as well as to provide a number of courses for non-degree students. In addition, Graduate Schools that provide teaching in neuroscience disciplines mainly offer teaching in English.

Cognitive Brain Research Unit 

Cognitive Brain Research Unit (CBRU) directed by Academy Professor Risto Näätänen is an internationally acknowledged Center for Cognitive Neuroscience. It coordinates the Helsinki Brain Research Centre, that is one of the Centers of Excellence nominated by the Academy of Finland.
Academy Professor Näätänen is one of the founding faculty members of the Finnish-Russian Winter School. Moreover, CBRU has a long-standing collaboration with the SPU and it has hosted many Finnish and foreign graduate and postgraduate students, including a number of Russian students, for the research training during the past several years.

Neuroscience Center

The Neuroscience Center (NC) is a research and teaching institute at the University of Helsinki created in 2002 with the aim to practice excellent and multidisciplinary research of the nervous system as well as to provide comprehensive teaching programs for students at the graduate and undergraduate levels. The Neuroscience Center is mainly focusing on the following aspects of the neuroscience field: molecular and cellular neuroscience; developmental neuroscience; basic research of diseases of the nervous system; cognitive and systems neuroscience. Two research units associated with the Neuroscience Center have a status of Finnish National Centers of Excellence: Program of Molecular Neurobiology and Center of Excellence in Disease Genetics. The basis for the collaboration with the Russian partner has been already established for a considerable period of time.