For the optimal positioning of its research in the international field, CNCR has established many connections to research institutions around the world, both in as (bilateral) collaborations between individual CNCR researchers and their partners in other institutes worldwide and as part of national and international networks. On top of this, CNCR is part of several training networks for specific training purposes (see BrainTrain & ONWAR).

Examples from the past:

CNCR was co-founder of a national network for designing and executing automated, high throughput behavioral screening in mice, NeuroBsik Mouse Phenomics, together with partners at different Dutch universities and several Dutch companies in the Life Science Sector.

CNCR was founder and coordinator of the European NeuroCypres consortium, a large-scale integrated project involving 20 European laboratories in the area of Cys-loop neurotransmitter receptors funded by the European Union.

CNCR was partner of the European EuroSpin Consortium which performs systematic functional analyses of synaptic genes implicated in human brain disorders by using mouse and in vitro models. Eurospin was funded by the EU.

CNCR was founder and coordinator of the European SynSys consortium which aims at molecular analysis of synapse function and dynamic modeling. SynSys was funded by the EU.

CNCR used to be a partner of the European ENC-network The ENC-Network is a partner organization of Neuroscience Centers in Europe with the aim to organize and formalize research collaborations, to collaborate on grant acquisition strategies and to create exchange opportunities. Other partner institutes were the Bordeaux Neuroscience Institute, the European Neuroscience Institute Göttingen, the Neuroscience Center Zurich and the Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology at Coimbra.