This meeting was held at the Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Naples, Italy, from 6th–13th July 2011. It was sponsored through a collaboration between IBRO (the International Brain Research Organisation) and the Kemali Foundation. Notably, it is the first IBRO sponsored School specifically in invertebrate neuroscience. The meeting was attended by early career researchers from countries around the Mediterranean basin and highlighted the research opportunities that this field can offer to neuroscientists at the start of their careers. Students participating in the School were introduced to a range of important invertebrate model systems. The utility of these models in addressing fundamental neurobiological problems, especially those relating to human neurological disorders, was extensively discussed. In this review, two of the participating students provide a summary of this meeting with a view to encouraging support for further activity in this arena in the future. One of the aims of the Kemali foundation is to foster enduring collaborations between scientists in the Mediterranean region. Given the enthusiastic networking both during and after the meeting, there is much promise that this goal will be realised.