Deadline: 13 March 2017
Website: http://inspiringchemistry.reaxys.com/phdprize
Evaluation of the European Customs Inventory of Chemical Substances
The purpose of the evaluation is to assess the effectiveness, efficiency, relevance, EU added-value and sustainability of the European Customs Inventory of Chemical Substances (ECICS), and its coherence in relation to other existing databases. Since its first publication in 1974, the ECICS has been constantly extended. Despite its long life-span and its important effect on the EC resources, no evaluation of ECICS has been carried out during this period. Therefore, it is useful to assess how well this database has performed since its creation and whether its existence continues to be justified in terms of effectiveness, efficiency, relevance, coherence and (achieved) EU added – value.
Website: http://ec.europa.eu/
Roadmap: Strategy on Plastics in a Circular Economy
The strategy aims at 1) decoupling plastics production from virgin fossil feedstock and reducing its life-cycle GHG impacts 2) improving the economics, quality and uptake of plastic recycling and reuse, and 3) reducing plastic leakage into the environment. The Strategy should seek to improve framework conditions for investments and innovations that enable the plastic and related industries and the entire value chain using plastics to become more circular, resource-efficient and reduce its carbon footprint, in line with the climate and energy goals of the EU. It will require innovation of the whole plastics system, built on a shared vision and enhanced cooperation between all stakeholders.
Website: http://ec.europa.eu/
Roadmap: Analysis of the Interface Between Chemicals, Products and Waste Legislation and Identification of Policy Options
The purpose of the initiative is to prepare the basis for a broad consultation on the problems and options. In order to prepare a factually correct Communication, the Commission will ask for input from relevant stakeholders. The Communication will present a detailed analysis of the legal, technical or practical problems at the interface of chemical, product and waste legislation that may be unnecessarily hindering the transition of recycled materials into fit-for-purpose products that can be reintroduced into the productive economy. The Communication will also identify options to facilitate recycling and improve the uptake of secondary raw materials through the promotion of non-toxic material cycles and better tracking of chemicals of concern in products.
Website: http://ec.europa.eu/
Public Stakeholder Consultation – Evaluation of Public-Public Partnerships (Art.185 initiatives) in the context of the Horizon 2020 Interim Evaluation
The objective of the consultation is to collect information from a wide audience on different aspects of the design and implementation of the Art.185 Initiatives operating under Horizon 2020 or FP7. Art. 185 of the Treaty of the European Union enables the EU to participate in research programmes undertaken jointly by several Member States, including participation in the structures created for the execution of national programmes. The actions supported may cover subjects not directly linked to the themes of the Framework Programme (FP), as far as they have a sufficient EU added value. They will also be used to enhance the complementarity and synergy between the FP and activities carried out under intergovernmental structures such as EUREKA and COST.
Deadline: 30 April 2017
Website: http://ec.europa.eu/
Public Consultation on possible activities under a ‘Commission Communication on a One Health Action Plan to support Member States in the fights against Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR)’
The objective of this consultation is to collect the views and input of citizens, administrations, associations and other organisations for the currently ongoing process on proposals for the Commission communication. The European Commission’s 2011-2016 action plan against the rising threats of AMR was evaluated in 2016 concluding that the EU can bring added value in the fight against AMR, by: 1) supporting Member States and making the EU a best practice region on AMR; 2) boosting research, development and innovation against AMR; and 3) shaping the global agenda on AMR. The European Commission will launch by mid-2017 a ‘Commission communication on a One Health action plan to support Member States in the fight against antimicrobial resistance (AMR)’.
Deadline: 28 April 2017
Website: http://ec.europa.eu/
Public Consultation on the Active Substance Copper Compounds
EFSA will assess all comments from interested parties regarding the active substance copper compounds. Input is requested on the following: physical/chemical properties; details of uses and further information; methods of analysis; mammalian toxicology; residues; and environmental fate and behavior.
Deadline: 5 April 2017
Website: http://www.efsa.europa.eu/
The New Plastics Economy
The New Plastics Economy initiative launched its latest report in January 2017 at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos. Endorsed by 40+ industry leaders, it provides a global action plan to transition towards a plastics system that works, aligned with the principles of the circular economy.
Source: http://www.newplasticseconomy.org/
New Advice on Using Non-Animal Test Methods
The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) has recently provided updated guidance giving advice on how to use non-animal test methods. The guidance takes into account the recently changed REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals) information requirements, which made non-animal testing the default method for skin corrosion/irritation, serious eye damage/eye irritation and skin sensitisation. In addition, the guidance introduces a new possibility to use a weight-of-evidence approach for acute toxicity.
Source: https://echa.europa.eu/
Horizon Prize for Better Use of Antibiotics
Earlier this month in a ceremony at the University of Leuven in Belgium, Carlos Moedas, European Commissioner for Research, Science and Innovation, delivered a €1 million Horizon Prize for Better Use of Antibiotics to a for a finger prick test that can diagnose in less than ten minutes a bacterial infection and identify if a patient can be treated safely without antibiotics. The easy-to-use test is expected to be available for patients by 2018.
Source: http://europa.eu/
2016 ERC Proof of Concept Grants
133 ERC grantees are bringing the results of their frontier research closer to the market thanks to Proof of Concept grants, awarded in three rounds during 2016. The winners of the last round have been announced in January and will receive top-up funding to explore the innovation potential of their ERC-funded discoveries. Chemistry-related research is also within these projects, for instance in the development of affordable synthetic superhydrophobic surfaces that could collect water from fog in arid areas. The Proof of Concept grants, worth €150,000 each, can be used for example to establish intellectual property rights, investigate business opportunities or conduct technical validation. The scheme is open to ERC grant holders only. The grantees can apply for funding in one of the three rounds of the yearly call.
Source: https://erc.europa.eu/
Education and Labour Market Needs in Western Balkans
The study From University to Employment: mapping higher education provision and labour market needs in the Western Balkans focuses on higher education provision and labour market needs in the Western Balkans, offering concrete data for policy reform in both higher education and labour sectors. This study, published by The Western Balkans Platform on Education and Training, answers questions on how many degrees are given by year and in which field, on the obstacle of entry into the labour market by graduates and on what employers are looking for in terms of skills. The study offers a set of concrete recommendations to tackle the identified issues, both at individual country level and at regional level. EuCheMS is also currently preparing a survey on the topic of Education and Labour Market Needs, the Employment Survey for European Chemists.
Source: https://ec.europa.eu/
Happy Birthday Erasmus
The European Commission has launched in January the celebrations of the 30th anniversary of the start of Erasmus, one of the most successful programmes of the European Union. Throughout 2017 activities will highlight the positive impact of Erasmus both on individuals and society as a whole, and to give all those involved the opportunity to debate how the programme should evolve in the future. The Commission also published the Erasmus+ Annual Report, showing that in 2015, Erasmus+ enabled 678,000 Europeans to study, train, work and volunteer abroad, more than ever before. In the same year, the EU invested €2.1 billion in over 19,600 projects involving 69,000 organisations. The current Erasmus+ programme aims to support 4 million people between 2014 and 2020.
Source: http://europa.eu/
European Professional Card
The European Professional Card (EPC), created to help EU professionals move within the EU more easily, was launched one year ago. EPC is the result of joint efforts and efficient cooperation between the European Commission and public administrations in EU countries. The EPC targets the most mobile professions. Currently, it applies to nurses responsible for general care, pharmacists, physiotherapists and others but in the future, the EPC procedure may be extended to other professions. In the first year, 2,100 EPC applications were submitted and more than 700 EPCs were issued. EuCheMS also has an initiative in this field, the European Chemistry Designation (EurChem). The aim of the EurChem designation is to promote the mobility of chemical scientists throughout Europe based on an agreed set of skills, competencies and training.
Source: http://ec.europa.eu/
Eurachem/CITAC Guide to Quality in Analytical Chemistry
The aim of this Guide is to provide laboratories with guidance on best practice for the analytical operations they carry out. This third edition reflects changes that were introduced with the publication of the 2005 version of ISO/IEC 17025. The terminology has also been updated to take account of ISO/IEC 17000:2004, ISO 9000:2015 and the 3rd edition of the International Vocabulary of Metrology – Basic and general concepts and associated terms (JCGM 200:2012 – VIM). The Guide is freely available on the link below.
Source: https://www.eurachem.org/index.php/publications/guides/qa
OpenFoodTox: Open Access to Scientific Output
OpenFoodTox is the new European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) database that provides instant access to a wealth of information from over 1,650 EFSA scientific outputs about the toxicity of chemicals found in the food and feed chain. Since its inception in 2002, has produced risk assessments for more than 4,400 substances in over 1,650 Scientific Opinions, Statements and Conclusions through the work of its Scientific Panels, Units and Scientific Committee. For each individual substance, a summary of human health, animal health and ecological hazard assessments has been collected and structured into OpenFoodTox. This database provides open source data for substance characterisation, links to the relevant EFSA output, background regulations and summaries of critical toxicological endpoints.
Source: http://www.efsa.europa.eu/
EFSA to Live Webstream Open Scientific Meetings in 2017
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) is increasing its transparency to stakeholders by introducing video streaming of open meetings of its Scientific Panels. This is intended to boost the number of observers by allowing remote attendance. Online submission of questions to EFSA’s scientists will also be possible.
Source: http://www.efsa.europa.eu/
The priorities of the Maltese Presidency Discussed at European Parliament Committees
The priorities of the Maltese Presidency of the EU Council were outlined to parliamentary committees by Maltese ministers at a series of meetings taking place in January and February. At the Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE) Committee, the Maltese Parliamentary Secretary for Research, Innovation, Youth and Sport Chris Agius pointed PRIMA (the partnership for research and innovation in the Mediterranean Area) and the strengthening of research reporting and monitoring obligations among the Presidency´s priorities in research. At the Environmental Committee (ENVI) José Herrera, Minister for Sustainable Development, the Environment and Climate mentioned climate change, the circular economy, the 2030 sustainable development agenda, and antimicrobial resistance as Presidency´s priorities. Minister José Herrera will be one of the speakers at EuCheMS circular economy workshop taking place in Malta in April – From Waste to Health.
Source: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/
Environmental Implementation Review: Chemistry Heavily Needed
Earlier this month, the European Commission (EC) presented the Environmental Implementation Review, a tool to improve implementation of EU environmental policy. The review includes three elements: 1) 28 country reports, providing an overview of how environmental policy and legislation are being implemented, and what the identified strengths and weaknesses are in each Member State; 2) A Communication summarising the political conclusions of the country reports and examining common trends, in areas such as air quality, waste management and the circular economy, water quality and protecting nature and biodiversity; and 3 )Recommendations for improvements, summarising suggestions communicated to Member States. According to this review, the most pressing implementation gaps across EU Member States are found in the policy fields of waste management, nature and biodiversity, air quality, noise and water quality and management, fields in which chemistry plays an essential role.
Source: http://europa.eu/
Antonio Tajani elected new President of the European Parliament
Antonio Tajani (EPP, IT) won the Parliament’s presidential election. Among other responsibilities, the President of the European Parliament (EP) ensures that parliamentary procedures are properly followed, oversees Parliament’s various activities and committees, represents EP in all legal matters and in its international relations, and provides his final agreement to the EU budget. The EP is currently looking into, and amending, many legislative proposals where chemistry is deeply involved, such as the Circular Economy Package.
Source: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/
Circular Economy Package: 2017 perspectives
Roughly one year after adopting its Circular Economy Package, the European Commission (EC) reported on the delivery and progress of key initiatives of its December 2015 Action Plan. In the last year the EC has taken measures in areas such as waste, ecodesign, food waste, organic fertilisers, and innovation and investment. Circular economy principles have been gradually integrated in industrial best practices, green public procurement, or in the use of cohesion policy funds, nonetheless the legislative packages presented in 2015 are still in discussion at the European Parliament and Council. Together with the report, the Commission also issued guidance to Member States on converting waste to energy and proposed a targeted improvement of legislation on certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment.
During 2017 the EC will propose, among other, a Plastic Strategy, and a legislative proposal on minimum quality requirements to promote the safe reuse of treated waste water.
EuCheMS will have a workshop in Valletta on the topic of circular economy and pharmaceuticals on the occasion of the Maltese Presidency of the EU.
Source: http://europa.eu/
Chemistry Rediscovered – A European Competition
The Chemistry Rediscovered contest intends to promote chemistry among young high-school students from all Europe. This will be achieved with the help of teachers, who will develop scientific projects together with their students and encourage them to present their findings, in the form of a video-experiment, together with an accurate experimental protocol.
Deadline: 17 February 2017
Website: http://www.euchems.eu/
Creating Rubies with Chemistry
In this interview recently conducted by EuCheMS, readers will meet Christian Schärf, Paul Rathke, and Friedrich Wanierke, the winners of the 2016 European Union Contest for Young Scientists (EUCYS) EuCheMS Award. Their research project, “Alpha-aluminium oxide-based gemstones: Development of a chemical synthesis process prompted by current mining conditions”, started from their interest in gemstones, but soon they realised there were also some positive social outcomes of creating gemstones in laboratories. This interview shows their commitment and passion for chemistry.
Source: http://www.euchems.eu/
Employment Survey for European Chemists
The 2nd Employment Survey for European Chemists will open on the 1 March 2017. This survey will look into the current employment situation for chemists and chemical engineers across Europe and will be a valuable tool in quantifying job market needs and educational offer in the field of chemistry. The full report of the preceding Employment Survey for European Chemists is freely available from Chemistry – A European Journal 21 (2015) 9921–9935 (DOI: 10.1002/chem.201501364).
Source: http://www.euchems.eu/
Welcome to Chemistry in Europe
You are cordially invited to subscribe to Chemistry in Europe, EuCheMS new newsletter. Its objective is to inform about research in Europe, to provide highlights from EuCheMS Member Organisations and Professional Networks, and to look into policy related developments. You can subscribe to this new newsletter here.
Source: http://www.euchems.eu/