A workshop organised by the European Chemical Society (EuChemS), the European Federation of Medicinal Chemistry (EFMC) and chaired by Member of the European Parliament Pavel Poc will look at Parkinson’s disease: causes and cures at the European Parliament on 8 November 2018.
Registration is now open! Click here to regsiter and for further information (outline, programme, speakers, abstracts).
14th International Conference on Polysaccharides-Glycoscience (14th ICPG)
Prague, Czech Republic
7 – 9 November
Website: https://bit.ly/2Nxi71d
Milan, Italy
5 – 7 November
Website: https://bit.ly/2Qr00Zx
Bologna, Italy
12 – 13 October
Website: https://bit.ly/2oZJ3c3
East-West Chemistry Conference 2018 (EWCC2018)
Lviv, Ukraine
10 – 12 October
Website: https://bit.ly/2NGyKay
27th EuChemS Conference on Molten Salts and Ionic Liquids (EuChemSIL2018)
Lisbon, Portugal
7 – 12 October
Website: https://bit.ly/2x8fGbT
XII Italian Food Chemistry Congress (CHIMALI 2018)
Camerino, Italy
24 – 27 September
Website: https://bit.ly/2CMun9H
EIC Horizon Prize for ‘Fuel from the sun: artificial photosynthesis’
Deadline: 3 February 2021
Website: http://ec.europa.eu/research/participants/portal/desktop/en/opportunities/h2020/topics/sunfuel-eicprize-2021.html
EIC Horizon Prize for ‘Early warning for epidemics’
Deadline: 1 September 2020
Website: https://ec.europa.eu/research/participants/portal/desktop/en/opportunities/h2020/topics/epidemics-eicprize-2020.html
The European Commission has published an Open Consultation on the evaluation of the EU drug precursors regulations. Drop us a line by 17th October if you would like to contribute to an EuChemS response: https://ec.europa.eu/info/consultations/public-consultation-evaluation-eu-drug-precursors-regulations_en
The European Commission has published an Open Consultation on the interface between chemical, product and waste legislation. Drop us a line by 15th October if you would like to contribute to an EuChemS response: https://ec.europa.eu/info/consultations/public-consultation-addressing-interface-between-chemical-product-and-waste-legislation_en
Not sure what EuChemS does, how it was formed and who it represents? Our Vice-President David Cole-Hamilton delves into our activities, history and future outlook in an essay published in ChemPubSoc’s Chemistry, a European Journal. Click here!
The Congress witnessed a number of award ceremonies that showcased the excellent work and passion being done in the field.
For the first time, a European Chemistry Gold Medal Award was presented and awarded to Professor Ben Feringa, one of the awardees of the 2016 Nobel Prize for Chemistry. The Gold Medal aims to reward outstanding research and exceptional achievements in Chemistry in Europe.
The EuChemS Award for Service 2018, which celebrates the work, dedication and commitment done for Chemistry in Europe, and also in supporting EuChemS’ activities was given this year to Franco de Angelis, Sergio Facchetti, and Reiner Salzer. We asked them three short questions on their greatest achievement, their passion for Chemistry, and what they see as EuChemS’ greatest strength – take a look here!
The EuChemS Division of Green and Sustainable Chemistry, and the EuChemS Division of Chemistry and the Environment also recognise the achievements of individual scientists and teams through the European Sustainable Chemistry Award (ESCA), an award which aims to raise the profile of sustainable chemistry and be a spur to innovation and competitiveness. This year, the ESCA was awarded to Professor Paul Dyson – read the full debrief here.
Young chemists are eligible for the European Young Chemist Award (EYCA) which intends to showcase and recognise the excellent research being carried out by young scientists working in the chemical sciences. This year 7 young chemists received awards – read more about it here.
On 26 August, close to 1500 participants came together in the city of Liverpool, UK, to share their enthusiasm and passion for the wide field of Chemistry. Over 5 days, an outstanding line-up of speakers shared their latest research and discoveries, whilst students and early-career chemists from across the world displayed their findings and work through inspiring posters.
The Congress highlighted two major dynamics. Firstly, that the field of Chemistry is vast, complex, increasingly blurring discipline boundaries, but also that it is vital in providing solutions and answers to a whole array of topics – from health to energy, from environmental protection to sustainable and efficient industrial processes. Secondly, the
Congress enabled the coming together of chemists, researchers, scientists from other fields, students, exhibitors, and more, from across the world. Throughout the week, we were able to chat with chemists from as close by as Liverpool itself, to Russia, Nigeria, and chemists from the US, China, Australia, and of course from across Europe. This gathering of people from different countries and from different backgrounds is a crucial aspect of the EuChemS congresses, allowing communication, interaction and networking opportunities, and therefore better understanding and cooperation between scientists.
It was encouraging to see young researchers, early-career chemists and st
udents demonstrating their passion for their work through their posters and the many discussions they had between themselves as well as with senior members of the community. The workshops and sessions organised by the European Young Chemists’ Network (EYCN) in turn provided unique opportunities to better prepare for the future and a platform to exchange ideas and experiences with experienced colleagues.
In addition to working in a lab, industrial plant or teaching the subject, chemists are also looking to better communicate their work – whether to the public, children, or policymakers. Being able to simply communicate research aims and outcomes is an increasingly sought-after skill, and we were glad to see so much engagement during the joint EuChemS – American Chemical Society – Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) – German Chemical Society (GDCh) session on science communication. The interactive activities of the RSC on the streets of Liverpool was yet another wonderful example of bringing chemistry closer to citizens.
The EuChemS Congress also displayed chemists’ concerns for societal challenges and their contribution to solutions. In a joint panel debate by EuChemS and the American Chemical Society (ACS), the UN Sustainable Development Goals were discussed as well as Chemistry’s role in providing steps forward to achieving them. Speakers highlighted the changing landscape for an increasingly global workforce, from the transformations educational systems are undergoing, to the role of global standards in ensuring quality education, as well as the role scientific integrity and ethics play. 
We hope that each one of you who was able to attend was as inspired as we were, whether by the stimulating talks, sessions, workshops and plenaries, or by the networking opportunities and the chance to speak with fellow chemists from around the globe, or simply by the breath-taking splendour of the dinner venue in the Liverpool Cathedral!
And if you missed this year’s Congress, or simply can’t wait for the next, fret not! From 30 August to 3 September 2020, the EuChemS community will head to Lisbon in Portugal for an unforgettable 8th EuChemS Chemistry Congress!
For more articles, debriefs, videos and more, make sure to take a look at the 7th EuChemS Chemistry Congress website, social media and watch videos here!
The European Parliament had a busy week this September as they discussed and debated a number of highly important and relevant topics through plenaries and Committee meetings.
The European Parliament’s Committee on Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (ENVI) approved a report which calls for a tightening of the maximum limits for certain pollutants and harmful bacteria in drinking water as well the introduction of new caps for some endocrine disruptors. The approved report will then be voted on during the October plenary of the European Parliament. Full debrief available here.
MEPs in turn highlighted the current complex barriers that prevent efficient accessing of medicine and innovative technologies in the EU, and in particular, the high prices of medicines and the lack of novel treatments for many diseases. The legislative report was approved by the ENVI Committee and will also be voted on beginning of October. Full article is available here. The Committee also approved a report prepared by MEP Miriam Dalli which called for carmakers to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 45% by 2030 despite split opinions.
Research Professional reports that as part of the European Research Council’s (ERC) 2019 work programme, preprints – publications that have not yet been peer reviewed – will be recognised as part of applications. One of the reasons for the change is the lengthy peer-review processes in certain disciplines which can ultimately damage speedy and more efficient breakthrough outcomes. Read the full article here.
On 4 September, a coalition of national research funders, with support from the European Commission launched ‘Plan S’, a commitment to accelerate the transition to open access in scientific publishing. The initiative was held under the backing of Science Europe and with the support of Robert-Jan Smits, the European Commission’s open access envoy. The initiative has the potential of fundamentally altering the scientific publishing landscape, as well as accelerating the transition to Open Science more generally.
The reaction to the plan has been mixed, with many European publishers questioning aspects of the initiative, as well as highlighting the high costs this could incur to smaller publishers, as well as publishers from economically disadvantaged countries and regions.
Because of the many unanswered questions, and the as of yet unknown consequences the transition may have, EuChemS endorses a more cautious approach, that fully takes into account the concerns and proposals of all stakeholders, in particular those who will have to adapt their business models and who risk financial losses if the transition is rushed and one-sided.
As 2020 will come to a close, so will the 8th research framework programme, known as Horizon 2020. Its successor, named Horizon Europe, will be launched at a time where ambitious funding for science, research and innovation will be essential if Europe is to deal with the many challenges its citizens are already facing, and will continue to face in the coming years.
As the voice of Chemistry in Europe, EuChemS has published a Position Paper which outlines the strengths and weaknesses we perceive in the proposals put forward by the European Commission as well as the reports prepared by the Members of the European Parliament, Dan Nica and Christian Ehler.
In our position, we call for a larger budget to be allocated for the research framework programme as a whole, as well as boosts to be made to the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) and the European Research Council (ERC) budgets – two funding programmes that have enabled breakthrough scientific outcomes over the years. EuChemS has also underlined its support for excellent science, as well as the notion of ‘Missions’ put forward by the European Commission. Such missions would define targets to be reached, from finding cures to Parkinson’s disease to ensuring plastic-free oceans. Finally, EuChemS had emphasised the fact that science knows no borders, and that countries that have in the past participated in research framework programmes, should be able to do so again in Horizon Europe.
You can read our full position paper and our amendments here; and for a more general overview, take a look at our Info Sheet here.
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