In the current environment and status of COVIDー19, some events recognised by EuChemS are being postponed or cancelled.
EuChemS Events calendar is being updated on a regular basis.
If you planned to attend an event, you can check more about it here.
Marie Skłodowska-Curie (MSCA) open calls
Currently three calls are open:
- Short-term exchanges of research and business staff – Research and Innovation Staff Exchange (RISE) 2020
Deadline: 12 May 2020 - Individual Fellowships 2020
Deadline: 9 September 2020 - Co-funding of regional, national and international programmes 2020
Deadline: 29 September 2020
Check details here.
ERC Advanced Grants
Researchers who would like to compete for an ERC Advanced Grant have from 14 May to 26 August 2020 to apply for the next round of funding.
More information about it here.
Call for Elected Members of the EuChemS Executive Board
The call for nominations for three (3) vacancies for elected members of the EuChemS Executive Board is open. You are kindly invited to make nominations through the online form by Thursday 30 April, midnight CET. Nominations of female candidates are particularly encouraged.
European Chemicals Agency Consultations
A number of consultations put forward by the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) are currently open. You can take a look at them here.
If you would like to contribute to an EuChemS response to any of the above consultations, please drop us a line.
European Food Safety Authority Public Consultations
A number of consultations put forward by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) are currently open. You can take a look at them here.
If you would like to contribute to an EuChemS response, please drop us a line.
European Commission Public Consultation on ‘Climate Pact’
Deadline: 27 May 2020
You can take a look at it here.
Resignation of ERC President M. Ferrari
After three months of Presidency, Mauro Ferrari resigned his position as president of the European Research Council (ERC). M. Ferrari submitted his resignation on 7 April 2020.
In the meantime, one of the ERC´s three Vice-Presidents will assume M. Ferrari’s responsibilities until a new ERC President is selected by a Search Committee that the European Commission will set up.
As a reminder, M. Ferrari took over the position of ERC President from Jean-Pierre Bourguignon in January 2020. M. Ferrari’s end-term was expected on 31 December 2023.
You can read the statement made by the ERC Scientific Council here and M. Ferrari’s declaration here.
ERC 2019 advanced grants results
On 31 March 2020, the European Research Council (ERC) announced the 185 winners of the ERC 2019 advanced grants. In total, 450 million euros will be allocated to the winning researchers. As part of the Horizon 2020 programme, this funding will help strengthen Europe’s knowledge base in all fields of research. According to the ERC Press Release, these new projects are expected to create 1,800 new jobs for post-doctoral fellows, PhD students and other research staff.
The list of 185 winners is divided in three main domains: Physical Sciences and Engineering, Life Sciences and Social Sciences and Humanities. Among the winners in the field of chemistry, some of the listed research topics are “Chemical Space for Antimicrobials on a Peptide Basis” of Jean-Louis Reymond, “Old Chemistry for Advanced Materials: Empowering Carbon Chemistry Using Lost Chemistry” of Markus Antonietti, “Chiral Aqueous-phase Chemistry” of Bernd Winter and “Artificial Translation with Dynamic Foldamers: Relaying Encoded Messages into Chemical Function” of Jonathan Clayden. To discover the full winners list in the field of chemistry, please download the Physical Sciences and Engineering list and the Life Sciences list.
Researchers who would like to compete for an ERC Advanced Grant have from 14 May to 26 August 2020 to apply for the next round of funding. More information about it here.
Budget for Horizon Europe: no agreements yet
The next seven-year EU budget for Horizon Europe is still being debated. Due to the current world health crisis, the budget had to be revised and a proposal will be released by the European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen. Indeed, governments currently face national difficulties directly impacting their economic and health system and are preparing for a post-crisis recession, which does not facilitate long-term budget planning.
In the current environment, the European Commission is looking for alternatives. Among them, extending the 2020 budget to 2021 is being discussed: the member states (except for the UK) would pay into the EU budget on the same GDP formula as in 2020. Therefore, research would get the same share in 2021 as it does in 2020. Otherwise, operating on a monthly basis is also a potential option.
Read more about it here.
EuChemS Secretariat team has grown to three full timers
As of 1 April 2020, EuChemS Secretariat now has for the first time ever three full timers working on supporting the community of chemists in Europe. In just a few years, since the Secretariat has started its work from Brussels, it has grown for a factor of three, which shows how activities of EuChemS have increased since 2011. Due to the current health-crisis situation, all the team members are working remotely until further notice.
The Secretariat is responsible for the day to day administrative management of the society.
Discover more about EuChemS Secretariat team here.
ESEC3 – The 3rd Employment Survey for European Chemists
All chemists and chemical engineers are very much encouraged to take part in this survey. By doing so, they will cocreate future landscape for job opportunities and related matters, as they wish to have them, as the outcomes of this survey will be made available to policy makers and others who are in a position to shape the future in Europe.
This survey looks into the current education and employment situation of chemists and chemical engineers across Europe. Understanding job market needs, the challenges and opportunities facing chemists and what drives people to study and work in their respective fields will prove invaluable to better understand the current landscape. In turn, it will allow those directly impacted, as well as universities, institutions, companies, and policymakers to focus their efforts on facilitating or improving certain measures whilst encouraging those that are so far successful.
The online survey is available on the following link: https://www.euchems.eu/esec3/
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