BNU October 2021

5 EuCheMS Events, BNU October 2021, Brussels News Updates

EuChemS Awards – Information Session 2021

Following the successful first edition held in 2020, the European Chemical Society (EuChemS) is organising an Information Session on its Awards on Tuesday 9 November, from 14:00 to 15:30 CET. The webinar will be held on the platform Zoom.

Registration for this event is now open ➡️ REGISTER HERE
Please note that online registration is mandatory.

During this Information Session, you will be introduced to 5 EuChemS Awards:

European Chemistry Gold Medal
EuChemS Lecture Award 📢
EuChemS Award for Service 📢
EuChemS Historical Landmark Awards 📢
European Young Chemists’ Award (EYCA)

This Information Session is for those who are eligible to submit a nomination to one of the EuChemS calls currently open, and for those who are just curious to discover more about how EuChemS recognises research undertaken in the chemical sciences.

Read more about this online event here.

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3 Consultations and Roadmaps, BNU October 2021, Brussels News Updates

European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) public consultations

A number of consultations put forward by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) are currently open.

You can take a look at it all here.

EuChemS is an official accredited stakeholder of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA).

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3 Consultations and Roadmaps, BNU October 2021, Brussels News Updates

European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) public consultations

A number of consultations put forward by the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) are currently open.

You can take a look at them here.

EuChemS is an official accredited stakeholder of the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA).

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3 Consultations and Roadmaps, BNU October 2021, Brussels News Updates

European Commission Public Consultations and Roadmaps

A number of consultations and roadmaps put forward by the European Commission are currently open:

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 1 European Highlights, BNU October 2021, Brussels News Updates

EIC and EIT team up for EU Health start-ups

On 23 august 2021, the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) Health Bridgehead programme expanded to the European Innovation Council (EIC) start-ups, achieving its first link since the beginning of the EIT Health-EIC Collaboration Pilot. This cooperation aims to enhance innovation, competitiveness, and stability of start-ups.

Now in its fourth year, the Bridgehead programme plans to support start-ups that have delivered effective solutions in one or more domestic markets to expand into new international markets. The Bridgehead programme is divided into three types of programmes: Europe (for scale-up inside Europe), Global (to develop an international expansion), and Inbound (for supporting the non-European ventures to gain access to the European market).

“We are happy that the EIT and EIC pilot collaboration is now stretching its wings via three new Horizon 2020 funded projects, among which is the ‘EIT-EIC CollabPilot’ coordinated by EIT Health. The collaboration will provide the opportunity to test synergies between organisations and programmes, exchange ideas, support the best innovators and entrepreneurs and reach out to local innovation communities. We look forward to collaborating with EIT Health”

– Jean-David Malo
Director of the European Innovation Council
Source: https://bit.ly/3BPj5Ly

The ‘EIT-EIC Collab Pilot’ is a €1 million project funded under Horizon 2020 and coordinated by EIT Health. It covers 28 European health start-ups granted with special benefits from EIC. This includes the bridgehead, the Gold Track, the Finance Booster and the Bootcamps.

For more details about the Bridgehead programme, click here.

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 1 European Highlights, BNU October 2021, Brussels News Updates

MSCA Conference on unbalanced mobility flows

The Slovenian Presidency of the Council of the EU is organising the MSCA Conference on 15 and 16 November. This 2-days conference aims to address EU researchers’ unbalanced mobility flows, the reintegration of researchers, and to make a recommendation for the implementation of the new European Research Area (ERA). This online event will provide participants with a platform for discussion and showcase examples to promote the return of migration and reintegration of MSCA researchers, bringing their research careers, knowledge, and skills back to their country of origin at the end of their fellowship.

MSCA former, current fellows, and stakeholders are invited to take part in the conference by sending their submissions to the call “MSCA Story”: they have until 5 November to share their story of migration flow to their host country and the relationship they have with their home country.

More information about the MSCA Conference is available here.

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 1 European Highlights, BNU October 2021, Brussels News Updates

2021 Nobel Laureates in Chemistry

On 6 October 2021, the Royal Swedish Academy of Science announced that Benjamin List (German) and David W.C. MacMillan (British) are the 2021 Nobel Laureates in Chemistry for the development of asymmetric organocatalysis. These new tools for building molecules can be used to make medicines, plastics, perfumes, and flavours in a more environmentally friendly way.

In 2000, Benjamin List and David W.C. MacMillan, independently from each other, discovered a new way to produce asymmetric molecules – when two versions of chemicals can form, which are each other’s mirror image – through small organic molecules. It is used to drive multitudes of chemical reactions. Before their findings, only metals (often including toxic and rare metals) and enzymes were known as the two types of catalysts available. Asymmetric catalysis is precise, fast, green, and cost-effective. It is being used widely today, especially to produce pharmaceuticals.

Despite the impressive development of organocatalysis since 2000, Benjamin List and David MacMillan have remained leaders in the field. Benjamin List is currently Director at the Max-Planck-Institut für Kohlenforschung (Germany) and David W.C. MacMillan is currently Professor of Chemistry at Princeton University (US).

More information is available on the official Nobel Prize website.

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 1 European Highlights, BNU October 2021, Brussels News Updates

OPCW builds a ChemTech Centre in The Hague

On 23 September, the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) organised the  ‘First Pillar Ceremony’ led by H.E. Mr Fernando Arias, OPWC Director-General, during which the first pillar of the new Chemistry and Technology (“ChemTech Centre”) was secured in place in The Hague (The Netherlands). This building, scheduled to be fully operational by the end of 2022, will host laboratories as well as training and equipment facilities to support the work of the organisation in implementing a global ban on chemical weapons.

Floris Rutjes was invited to attend this ceremony in his capacity as President of the European Chemical Society (EuChemS). This event symbolically marked the start of the construction of the ChemTech Centre.

Read more about it here.

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 1 European Highlights, BNU October 2021, Brussels News Updates

European Strategy for Critical Raw Materials

On 27 September, the members of the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE) voted on a European strategy for critical raw materials. The report prepared by MEP Hildegard Bentele discusses imposing stronger controls on critical raw material waste stream and to prevent their illegal export.

You can find the procedure file here.

During the same plenary meeting, ITRE committee members also voted on its report and the decision to enter interinstitutional negotiations on the proposed revision of the 2013 regulation on trans-European networks in energy (TEN-E) – a EU policy that focuses on linking energy infrastructure of members states.

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 1 European Highlights, BNU October 2021, Brussels News Updates

EU research ministers adopted Council conclusions on the global approach to research and innovation

On 28 September, EU research ministers met in Brussels (Belgium) during the Council of Ministers Responsible for Competitiveness (Research) to discuss the European Union’s global approach to research and innovation and the new European Research Area (ERA).

The conclusions adopted will advance the implementation of measures for a globally strong and resilient European Union. Key actions were identified, including building a modern, efficient, and simplified structure for the new European Research Area (ERA) to boost multilateral cooperation. In addition, ministers called the Commission and member states for more cooperation with third countries in research and innovation and through the programme Horizon Europe. The importance of enhancing cross-sectoral cooperation was also emphasised.

During this Council meeting, the Slovenian Presidency presented the Ljubljana declaration on gender equality in research and innovation. This declaration aims to ensure equal and balanced consideration of male and female researchers under ERA. It is expected to be published by the end of November this year.

Furthermore, the Slovenian Presidency updated ministers on the state of 10 Institutionalised European partnerships under Horizon Europe. With a €10 billion euro package, these nine industrial partnerships and public partnership on metrology aim to contribute to the realisation of the green and digital transition and to solving other important societal challenges. The first initiatives are expected to be launched as of December this year and the first calls for projects to open in early 2022.

You can read our full debrief on the Slovenian Presidency priorities for Science, Research and Innovation in the July issue of our Brussels News Updates newsletter here.

For more information about the Competitiveness Council (Research), please visit the website of the Slovenian Presidency.

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