We will have the pleasure of celebrating and commemorating the 100th, 125th, and 150th anniversaries of nine EuChemS member societies that will fall or fell in 2017, 2018 and 2019.
In 2019, the Estonian Chemical Society, the Finnish Chemical Society, the Polish Chemical Society and the Romanian Chemical Society (all founded in 1919) will be celebrating their 100th anniversaries. The German Bunsen Society for Physical Chemistry (founded in 1894) will celebrate its 125th anniversary. In 2018, the Norwegian Chemical Society (founded in 1893) will be celebrating its 125th anniversary, and the Mendeleev Russian Chemical Society and the Swedish Chemical Society in Lund (both founded in 1868) will celebrate their 150th anniversaries. And finally, the GDCh (founded in 1867) commemorated its 150th anniversary in a splendid ceremony in Berlin in 2017. We look very much forward to celebrating all of these anniversaries, as well as the 100th anniversary of IUPAC in 2019 during the welcome reception of the Congress.
This year’s Congress will be all the more special due to several awards being celebrated.
European Chemistry Gold Medal
Professor Bernard Lucas Feringa, Nobel Prize winner in Chemistry in 2016 will be awarded the first European Chemistry Gold Medal and will subsequently give the opening lecture at the Congress. The Gold Medal aims to reward the exceptional achievements of one scientist working in the field of chemistry in Europe. An International Award Committee is specially assigned to oversee nominations and submit a proposal to the EuChemS Executive Board.
EuChemS Historical Landmarks Award
The Liverpool Congress will also witness the very first EuChemS Historical Landmarks Award. The aim of the award is to reinforce a sense of belonging of European chemists, and to demonstrate to the public the vital link that exists between chemistry and our shared cultural heritage.
Following the recommendations of the Landmark Selection Committee and the decision of the EuChemS Executive Board, two awards have been given out – one focusing on the European-wide level of meaning of the landmark, and the other on its role played at the national or local level.
The Ytterby Mine, in Sweden, has been awarded the EuChemS Historical Landmarks Award in recognition of the role it played in the history of chemistry and European sense of belonging between people and ideas. The Ytterby Mine and the important chemical discoveries that were tied to it successfully exemplify the way chemistry is part of the general cultural heritage and history of Nordic, but also all European citizens.
The industrial complex of ABEA in Crete has been awarded the EuChemS Historical Landmarks Award in recognition of its role in fostering a deep link between chemistry and local cultural heritage. ABEA and the important chemical discoveries and developments that were tied to it successfully exemplify the manner in which chemistry forms an important element of the regional cultural heritage and history of Crete.
We hope that with these awards, the landmarks will become ever more familiar and well-known, where citizens will better understand and appreciate a significant moment when chemistry and history were forever tied together.
EuChemS Award for Service 2018
And last but not least, the Congress will also provide the opportunity to celebrate the outstanding passion, commitment and success that describes the work done by three exceptional professors. The EuChemS Award for Service 2018 has been awarded to Francesco De Angelis, Sergio Facchetti and Reiner Salzer. In our latest edition of Chemistry in Europe, we asked them three questions – read the short interviews here!
Looking to find out more about EuChemS, talk to our team and get involved? Join us at our stand, located in the exhibition hall near the entrance to the Plenary Sessions Auditorium.
We are also pleased to invite you to come and chat at our stand with Professor Reiner Salzer, one of the awardees of the EuChemS Award for Service 2018 and project leader of the 3rd European Employability Survey for Chemists; and Professor Jan Mehlich, who has played a central role in developing the upcoming EuChemS online course on Chemistry and Ethics.
Find us at our sessions too!
Our Science Communication and Policy Officer, Alex Schiphorst will be talking alongside Susan M. Vickers from the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC), Karin J. Schmitz from the German Chemical Society (GDCh) and Sue R. Morrissey from the American Chemical Society (ACS) for a Global Communications Training Session that will explore the different ways of communicating science to different audiences, as well as offer concrete training tips and offer participants an interactive go at polishing their own communication skills. The
session will be moderated by Menno de Waal, member of the RSC and the EYCN.
When? Monday 27 August, 11:00-13:00 Where? Room 4B Why join? This session will allow participants to hone their communication skills, receive feedback, and learn from communication experts how to efficiently communicate their research to different audiences!
EuChemS General Secretary Nineta Hrastelj will be talking alongside the Award for Service Awardee Professor Reiner Salzer, EuChemS Vice-President David Cole-Hamilton, and LaTrease Garrison, Executive Vice President, Education at the American Chemical Society (ACS), for a session moderated by Rigoberto Hernandez, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore. The session, entitled Education and Empowering the Future Global Workforce, addressing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, will examine more precisely the Goals numbers 4 and 17, on Quality Education and Partnerships for the Goals. Nineta will then focus on the challenges of Open Education.
When? Tuesday 28 August, 13:00-14:30 Where? Room 4B Why join? Educational programmes need to convey more than knowledge and developing the skills and abilities to foster solutions for scientifically, politically and economically complex needs has become crucial in an increasingly global environment. Participants will be given the chance to examine the complex questions surrounding educational standards, performance expectations, and assessments fostering the use of evidence-based practices, as well as grasp the intricacies of open science challenges, (global) quality of university education, ethics and industry-academia interactions.
Join Nineta Hrastelj, EuChemS General Secretary for her talk at the EYCN session where she will look at European funding: Sharing an evaluator’s knowledge, view and experience.
When? Thursday 30 August, 11:30-12:00 Where? Room 12 Why join? Intending on submitting a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Action (MSCA) proposal? Join this session to hear what an evaluator is looking for, how the evaluation processes work, and how to make sure your project has what it needs to make it!
And of course, connect with us directly via our social media channels, on Twitter, Facebook and our new LinkedIn page throughout the congress! Tag us with @EuChemS handle and join the discussion through the #euchems2018 hashtag!
We hope you are as excited as we with the upcoming EuChemS Chemistry Congress 2018! Our 7th Congress (the first having been held in Budapest back in 2006) is sure to make a splash in the world of Chemistry. The EuChemS Chemistry Congresses reflect the outstanding research being done in Europe and around the world by bringing together chemists from different countries and professional backgrounds to exchange ideas, advance knowledge and discuss key issues for chemistry and society. With a theme of ‘Molecular frontiers and global challenges’, the scope and scale of the 2018 congress means that there will be abundant opportunities to gather information, network and develop your knowledge alongside leaders in your field.
Some of the fields that will be explored in depth include:
As part of our mission in bringing chemistry closer to the heart of policymaking in Europe, we have updated our position on what we want out of the next research framework programme, Horizon Europe, which will follow the current Horizon 2020. Through a simple info-sheet, we have laid out the areas where we believe greater funding will have an immense impact, and where proposals have been deemed insufficient or misdirected.
The budget proposed by the Commission, although an increase from the current research framework programme, will be insufficient if Europe is to be successful in dealing with the many challenges we are facing and will continue to face over the coming years. And whilst we welcome the European Parliament’s call for a €120 billion budget, this is still lacking ambition. We have therefore called, much like the majority of scientific and academic organisations across Europe, for a budget of €160 billion.
The budget proposal for the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions, which have proven particularly successful over the last years, is poor. We have therefore also called for a stronger and more ambitious budget – as unfortunately a huge number of excellent proposals are rejected due to lack of funds.
There has moreover been a worrying lack of clarity surrounding the role third countries will have in the programme. But science knows no borders, and we have therefore called for third countries to be able to fully participate. Whether this is the UK, Balkan countries, Switzerland, Norway, Turkey or beyond, we need to work together to ensure Europe remains a champion of research and innovation.
Finally, we have also stressed the absolute necessity of mechanisms that support projects through all TRLs – from basic research right up to commercialisation. To this day, too many wonderful ideas and projects are killed off before they can succeed, and the ‘valley of death’ of innovation continues to hamper the quality and capacity of European innovation.
We will soon release our detailed Position Paper with comments and amendments on the proposals made by the European Commission and the European Parliament Rapporteurs. You can in the meantime take a look at our info-sheet here!
The European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC) is opening its doors to its scientific laboratories and facilities to people working in academia and research organisations, industry, SMEs as well as to the public and private sector.
Access to non-nuclear facilities will be made open to researchers and scientists from EU Member States, candidate countries and countries associated with Horizon2020. Nuclear facilities will be open to EU Member States, candidate countries and countries associated with Euratom. The pilot phase will take place at three facilities in Ispra, Italy, and if successful, could be rolled out in Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands. You can read more about this upcoming initiative here.
We are very proud to announce that Professors Francesco De Angelis, Sergio Facchetti, and Reiner Salzer have been awarded the EuChemS Award for Service 2018 for their outstanding passion, hard work, and commitment to furthering Chemistry and EuChemS’ aims. The upcoming Chemistry in Europe newsletter will feature some short questions we asked each of these extraordinary professors. You can sign-up to the newsletter here.
The UNESCO Chair on Open Technologies for Open Educational Resources (OER) and Open Learning and the University of Nova Gorica, hosted in the first week of July, the first 14 candidates who were selected last year from all over the world, to be guided online towards the implementation of their online courses, together with their mentors and invited speakers. The content of the selected proposals was very diverse, from ‘Catalyzing change’, ‘Archive in fine arts and literature’, to ‘Why infrastructures matter’ (see them all here). In addition to the presentations of their online courses, prepared within this programme, the basics of all the relevant expertise was explained by many distinguished speakers. Furthermore, representatives from various policymakers at global, European and national level, explained to the participants foreseen policies for open education and took part in open Q&As.
Overall, the programme was very rich, whether from the expertise or the policy point of view, while the organisers succeeded in creating a warm atmosphere for creative brainstorming and exchange of knowledge. These aimed at further developing and contributing to proper implementation of the concept of open education, which is facing many challenges, such as quality of OER, copyright, recognition of qualifications and degrees and much more.
EuChemS attended this year’s EU Sustainable Energy Week (EUSEW), themed ‘Leading the clean energy transition’. The week-long series of conferences and workshops provided a crucial insight into the present state of affairs of the clean energy transition. From innovative batteries to the latest solar-energy developments, we were pleased to see the enthusiasm and commitment being expressed. Bertrand Piccard, pilot of Solar Impulse, the first round-the-world solar powered flight gave a speech in which he explained the crucial importance of communicating the need to fight pollution and climate change in specific terms with comprehensible and practical solutions.
Among the many parallel sessions, EuChemS attended the thought-provoking session on ‘Energy Storytelling’ which looked at the role of telling stories when communicating science and energy policy. Introductory remarks by Member of the European Parliament Paul Rübig highlighted the manner in which policymakers prefer to receive scientific feedback and advice. Carolien Peeters, Corporate campaign manager at the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Communication described the Commission’s recent eye-opening communication strategies that aim to summarise complex policy and scientific ideas into short and digestible stories accessible to citizens.
The week-long series of events successfully showcased the latest developments taking place in the clean energy transition, and enabled policymakers, innovators, scientists and stakeholders to debate the way forward.
The European Commission recently ran a survey on available education and training courses and resources focusing on or including animal testing in science, and more specifically, the 3Rs: Replacement, Reduction, Refinement.
EuChemS has responded to the survey with the example of the upcoming online course on Ethics and Chemistry – currently in pilot stage. The course, designed for both chemistry students primarily, but open to other fields of study, will explore a number of highly important and relevant issues concerning the practice of science on an everyday basis. From the moral dilemmas of faking scientific results to publishing, from conflicts of interest to sustainability, to the issue of animal testing, this wide reaching, dense and highly informative course, which will moreover lean on various specific case studies, will enable all those interested, to better understand the ethical, methodological and social dimensions of chemistry.
The 3Rs are an underlying principle that the EU and the USA aim to follow in their methods for using animals in scientific experiment planning and conduct. The 3Rs have been justified on the grounds that they minimise harm to animals and promote animal welfare within the context of animal experimentation. But the 3Rs only make sense if one believes that the research protocols are likely to yield results with scientific, medical or social values. As such, should there not be a fourth R for relevance? And perhaps a fifth, for redundancy avoidance?
Keep an eye on this space for more information and insights into the upcoming MOOC!
You can download our answer to the European Commission survey here.
2019 will be celebrated as the International Year of the Periodic Table (IYPT2019), as announced by the United Nations, and EuChemS, one of 5 supporters of the IUPAC lead initiative, will be at the forefront in promoting this significant moment. Through activities, events, worldwide initiatives and more, we hope to see celebrations play an important role in promoting chemistry and science globally.
We now have a dedicated website section for the IYPT2019 where you can find all the information you need, our activities, events organised by our Member Societies and Professional Networks, and also on how to get involved! If you are one of our Members or Professional Networks, or an organisation based in Europe, and have an event linked to the IYPT2019, fill out this form and we will add your event to our dedicated calendar and share it across our networks! Not based in Europe? We strongly encourage you to contact IUPAC directly, here.
How to get involved? IUPAC has set the stage for a Global Women’s Breakfast as well as a Periodic Table of Younger Chemists running until end of July 2019. Keep an eye on our website as we will be continuously updating it with the latest ways for you to join in the celebrations.
EuChemS has responded to the public consultation on the European Food Safety Agency’s (EFSA) draft ‘Guidance on Communication of Uncertainty in Scientific Assessments’. The document is intended to provide guidance tools on how to best communicate ‘uncertainty’ from uncertainty analyses in scientific assessments. The aim of EFSA’s consultation was to verify whether the guidance document is easy to understand and usable, but also whether it is applicable to different audiences, whether the understanding of verbal vs numerical information is useful, and so on.
EuChemS recognises the crucial role correct and understandable uncertainty communication plays in making scientific assessments clear, unambiguous and therefore more understandable and transparent. By recognising that outcomes and processes in science are to some extent uncertain, we take an important step forward in recognising certain scientific limitations, in turn making decisions and policies more transparent and reliable. As such, we welcome EFSA’s guidance document to help communicators better convey and share uncertainty associated with any scientific assessment to different audiences.
EuChemS responded to the consultation by highlighting several issues. Firstly, we believe a clearer distinction needs to be made regarding measurement uncertainty (associated with scientific processes) and uncertainty caused by other sources (such as through government actions (or lack of actions)). We also encouraged EFSA to align their terminology with existing international terminology. Indeed, if we look at evaluations and expressions used for measurement uncertainty in physics, chemistry and other fields, we can see there already exists certain sets of standards. EuChemS moreover provided EFSA with a number of references from scientific literature in this respect.
EuChemS headed to Toulouse for this year’s EuroScience Open Forum event from 9 – 14 July where we were also selected to present a poster. A jam-packed programme was waiting for us there, with highly relevant and thought-provoking sessions on science and policy, knowledge management, open science, the role of infrastructures, science communication, and a whole lot more! Below are our top ten take-aways from the event:
Open Science is THE hot topic, and whether sceptical or aficionado, there was no way around it. Robert-Jan Smits, European Commission envoy on Open Science, reported on an upcoming ‘S-plan’ which, with the backing of funders, will propel us into a new era of science where open access is key. Open Science moreover encompasses many different features: open access, open peer-review, citizen science, open data, research integrity… But lots of questions remain, and audience members were quick to share their worry that openness could lead to poorer quality publishing. The move to open science will therefore require a total reexamination of how science is done, and will require novel metrics and indicators for assessing quality.
ESOF is clearly looking to the (near?) future. Artificial Intelligence (AI), Big Data, and the role of datacentres were discussed at length. Panelists looked at whether AI will help scientists, or simply replace them and how AI could change the way researchers access their sources and papers. Other questions addressed the issue of how scientists will store the growing data they gather, and if they will eventually have to travel to datacentres where it can be stored and processed. And finally, the question was asked whether this new way of working is sustainable, and what effect these centres will have on the environment? Worldwide datacentres now annually consume as much energy as Sweden…
Another highly debated subject focused on gender, and the continued disparities between male and female scientists across all fields of sciences and social sciences. From questioning the way culture influences our language and choices in what we wish to study, to the role education plays, to how a sense of patriarchy continues to pervade hiring processes, the sessions highlighted the many barriers still to cross.
One of the major focus points at this year’s ESOF, was the upcoming research framework programme, Horizon Europe. Commissioner Carlos Moedas gave an impassioned opening speech in which he urged scientists across Europe to lobby their governments, their ministers, and to convince citizens that strong and ambitious investments in research and innovation is crucial. He also suggested that Horizon Europe could be the catalyst for a new ‘social contract’ between scientists, governments and citizens. Among many quotable lines, Commissioner Moedas also came back to basics: ‘’Without science, there is no knowledge, without knowledge, there is no democracy’’.
Complicated words. My favourite? Reproducibility. This particular aspect, central to scientific mechanisms, was another hot topic at ESOF. Panellists asked whether we are facing a reproducibility crisis as a huge amount of experiments laid out in papers are impossible to replicate – and therefore to check and prove. Over 50% of scientists cannot even reproduce their own experiments… But even if more research integrity, better training and more steps to verify findings are implemented, how will this work in an era of big data and the petabytes of information to process – and therefore, review?
Post-truth or not post-truth? ESOF participants and panellists debated at length whether the statements that we are living in a post-truth world (that is, where facts are easily manipulated to serve political, economic or personal interests and where scientific advice and expertise is dismissed) are really correct? The answer is complicated. Populist rhetoric tends to be peculiarly loud, with their statements often focused on in the media, and causing shockwaves because of their ability to alarm. But Eurobarometer surveys indicate on the other hand that a majority of people (albeit a small one) continue to value the role evidence plays in everyday lives and in political decisions. The worry is that over time, people will lose their sensitivity to factually wrong statements, and that they simply lose interest in whether something is true or not. After all, we are witnessing a steady drop in vaccination rates across Europe, as well as continued global warming scepticism.
ESOF was diversity. It was a wonderful experience to mingle with scientists, science communicators, students, professors, journalists, and policymakers from across the globe. I met people from across Europe, but also from South Africa, the United States and Canada, Japan, Nigeria, Mexico and more. Each with their own experiences, viewpoints, interests and worries, but all with one goal: to share science with the world.
Science is vast. The Poster area of the congress centre showcased an immense panoply of subjects, from the latest findings on the Higgs Boson to the chemical processes of wine, from industrial production of herbicides to improving blood transfusions in Africa. EuChemS was also selected to provide a poster to be exhibited during the week-long event. Our topic of choice? ‘Scientific Advice – how to harvest it in the best way?’. We looked at the general view of knowledge transfer and asked whether it is in need of a serious reassessment. We moreover provided indicators to decision-makers on how they can best maximise their intake of scientific advice, ensure they are consulting all relevant stakeholders to create a level-playing field, as well as provided some practical solutions. You can access our poster here.
Science communication is key. A field that has been developing over many years already is now exploding. Science communicators are now active the world over and working incessantly on making sure scientific evidence remains the root of decision-making processes. But lots of obstacles remain and various ESOF sessions attempted to provide concrete steps forward. From advocacy tips and tricks to the creation of informal networks, science communicators firmly believe in their work, and are at the head of a renewed and strong voice in the name of science.
And finally… scientists party in style! The ESOF party was held at the ‘City of Space’ in Toulouse, where we were able to admire the Ariane 5 Space Rocket whilst sipping on an aperitif and contemplate real-size satellites whilst gulping down amuse-bouches. The ‘City’ showcases the amazing achievements of France and of Europe in space as well as the frontiers of space exploration.
The General Data Protection Regulation(GDPR) has now been in force since 25 May and EuCheMS has as such adopted some new measures. You can read our privacy statement on our website, and should you no longer wish to receive this newsletter, you can unsubscribe at any time by either clicking the ‘unsubscribe’ button in this email or by dropping us a line directly – but we’ll be sad to see you go!
So how will the GDPR affect research and science? The Economic and Social research Council (ESRC) has an interesting article. Want even more? Nature has a dedicated editorial on the topic – here.
On 31 May, the deadline for the last REACH registration signalled the end of a 10-year registration period for existing chemicals. The results are in, and some 90,000 registrations for some 21,551 chemicals manufactured in or imported to the EU and the EEA (above one tonne per year) were made by a total of 13,620 European companies. The chemicals that industry has registered can now be found on ‘the world’s largest public regulatory database on chemicals’ provided by ECHA. It will furthermore enable the European institutions and Member States to make more informed decisions on the restriction or authorisation of specific chemicals produced or imported in Europe. You can read ECHA’s press release here.
The European Commission has put forward a proposal for a ban on several single-use plastics most commonly found polluting our beaches and seas. 10 such single-use plastic products as well as lost and abandoned fishing gear are to be targeted by new rules. These items include plastic cutlery, balloon sticks, straws and plastic cotton buds, amongst others. The new rules are expected to significantly reduce plastic pollution on European beaches and seas but are also intended to encourage innovation and competitiveness as alternatives become necessary.
EuCheMS attended the European Parliament’s ENVI Committee meeting on 16 May where the Rapporteur’s report was discussed. Rapporteur MEP Mark Demesmaeker proposed banning a wide range of deliberately manufactured microplastics in his report to the European Parliament’s Environment, Public Health and Food Safety Committee (ENVI). Additional stress was placed on the prevention and decreased use of plastic rather than relying on biodegradability – which he explained, can be a more dubious process. Many of the plastics labelled as biodegradable do indeed biodegrade, but often in specific laboratory or industrial settings and do not undergo testing that better reflects natural conditions. MEPs across the political spectrum acknowledged the public’s strong opinion on the matter and expressed broad support for the report’s demands and analysis. Cooperation will be needed however across institutions, regions and countries worldwide if the problem is to be fully tackled.
The Commission’s proposal will now be examined by the European parliament and the Council in order to be adopted.
What effect does plastic have on our own health? Interesting read on such unknowns by National Geographic.
On 22 May, the European Commission unveiled its proposal for a second package of initiatives with the aim at creating a European Education Area by 2025, as well as measures for a new Youth Strategy and a new Agenda for Culture. The proposal emphasises the need for more attention on education and training and the need to develop young people’s skills and competences in a manner that will further boost innovative potential. The new measures also include proposals for Council Recommendations on the Automatic Mutual Recognition of Diplomas and Learning Periods Abroad – a vital element to ensuring a functional Education Area for which EuCheMS provided some feedback. Read the Commission’s press release here.
EuCheMS attended the high-level conference on a strengthened cooperation between the Science and Technology in Society Forum and the EU through the framework programme Horizon Europe. Chaired by MEP Paul Rübig and MEP Jerzy Buzek, the conference saw speeches by Carlos Moedas, EU Commissioner for Research, Science and Innovation, Jean-Pierre Bourguignon, President of the European Research Council (ERC), Julie Maxton, Executive Director of the UK’s Royal Society, as well as a number of high profile ministers and CEOs from Japan and an ERC grantee.
Mr Moedas emphasised Europe’s commitment to putting science and innovation as a top priority whilst underlining that one of the key pillars to success lies in openness to the world and to international cooperation. He called on the European Parliament to take this into account with the next framework programme, declaring that the more open a country, the higher the impact of scientific findings. Whilst optimism was the order of the day, few concrete proposals were forthcoming, and it appears that any form of cooperation between the STS Forum and the EU through Horizon Europe still has some way to go – perhaps the conference can be best viewed as a simple exercise in science diplomacy.
On 22 April, the Open Science Policy Platform (OSPP) of which EuCheMS is a member, adopted a set of ‘prioritised actionable recommendations’ regarding the eight Open Science ambitions of Commissioner for Research, Science and Innovation, Carlos Moedas, which were published on 29 May. The recommendations are to be seen as the next step towards the longer-term vision articulated by Open Science consultations and expert groups. The eight priorities are:
Rewards and Incentives
Research Indicators and Next-Generation Metrics
Future of Scholarly Communication
European Open Science Cloud
FAIR Data
Research Integrity
Skills and Education
Citizen Science
Whilst the move towards Open Science is quickening, EuCheMS nevertheless recommends slowing down the pace in order to better understand the far reaching and oftentimes overlooked effects the policy may lead to. You can read the full recommendations presented by the OSPP here.
Meanwhile, EU ministers have endorsed the European Commission’s roadmap on the European Open Science Cloud (EOSC) (‘which will support EU science in its global leading by creating a trusted environment for hosting and processing research data’). Commissioner Moedas has called for commitment and ambition, calling the Cloud a ‘game changer for science in Europe’. Next steps: the incoming Austrian Presidency of the Council will gather research and innovation ministers to give the go ahead to the governance structure and launch the first version of the EOSC portal on 23 November 2018. The full press release here.
It’s out! On 7 June, the European Commission made public its full proposal for the shape and scope of the next framework programme, Horizon Europe (aka #HorizonEU on social media). The notion of ‘Missions’ within the second pillar ‘Global Challenges and Industrial Competitiveness’ has also been included – although details are still sparse. Commissioner Moedas did however announce that a ‘Missions Board’ would be set up at the beginning of 2019 which, made up of stakeholders, experts and Member State representatives, would define the areas to be chosen as mission worthy.
Not everyone is happy however. The inclusion of ‘industrial competitiveness’ within the ‘global challenges’ pillar has caused some annoyance vis-à-vis civil society organisations. MEP Christian Ehler, one of the Rapporteurs for Horizon Europe, has in addition claimed that the notion of Missions risks running into political hurdles. Moreover, MEPs and various research and university associations continue to point out that the proposed budget for Horizon Europe is not ambitious enough. The role of the UK in the next framework programme remains open-ended, although it will be considered a ‘third country’ whilst negotiations are ongoing.
EuCheMS, with the support of the EuCheMS Division of Chemical Education submitted feedback on UNESCO’s Open Educational Resources (OER) draft recommendations text. We highlighted an important aspect that we found missing, namely, the lack of emphasis on the role played by educational researchers, whose actions strongly contribute to ensuring that open access to educational materials works and that teachers know how to, and are, accessing such materials. You can read our contribution here, and more information on UNESCO’s OER initiative here.
EuCheMS responded to the European Commission’s consultation on the evaluation of the European Heritage Label Action. With input from the EuCheMS Working Party on Chemistry for Cultural Heritage and the EuCheMS Working Party on the History of Chemistry, we emphasised the fact that that there are still too few sites that recognise the role played by chemistry in the European construction project – especially in a time when the divide between citizens and science appears to be widening. We moreover highlighted the crucial role that chemistry plays in the very protection and conservation of our shared cultural makeup. We reached out to the Commission by inviting them to learn more on our own EuCheMS Historical Landmarks Award, whose results will be revealed this summer. Read our Position Paper here and our response to the consultation here.
EuCheMS attended the European Chemistry Thematic Network Association (ECTN) General Assembly from 18 – 22 April in Prague. EuCheMS President Pilar Goya Laza gave an opening presentation and highlighted the continued bonds between the two associations and highlighted areas on which EuCheMS and ECTN are currently cooperating on. The Assembly also included a plenary lecture by Professor Chris Brett, IUPAC Vice-President and President-Elect, on the role IUPAC plays in chemistry education and chemistry research activities. Dr Lily Raines from the American Chemical Society (ACS) later involved delighted participants in fun and practical chemistry experiments. You can read ECTN’s summary of the General Assembly here.
Our own Policy and Communications officer attended the latest round of discussions of the European Parliament’s Committee on Environment, Public Health and Food Saftey (ENVI) on 26 April. The focus: Europe-wide worry over the drop in vaccination use, and the role of transparency in EFSA’s risk assessments. The discussion was presided by Commissioner for Health and Food Safety, Vytenis Andriukaitis, who presented the European Commission’s position as he replied to a variety of questions from Members of the European Parliament. Questions which at times displayed a serious understanding of the issues involved, and at others a complete suspicion of scientific evidence and a troubling instinct to put political views ahead of scientific evidence – and common sense. Although such extreme views were expressed by a minority of people, it serves as a reminder of the need to ensure that scientific knowledge is successfully shared, and that scientific literacy continues to be encouraged.
Commissioner Andriukaitis announced the issuing of a set of recommendations for how the EU can strengthen cooperation in the fight against diseases that can be prevented by vaccines. The Commission’s proposal will put forward 3 pillars for action, including: ‘tackling vaccine hesitancy and improving vaccination coverage, sustainable vaccination policies in the EU, and EU coordination and contribution to global health’. This will be followed by calls for 20 concrete actions to be carried out by the Commission and Member States. You can read the Commission’s press release here.
The proposal will now be discussed by the Council and should be adopted by the end of 2018.
EuCheMS is happy to announce that the Guidebook ‘Pre-Service Training for Chemistry Teachers’ edited in part by Iwona Maciejowska, Chair of the EuCheMS Division of Chemical Education has now been downloaded over two hundred times, and was recently cited in an official journal – a clear sign that the work is proving useful to many chemists, lecturers, and teachers.
Teacher training courses throughout Europe generally conform to one of two distinct approaches – despite the fact that there are over 20 different models of teacher education currently in use throughout the continent. Because of the significant diversity found in teacher training programmes, defining a uniform set of quality requirements is impracticable. Instead, the development of conclusions and recommendations has proven a much more fruitful way forward.
In this guidebook, the reader will find a number of chapters and sections discussing specific strategies, teaching methods and lesson elements. Moreover, the authors have endeavoured to make each chapter as widely applicable throughout European universities. Access the Guidebook here.
governments and citizens. Among many quotable lines, Commissioner Moedas also came back to basics: ‘’Without science, there is no knowledge, without knowledge, there is no democracy’’.
y, balloon sticks, straws and plastic cotton buds, amongst others. The new rules are expected to significantly reduce plastic pollution on European beaches and seas but are also intended to encourage innovation and competitiveness as alternatives become necessary.
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