Brussels News Updates

1 European Highlights, BNU October 2020, Brussels News Updates

Young Chemists @European Research and Innovation Days

The European Research and Innovation Days took place online, on 22-24 September 2020. The EuChemS European Young Chemists’ Network (EYCN) contributed to the session on “Sustainability by Design – Embedding sustainability criteria throughout life cycle of products and processes” (HUB 2: European Green Deal). During this session, young scientists have challenged senior experts on sustainable-by-design approaches in different fields, contribute to the discussion and shape together a safe, carbon-neutral and resource efficient industrial eco-system.

Watch the full recording of the session HERE!

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1 European Highlights, BNU October 2020, Brussels News Updates

Meet newly elected EuChemS Executive Board members

Renáta Oriňaková, Christophe Copéret and Artur Silva were elected to the EuChemS Executive Board by the 2020 General Assembly which was held online on 24 September. Their mandate starts on 1 January 2021.

EuChemS congratulates them and warmly welcomes them.

Professor Renáta Oriňaková, DSc. is a research professor and head of the Department of Physical Chemistry at the Institute of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice (PF UPJŠ in Košice), Slovakia. She is currently the Vice-Dean of the Faculty of Science for science, research, and development.

She was trained in chemistry and mathematics at PF UPJŠ in Košice (1992) and started her career at the Department of Physical Chemistry. She has received her PhD in Physical Chemistry from the Comenius University in Bratislava, Slovakia (1997) and the title of Professor in Physical Chemistry in 2017. In the meantime, she was awarded the Doctor of Science (DSc.) degree in Physical Chemistry from the Slovak University of Technology in 2015.

Read more HERE.

Professor Christophe Copéret is Professor in the Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences at ETH Zürich since November 2010.

He was trained in chemistry and chemical engineering in CPE Lyon (France) and then undertook a Ph.D. in chemistry at Purdue University (USA), where he studied the development of highly efficient synthesis of complex molecules via Pd-catalysed carbonylation reactions in the group of Prof. E.i. Negishi (1991-1996). After a postdoctoral stay at the Scripps Research Institute (La Jolla, USA) in the group of Prof. K.B. Sharpless (1996-1997), where he developed oxidation reactions, Christophe Copére was offered in 1998 a permanent research position in CNRS in C2P2 a laboratory devoted the chemistry of surfaces and polymers, and was promoted CNRS Research Director in 2008.

Read more HERE.

Professor Artur M. S. Silva is a full professor of chemistry at the University of Aveiro and President of the Portuguese Chemical Society (SPQ) since July 2016. He served, among others, as Vice-President of the Portuguese Chemical Society (2013-2016), twice terms as Vice-president and other two as President of the Organic Chemistry Division of SPQ (among others).

He studied chemistry at the University of Aveiro (Portugal), where he graduated in chemistry physics for teaching in 1987. In 1993 he received his Ph.D. in chemistry at Aveiro University. He began his independent career at Aveiro University as an Assistant Professor in 1994. He was appointed to Associate Professor with tenure in 1998 and Full Professor in 2001.

Read more HERE.

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1 European Highlights, BNU October 2020, Brussels News Updates

EuChemS 2020 General Assembly

The 2020 EuChemS General Assembly meeting took place on Thursday, 24 September 2020. Representatives from EuChemS Member Societies and Supporting Members attended the first ever EuChemS General Assembly meeting held online, including the voting session.

The meeting was chaired by Pilar Goya, EuChemS President.

More information about EuChemS 2020 online General Assembly is available here.

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5 EuCheMS Events, BNU September 2020, Brussels News Updates

2018 EuChemS Lecture Awardee – Webinar

The 2018 EuChemS Lecture Awardee Webinar will be held online on Friday 13 November, from 10:00 to 11:30 CET. During this event, Raffaella Buonsanti, EuChemS 2018 Lecturer, will give a talk on “Colloidal chemistry for tunable nanocrystals as CO2 conversion catalysts’’. This event is organised by the European Chemical Society (EuChemS).

More information is available HERE.

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4 Calls for Funding and Awards, BNU September 2020, Brussels News Updates

2020 EuChemS Award for Service

EuChemS Award for Service aims to acknowledge the outstanding commitment of an individual to fostering chemistry and molecular sciences in Europe, as well as to the goals of EuChemS.
If you know somebody who has made a difference for Chemistry in Europe and for EuChemS’ image and activities, submit your nomination HERE.
Deadline: 31 December 2020

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4 Calls for Funding and Awards, BNU September 2020, Brussels News Updates

2020 EuChemS Lecture Award

Each year, EuChemS celebrates the major achievements of a junior scientist working in chemistry. The winner of the EuChemS Lecture Award is awarded a statuette and is also invited to give a lecture at the next European Chemistry Congress or the major conference of a EuChemS Professional Network.
Everything you need to know about the award and how to submit available HERE.
Deadline: 31 December 2020

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4 Calls for Funding and Awards, BNU September 2020, Brussels News Updates

European Chemistry Gold Medal 2022

The European Chemistry Gold Medal aims to reward the exceptional achievements of one scientist working in the field of chemistry in Europe. The winner is awarded a gold medal and the opportunity to give the opening lecture at the next EuChemS Chemistry Congress (ECC).
You can submit a nomination HERE (no self-nomination accepted!)
Deadline: 31 December 2020

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1 European Highlights, BNU September 2020, Brussels News Updates

European Research and Innovation Days

The European Research and Innovation Days is the European Commission’s annual flagship event, bringing together policymakers, researchers, entrepreneurs, and citizens to debate and shape the future of research and innovation in Europe and beyond.

The second edition of the event will take place online, on 22-24 September 2020. More information is available HERE.

The EuChemS European Young Chemists’ Network (EYCN) will take an active part in the event and contribute to the session on “Sustainability by Design – Embedding sustainability criteria throughout life cycle of products and processes” (HUB 2: European Green Deal). During this session, young scientists will challenge senior experts on sustainable-by-design approaches in different fields, contribute to the discussion and shape together a safe, carbon-neutral and resource efficient industrial eco-system.

The session will be held online on 22 September 2020, from 17:00 to 17:45 CEST.

Check out the final program and register HERE.

 

 

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1 European Highlights, BNU September 2020, Brussels News Updates

EuroScience Open Forum – ESOF 2020

Half online, half on-site, the scientific event EuroScience Open Forum (ESOF 2020) was hosted in Trieste, the European City of Science 2020. The event took place from 2 to 6 September 2020. ESOF is a biennial, pan-European, general science conference dedicated to scientific R&I. For 5 days, hybrid conferences on the latest advancements and discoveries in the sciences, humanities and social sciences were held in the Northern Italian city and online.

During this event, researchers and university leaders expressed their concern regarding the budget allocated to Research and Development in the European Union and the potential brain exodus that could ensued. They called for governments and the EU to keep investing in R&D.

On a different note, MEP Maria da Graça Carvalho (ITRE Committee) warned the ESOF 2020 participants about the geographical imbalance in funding awards in Europe. She pointed out that the private sector participation remains an important problem for EU public-private research partnerships in the EU research and innovation framework programme, Horizon 2020: a high percentage of grants allocated to scientists and researchers are going to a small number of member states. In this regard, MEP Maria da Graça Carvalho called for geographical equality for the next research and innovation framework programme starting in 2021, Horizon Europe.

The EuroScience Open Forum 2022 will be hosted in Leiden/The Hague, Netherlands.

Sources:
– ESOF 2020: https://www.esof.eu/en/home.html
– Science Business:  https://sciencebusiness.net/framework-programmes/news/closed-clubs-eu-public-private-partnerships-need-more-geographical
– OggiScienza: https://oggiscienza.it/2020/09/01/trieste-esof-2020/

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1 European Highlights, BNU September 2020, Brussels News Updates

ENVI Committee voted the EU Climate Law

On 11 September, the European Parliament ENVI Committee (Environment, Public Health and Food Safety) adopted the report on the EU climate law with 46 votes for, 18 against and 17 abstentions. This legal framework proposed by the European Commission in March 2020 aims to implement the 2050 climate neutrality goal and prepare the EU climate target update for 2030.

In addition, MEPs called for a more ambitious 2030 emissions reduction target: emissions should be reduced by 60% in 2030 compared to 1990, instead of “at least 50% towards 55%”, originally proposed by the European Commission. MEPs also want both the EU and all member states individually to become climate neutral by 2050.

Sources:
– Press release: https://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/press-room/20200907IPR86512/eu-climate-law-meps-want-to-increase-emission-reductions-target-to-60-by-2030
– ENVI highlights : https://www.europarl.europa.eu/committees/en/one-step-closer-to-climate-neutrality-en/product-details/20200907CAN57042

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1 European Highlights, BNU September 2020, Brussels News Updates

ERC President addressed the European Parliament on the future of EU R&I budget

On 7 September 2020, European Research Council (ERC) President, Jean-Pierre Bourguignon, addressed the European Parliament ITRE Committee (Industry, Research and Energy) on the Future of EU R&I and the long-term EU budget.

The ERC President pointed out the challenges created by the COVID-19 pandemic and the reprioritization of the EU political agenda that ensued. In his regard, he highlighted the necessity to focus on long-term actions to tackle the crisis.

“What the pandemic has proved is the importance of preparedness built over the long term. It has also shown the reactivity and flexibility of researchers was key to get us through the pandemic.”

– ERC President, Jean-Pierre Bourguignon
Speech given at the EP before the ITRE Committee
7 September 2020

Jean-Pierre Bourguignon expressed vividly the global disappointment of the scientific community concerning the cuts that had been made to the budget of the next research and innovation framework programme, Horizon Europe. The ERC President asked the European Parliament to reconsider the budget allocated to EU Research for Horizon Europe.

“For the ERC budget, the absolute minimum is €14.7 billion in 2018 prices (€16.6 billion in current prices) that was the 2018 European Commission proposal for Horizon Europe for the ERC representing 17.64% of the total budget of the programme. It barely guarantees €2 billion a year to the ERC. It is far from the ambition of the ERC founders had for it to represent 5% of national funding. A minimal interpretation of it would mean that, in Horizon Europe, the ERC receives €17.7 billion in 2018 prices (€19.9 billion in current prices), a legitimately ambitious goal.”

– ERC President, Jean-Pierre Bourguignon
Speech given at the EP before the ITRE Committee
7 September 2020

Sources:
– ERC News, Jean-Pierre Bourguignon’s speech: https://erc.europa.eu/news/hearing-itre-european-parliament

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1 European Highlights, BNU September 2020, Brussels News Updates

European Commission launched an Action Plan on Critical Raw Materials

On 3 September 2020, the European Commission presented an Action Plan on Critical Raw Materials. The aim of this plan is to secure the European Union’s access to critical Raw Materials by reducing its dependency on primary critical raw materials and strengthening domestic sourcing of raw materials in the EU to reduce its dependency on third countries.

With the Action Plan on Critical Raw Materials, the European Commission outlines ten actions to achieve these ambitions, the first being the establishment a European Raw Materials Alliance. The European Raw Materials Alliance will bring together relevant stakeholders and will focus on building EU resilience and open strategic autonomy for the rare earths and magnets value chain, such as renewable energy, defence, and space, before extending to other raw material areas.

Vice-President Šefčovič and Commissioner Breton have also presented the 2020 List of Critical Raw Materials. The updated list adds 4 new critical raw materials (Bauxite, Lithium, Titanium and Strontium), making it 30 in total. In EuChemS Periodic Table of Elements Scarcity, published on the occasion of the International Year of the Periodic Table (IYPT19), Lithium and Strontium were already listed as elements in “serious threat in the next 100 years”.

Sources:
– EC Press release: https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_20_1542

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1 European Highlights, BNU September 2020, Brussels News Updates

EuChemS on YouTube: watch the videos of two winners of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry — #50yearseuchems

On 3 July 2020, at the celebration of 50 years since the European Chemical Society has been founded, EuChemS had the honour of welcoming not one, but two winners of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry: Professor Jean-Marie Lehn and Professor Ben Feringa. They both gave a memorable speech, which are now available on the EuChemS YouTube channel. Subscribe to stay up to date with the videos we will be posting!

Watch their speeches here!

Use the hashtag #50yearseuchems on your favourite social media channel and do not miss out any EuChemS 50th anniversary-related posts!

   

 

 

 

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1 European Highlights, BNU September 2020, Brussels News Updates

Winners announced: European Young Chemists’ Award (EYCA)

On 26 August, the 12 finalists presented their research results in front of the European Award Committee for the EuChemS Award (EYCAC) and the whole audience during the EYCA Competition Session at the e-YCN@ECC. The event was organised by the European Young Chemists’ Network (EYCN).

The European Award Committee for the EuChemS-EYCN Award (EYCAC) has selected the European Young Chemists’ Award (EYCA) winners for the Early Career Researcher level and the PhD level, in recognition of the exceptional research in various fields of chemical sciences. For both PhD level and the Early Career Researcher level, two awardees were selected: one Gold Medal and one Silver Medal.

At the Early Career Research Level, the EYCA 2020 Gold Medal was awarded to Maria Chiara Sportelli (National Research Council/Institute for Photonics and Nanotechnologies – CNR-IFN, Italy) and the Silver Medal to Grégory Chatel (University of Savoie Mont Blanc, France). At the PhD Level, the Gold Medal was awarded to Eoin Murray (T.E. Laboratories, Ireland) and the Silver Medal to Emilia Paone (University of Reggio Calabria, Italy).

EYCA 2020 group picture: Antonio M. Rodriguez (EYCN Chair), David Cole-Hamilton (EYCAC Member), Pilar Goya (EuChemS President), Helena Grennberg (EYCAC Member), Nausicaa Orlandi (EYCAC Member), Angela Agostiano (EYCAC Chair) and Cristina Todasca (EYCAC Member).

EYCA 2020 has been sponsored by the European Chemical Society (EuChemS), the Italian Chemical Society (SCI) and the Federazione Nazionale degli Ordini dei Chimici e dei Fisici in Italy (FNCF).

More information about the European Young Chemists’ Award (EYCA) is available HERE.

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1 European Highlights, BNU August 2020, Brussels News Updates

How is the EU making sure perfluoroalkyl chemicals (PFAS) don’t stick around?

picture source: https://www.defence.gov.au/Environment/pfas/PFAS.asp

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a large family of synthetic chemicals that are widely used throughout society and thus found in the environment (groundwater, surface water, soil, and food). They are extensively used and popular because they have uniquely desirable properties: they are stable under intense heat and they can act as water and grease repellents, which makes them suitable for aviation, textile, aerospace, leather, and other industries. They are also found in some medical aids, electronics, household items, construction products etc.

As all PFAS contain carbon-fluorine bonds, one of the strongest chemical bonds in organic chemistry, they are known to persist in the environment longer than any other man-made substance. They end up in the environment directly and indirectly, from facilities using PFAS for production, during use of consumer products containing PFAS, and from PFAS-containing materials that are in contact with food. Humans can be exposed to them every day at home, in their workplace and through the environment.

Some PFAS have already been regulated globally by the Stockholm Convention for more than 10 years, and these include perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS) and its derivatives, perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and its salts, while perfluorohexane sulfonic acid (PFHxS) and its salts are considered for inclusion in the Stockholm Convention.

The manufacture and use of some PFAS are already restricted under REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals), a regulation of the European Union, adopted to improve the protection of human health and the environment from the risks that can be posed by chemicals, while enhancing the competitiveness of the EU chemicals industry.

Finally, a few PFAS already have a harmonised classification and labelling under the Classification, Labelling and Packaging (CLP) Regulation: perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), ammonium pentadecafluorooctanoate (APFO), perfluorononan-1-oic acid (PFNA) and its sodium and ammonium salts, nonadecafluorodecanoic acid (PFDA) and its sodium and ammonium salts.

For more information, an interview with the ECHA’s Executive Director Bjorn Hansen is available, but you can also read more on this topic and/or listen to the full podcast online.

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1 European Highlights, BNU August 2020, Brussels News Updates

Jean-Pierre Bourguignon appointed interim President of the ERC

The European Commission (EC) appointed Professor Jean-Pierre Bourguignon as the President of the European Research Council (ERC) for an interim period until the next ERC President takes office. This re-selection has been well received across Europe, considering his previous position as the President of the ERC from 2014-2019, which was already his 2nd term.

Commissioner Mariya Gabriel, the ERC Scientific Council, as well as the scientific community have supported this decision. In the face of the final stages of Horizon 2020 and in preparations for Horizon Europe, Professor Bourguignon’s thorough understanding of the scientific and policy-making procedures will be necessary in order to keep enabling researchers to push the boundaries while pursuing scientific breakthroughs.

More information about this topic, as well as a podcast with Professor Bourguignon are available.

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1 European Highlights, BNU August 2020, Brussels News Updates

EYCN at the European Research and Innovation Days

EuChemS European Young Chemists’ Network (EYCN) will take an active part and contribute to the session on “Sustainability by Design” during European Research and Innovation Days. If you are interested to join this event, you can follow this page for more information.

This event brings together policymakers, researchers, entrepreneurs, and citizens to debate and shape the future of research and innovation in Europe and beyond. Building on the success of last year, the 2020 edition will feature three days of intensive policy co-designing, thought-provoking panels, and matchmaking opportunities. This year, the flagship event will be organised online on 22-24 September 2020.

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1 European Highlights, BNU August 2020, Brussels News Updates

EU long-term budget deal must be improved for EP to accept it

The recovery fund proposed by the Parliament in May has been well accepted by EU leaders who are calling it a “historic move for the EU”. However, MEPs have communicated their complaints concerning the massive cuts to the grant components and the future-oriented programmes, as their concern is that they will “undermine the foundations of a sustainable and resilient recovery”. MEPs are prepared to withhold their consent to the long-term budget unless the deal is improved.

Parliament’s priorities in view of an overall agreement, after the rule of law and own resources, should be the EU flagship programmes. The Parliament stresses that EU flagship programmes are now at risk of experiencing an immediate drop in funding from 2020 to 2021; furthermore, the EP points out that as of 2024, the EU budget as a whole will be below 2020 levels, jeopardising the EU’s commitments and priorities, notably the Green Deal and the Digital Agenda. In addition to that, EP insists that targeted increases on top of the figures proposed by the European Council must single out programmes relating to the climate protection, the digital transition, health, youth, research, border management and others (such as Horizon Europe, InvestEU, Erasmus+, the Just Transition Fund, Digital Europe, the Connecting Europe Facility, LIFE+, EU4health…).

Read the full article here and also take a look at all the Conclusions of the extraordinary European Council meeting of 17-21 July 2020.

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