The Royal Society of Chemistry recently published an extensive report which explores the barriers to women’s retention and progression in the chemical sciences, along with a series of recommendations to tackle the issue. Whilst change is happening, if it continues at the current rate, “a simple statistical analysis of the data tells us that we will never reach gender parity”. Whilst 44% of undergraduate students are women, this drops down to 39% for PhD students, dropping down to 29% for non-professional staff, and down again, to the very appalling figure of 9% of women Professors. Together with evidence of inequality, are “reports of bullying, discrimination and harassment”. You can read the full report here.

A number of important votes took place in the European Parliament end of October.

First up, Members of the European Parliament voted on banning a range of single-use plastics such as plastic cutlery, straws, cotton buds, and balloon sticks amongst others. The move which is hoped to go into effect across the European Union by 2021 is part of the growing concern over the quantities of plastic ending up in oceans around the world. MEPs also set a target for the collection and proper recycling of 90% of plastic bottles by 2025. With more than 150,000 tonnes of plastic ending up in European waters every year, and with the time for some products to biodegrade reaching over 500 years, ambitious and decisive actions are needed. MEPs also tackled the issue of antimicrobial resistance following a report prepared by MEP Françoise Grossetête. The new regulation on veterinary medicinal products aims to prevent “the spread of antibiotic resistance from animals to humans” comments the European Parliament, whilst ensuring that “consumers are not exposed to antibiotic residues in food products and to make sure antibiotics remain effective against infection”.

Antibiotic resistance, most often caused because of the overuse or misuse of antibiotics, is an increasingly problematic issue. Because of the far-reaching consequences this may have, EuChemS has placed its prevention within its proposed ‘Missions’ for the future research framework programme, Horizon Europe. The focus on antibiotic resistance is not new. EuChemS had in April 2016, organised a joint European Parliament STOA, and EFMC workshop on ‘Solving Antibiotic Resistance’ to analyse and discuss possible ways forward.  

An Open Letter has been making the rounds in reaction to ‘Plan S’, a plan put forward by European funding agencies and supported by the European Commission to accelerate the transition to full open access in scientific publishing.

The Open Letter, which has been signed so far by over 1200 researchers, including two Nobel laureates, claims that Plan S would seriously damage the state of science in Europe, risk making Europe a less desirable place to work, study, and publish, as well as violate academic freedom.

EuChemS is currently preparing a Position Paper on the matter which will aim to address the concerns with Plan S, as well as look at possible alternatives, whilst taking into account the qualms of all relevant stakeholders. Keep an eye on this space for the latest information!

As you may already know, EuChemS has launched a unique Periodic Table which depicts the very real issue of element scarcity in light of the upcoming International Year of the Periodic Table of Chemical Elements (IYPT2019) for next year. To spread the message further, we are making the Periodic Table freely available in as many languages as we can. You can now download it in: Catalan, Czech, Dutch, Estonian, French, German, Greek, Italian, Luxembourgish, Macedonian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Serbian, Slovenian, Spanish and Turkish – with more versions soon on the way.

Not sure what to do with it? We think it makes for a wonderful and educational poster to be put up in schools, labs, or even your bedroom! The Royal Dutch Society of Chemistry (KNCV) recently distributed at the Woudschoten Chemie Conferentie

On 8 November, experts from the scientific community, alongside Members of the European Parliament, the European Commission, and the European Food Safety Agency (EFSA), came together to discuss the latest treatments for Parkinson’s disease, but also its causes, and how we are to move forward at the clinical and political level.

The discussion which took part in the European Parliament in Brussels, was chaired by Member of the European Parliament Pavel Poc, and jointly organised by the European Chemical Society (EuChemS) and the European Federation of Medicinal Chemistry (EFMC).

The aim of the workshop was to provide a kaleidoscopic overview of the latest treatments for Parkinson’s, but also to take a closer look at some of its causes. Talking about the disease, and trying to address its challenges will only grow in importance as it becomes more common in the face of an ageing population.  The speakers highlighted the complexity of the disease as well as the variety of causes that can trigger its development, whether age-related, genetic predispositions, but also due to contact with potentially harmful toxins. The session also highlighted the importance of creating spaces of discussion between the scientific community and policymakers to better ensure understanding and support. EuChemS also highlighted the need for a more ambitious budget for the future research framework programme, Horizon Europe, which could very well enable important steps being taken in developing novel and more efficient treatments for Parkinson’s disease. For more details of the session, you can take a look at the presentations online.

Parkinson’s disease is a neurodegenerative disease which is characterised by difficulty in moving and tremor, as well as psychiatric issues. It leads to a progressive reduction in the quality of life and those affected require increasing care. The physical suffering, emotional distress, and the economic burden this provokes is at risk of increasing as our populations live longer and become more likely to develop Parkinson’s disease as they age.