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.
Looking for more on news and updates? Read our newsletter Chemistry in Europe#2018-2 prepared by the EuCheMS team and featuring articles by our Members, Divisions and more!
ESOF (EuroScience Open Forum) is the largest interdisciplinary science meeting in Europe. It is dedicated to scientific research and innovation and offers a unique framework for interaction and debate for scientists, innovators, policy makers, business people and the general public.
Created in 2004 by EuroScience, this biennial European forum brings together over 4 000 researchers, educators, business actors, policy makers and journalists from all over the world to discuss breakthroughs in science. More than 40% of the participants are students and young researchers.
The 8th edition of ESOF will take place in Toulouse, France, from 9 till 14 July 2018.
EUROGIA2020 call for project purpose is to foster multidisciplinary, innovative, RD&D programmes to build and develop the future energy mix.
Do you want to work with partners beyond national borders, developing new products or working on pre-competitive research? Do you want to access new markets, technologies and skills? Do you want to gain recognition through your involvement in a large research project? EUROGIA2020 may be the ideal tool for you. http://www.eurekanetwork.org/content/eurogia-2020-call-projects-0
As part of the evaluation of the Directive on the assessment of the effects of certain public plans and programmes on the environment (SEA Directive). The aim is to gather information and views on how the SEA Directive has been perceived and how it has performed. EuCheMS is currently in the process of preparing an answer to the consultation. Click here to access the consultation.
The European Commission has made a proposal for a directive on added and more comprehensive EU whistleblower protection. The directive would ensure that witnesses to abuse, malpractice and other unlawful activities occurring within any organisation will be provided more effective protection. You can provide feedback here.
The European Commission is looking to collect views on the level of awareness of air quality challenges in general and knowledge of the Ambient Air Quality Directives’ provisions in particular, as well as feedback on whether and how the Directives have contributed to improved air quality in Europe. Click here to submit your feedback.
In early May, the Joint Research Centre (JRC) organised a high-level conference with the objective of increasing regional cooperation in South East Europe and to support the Western Balkans as competitive market economies. The ”Supporting and Innovation Agenda for the Western Balkans” report projects the advancement of Smart Specialisation policies in the region as well as tools and methodologies to advance technology transfers and the strengthening of research and innovation connections. This marks an important step in recognising the full innovative and scientific potential of the region. You can read the full news article from Commission 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.
EuCheMS has signed the Future Partnership Project statement launched by the Royal Society and the Wellcome Trust – a project which aims to send a powerful message to leaders in the UK and the EU that science knows no borders and that a shared vision for an ‘ambitious, close and achievable future agreement on research and innovation’ is essential.
With Brexit looming, EuCheMS, in partnership with 52 signatories, has fully endorsed the call for a future partnership that ‘enables excellent research and innovation to flourish across Europe’. The message is all the more significant in light of the recent proposal on the future framework programme – Horizon Europe – unveiled by the European Commission on 2 May.
European research programmes provide vital support for cross-border cooperation, and it is crucial that the EU and the UK continue to work together to ensure that barriers to collaboration, harmonisation and innovation do not occur in the future relationship. The success of past framework programmes, as well as the ongoing Horizon2020, lies in the scale and breadth of their actions, but also in the unique combination of expertise produced by the different Member States.
‘As representatives of research communities across the wider European Research Area, we are united in our desire for an ambitious and close future partnership on research and innovation. This would be good for European science and, in turn, for science globally.’
You can read the Future Partnership Project statement here, and access our Brexit Position Paper: ‘Research and Education Without Borders After Brexit’ here.
