10th European Chemistry Congress (ECCC10): Abstract Submission Deadline Extended to January 20, 2026
Dear Members of the SCS
The 10th European Chemistry Congress (ECCC10*), hosted by the Royal Flemish Chemical Society (KVCV), is a platform spanning most of today's "hot topics" in chemistry and is featuring an impressive lineup of speakers.
Those of you who participated in the ECC9 in Dublin in 2024, or who had coworkers present there, will have excellent memories or will have gotten enthusiastic feedback.
Our Swiss community will be represented by three invited speakers -Philippe Schwaller, Javier Pérez-Ramirez, and Maria Lukatskaya. Looking at the list of participants we see still a huge potential. Only half al dozen of abstracts from Swiss bases researchers are submitted so far.
As a member society of EuChemS, we want the ECC series of conferences to become a European signature event in our field. And, even more important: We want to be represented by a team reflecting the quality and importance of chemical research in Switzerland.
The SCS Board of Directors and the board of the SCS Division of Fundamental Research would therefore like to motivate you to submit an abstract and ask you to bring the event to the attention of your colleagues! The deadline for abstract submission will end on January 20.
Thank you very much for your cooperation and support!
With best regards
Dr. Hans Peter Lüthi, Member of the SCS Board
Prof. Thomas Bürgi, President of the DFR
Hans Peter Lüthi, SCS
09.01.2026
The SNSF Scientific Image Competition 2026 is now open
Showcase the beauty of your research and share your daily life as a scientist! The SNSF invites you to take part in its image competition. Submission deadline: 2 February 2026
Be it laboratory instruments or field research, microscopy or digital simulation, photographic documentation or short videos: The SNSF competition is looking for the most beautiful images from the world of research. Researchers working in Switzerland and Liechtenstein are invited to submit their images and videos.
Exhibition at the Biel/Bienne Festival of Photography
The Biel/Bienne Festival of Photography will exhibit the prize-winning images from 8 to 31 May 2026 and will host the award ceremony. An SNSF online gallery features all the images and videos submitted to the competition since its inauguration in 2017 – more than 3,500 in total. And each week, a new image is published on the SNSF’s Instagram channel.
An international jury will award a first prize and several honourable mentions in each competition category. The jury will be chaired by Patrick Gyger, director of the Plateforme 10 museums, and will include biologist Alex Jordan; photographer Andri Pol; Jessica Hallett, media editor at Nature magazine; Tess de Ruiter, curator of art-science projects; and Aurélie Saliba, strategic project manager for Adobe Stock.
Participation requirements
The competition is open to anyone employed as a researcher at a higher education or research institution in Switzerland or Liechtenstein. Students working on research projects are also eligible to participate. Submitted works can be produced as part of international collaborations. All submissions must have been produced after 1 January 2025.
The four competition categories include:
- object of study
- places and tools of research
- women and men of science
- short videos
The submission deadline is 2 February 2026.
- Participate in the 2026 competition
- Online gallery containing the 3500+ entries since 2017
- Competition images on Instagram
- Journées photographiques de Bienne, 3.–25.5.2025 | Revealing science
- Video trailer
David Spichiger, SCS / SNSF
09.01.2026
EuChemS Magazine: December 2025
Policy, research and community perspectives on chemistry in Europe and beyond
Explore our monthly compilation of science-related policy developments in Europe and the latest EuChemS news in this newsletter. Check out our headline stories or read the EuChemS Magazine Online
EuChemS News
Policy News
- EFSA workshop on latest advancements in PFASs risk assessment
- ECHA begins receiving reports on microplastics emissions
- EU adopts Strategic Framework to scale up a competitive, sustainable bioeconomy
EuChemS recognized Events
- 1st School for Practical Insights in NMR
- European Winter School on Physical Organic Chemistry (e-WISPOC)
- School of the Interdivisional Group on the Chemistry of Renewable Energies of the Italian Chemical Society
Read the full magazine on: https://www.magazine.euchems.eu/
David Spichiger, SCS
20.12.2025
SCS Award Winners 2026
It’s our pleasure to announce the winners 2026 of the SCS Scientific Award Programs. We would like to sincerely congratulate all winners for their outstanding scientific contributions, and we are looking forward to the Swiss Chemistry Science Night in Bern on September 18, 2026, where the official award ceremonies will take place. Award lectures will be organized as part of the program of one of our upcoming events.
Paracelsus Prize 2026
Prof. Detlef Günther, ETH Zurich,
is awarded for his pioneering contributions to the field of analytical chemistry, particularly in inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS).
The Paracelsus Prize is endowed with CHF 20'000 and a gold medal.
The award lecture is planned for the SCS Fall Meeting 2026, Bern, afternoon session of day 2 on August 28, 2026
Links:
Paracelsus Prize website
Website Prof. Günther
Picture: D. Günther
Werner Prize 2026
Prof. Nina Hartrampf, University of Zurich
receives the award for her outstanding program in chemical biology, driven by a detailed understanding of chemical reactivity, leveraged by state-of-the-art automation in flow chemistry, with a thorough evaluation in complex biological systems.
The prize is endowed with CHF 10’000 and a medal in bronze.
The award lecture will take place at the SCS Fall Meeting 2026, Bern, morning session of day 2 on August 28, 2026
Links:
Werner Prize website
Website Prof. Hartrampf
Picture by Clara Brand
Sandmeyer Prize 2026
The SCS honors
Dr. Gabriel Schäfer, Dr. Stefan Abele, Tony Fleischer and Muhamed Ahmetovic
from the chemical process development team from Actelion/Idorsia
in recognition of the team’s outstanding achievements to developing a scalable and cost-efficient enantioselective route of synthesis for ACT-1004-1239, a potent CXCR7-antagonist.
The award is endowed with CHF 20’000.
The award lecture will take place at the 18. Freiburger Symposium on April 16, 2027 and the SCS Fall Meeting 2026, Bern, afternoon session of day 2 on August 28, 2026
Links:
Sandmeyer Prize Website
SCS Senior Industrial Science Award 2026
Dr. Kurt Püntener, F. Hoffmann-La Roche AG
is honored in recognition for his outstanding contributions in delivering innovative and breakthrough solutions in route design and process development for accessing highly complex drug substances including peptides and oligonucleotides.
The prize is endowed with CHF 10’000.
The award lecture will take place at the SCS Fall Meeting 2026, Bern, afternoon session of day 1 on August 27, 2026.
Links:
Website SCS Industrial Science Award Program
Picture: K. Püntener
SCS Industrial Science Award 2026
Dr. Samuele Cazzamalli, Philogen S.p.A
is awarded for his outstanding contribution in tumor-targeting therapeutics.
The award is endowed with CHF 7’000.
The award lecture is planned at the SCS Fall Meeting 2026, Bern, morning session of day 2 on August 28, 2026.
Links:
Website SCS Industrial Science Award Program
Picture: S. Cazzamalli
Swiss Green & Sustainable Chemistry Award 2026
Prof. Sachin Handa, University of Missouri, Columbia, USA,
is honored for his groundbreaking work in water-based chemistry, in particular with the use and the understanding of the role of surfactants in catalysis.
The prize is endowed with CHF 10’000 and a certificate and is supported by Syngenta Crop Protetion AG.
The award lecture takes place at the SCS Spring Meeting in Fribourg, on April 23, 2026.
Links:
Website Swiss Green & Sustainable Chemistry Award
Website of Prof. Handa
Picture: https://chemistry.missouri.edu
METAS Award 2026
Dr. Una Trivanovic, METAS, Wabern-Bern,
receives the prize for her groundbreaking contribution to aerosol metrology and her doctoral thesis titled "Synthesis and dynamics of carbonaceous nanoparticles during enclosed spray combustion" that she completed at ETH Zurich.
The prize is endowed with CHF 5'000 and a certificate and is sponsored by METAS
The award lecture takes place the CHanalysis in Beatenberg, on March 17-18, 2026.
Links:
Webseite METAS Award
METAS Webseite
Picture: Una Trivanovic
Balmer Prize 2026
Frau Gabrijela Pejic und das MINT-Frauennetzwerk,
erhalten den Preis für ihr Projekt, an den Gymnasien mehr Schülerinnen für die naturwissenschaftlich-technischen Fächer zu begeistern und sie zu entsprechenden Studien und Berufen zu motivieren.
Der Preis ist mit CHF 4’000 und einer Bronze Medaille dotiert.
Die Award Lecture findet am Zentralkurs Chemie, Gym Lerbermatt Köniz, 07.-09.10.2026 statt.
Links:
Balmer Prize Website
MINT-Frauennetzwerk (SCNAT)
Picture: G. Pejic
DIAC Fellowship Award 2026
Dr. Tomas Smejkal, Syngenta Crop Protection AG
is awarded for his outstanding contributions in process chemistry, catalysis and high-throughput automation.
The award is endowed with CHF 1’000.
The tour will include lectures at University of Zurich, University of Fribourg as well as at Dottikon ES.
Links:
DIAC Fellow Website
Picture: T. Smejkal
Dr. Max Lüthi Prize 2026
Herr Lukas Lagler, ZHAW Wädenswil,
wird geehrt für seine herausragende Bachelorarbeit «Synthese von Protein-Tyrosin-Phosphatasen-Inhibitoren».
Der Preis ist mit CHF 1’000 und einer Bronze Medaille dotiert.
Links:
Dr. Max Lüthi Preis Website
Picture: L. Lagler
David Spichiger, SCS
28.11.2025
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