With pleasure we look back on a very interesting and active year. The Swiss Chemical Society not only continued and developed its well-established activities but again pushed new initiatives to face todays challenges. We also implemented new sections and networks to incorporate community members whose interest were not covered so far. In addition, the SCS took over the responsibility for existing programs that run now under the umbrella of the SCS and complete its activity portfolio. 

2020 was one of the most difficult and challenging years that we have lived through at the personal and professional level and the outbreak of the global Covid-19 pandemic restricted our life in ways we could never have imagined. From March 2020, meetings with larger groups were prohibited and collaboration was therefore limited to virtual meetings. Many of our events had to be cancelled, postponed or conducted virtually and it seems that this situation will continue at least until summer 2021.

The most important, new initiatives in 2020:

  • Establish the Section Chemistry and the Environment, incl. CHIMIA issue 3/2020 and a new parallel session at the SCS Fall Meeting on that topic.
  • New strategic orientation of SusChem Switzerland and merge the network with the SCS community of Green and Sustainable Chemistry.
  • Launch three new networks in the fields of Chemical Ecology, Flow Chemistry and Materials Chemistry and define the mission statements as well as first activities for 2021.
  • Develop and promote the two social networks Women in Chemistry and youngSCS, which reinforce and enrich our strong thematic communities.
  • Develop the new SCS webpage including the portals for our thematic and social communities as well as a new website template for the efficient handling of our numerous events.
  • Furthermore, we stayed actively connected to our partners and co-operated for many projects.  

Please enjoy reading through the 2020 annual report that shows again a very active and lively society.

Dr. Alain De Mesmaeker              David Spichiger
President                                              Executive Director

 

Annual Report 2020

The SCS Annual Report is also published in CHIMIA Volume 75, No 1-2/2021

 

Céline Wittwer, SCS
02.03.2021

The Swiss Chemical Society Spring Meeting is a one day symposium and provides a high quality program with national and international speakers of a certain topic.
It is also the platform for the Werner Prize Ceremony and the Werner Award Lecture.

SCS Spring Meeting 2021: «Chemistry and the Environment» 
online symposium
Thu, April 15, 2021, 09.00-16.50h

The organizers, invite you to join the event and are looking forward to welcoming you online in April 2021.

SCS Spring Meeting 2021, Flyer

Registration

Please register until before April 1st, 20121 for invoice payment on the Symposium Website
Participation is free for SCS mebers and costs CHF 50.00 for non-members.

Program

09.00 Opening the virutal conference room
09.30 Opening of the symposium, welcome message
Prof. Kathrin Fenner, Eawag Dübendrof and University of Zurich, Chair of the SCS section Chemistry and the Environment
Prof. Ioannis Katsogiannis, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, GR, President EuChemS Section Chemistry & Environment
09.50 Prof. Lucy Carpenter, University of York, UK
«Atmospheric Chemistry On and Over the Ocean»
10.30 Short Break
10.40 Prof. Tamara Galloway, University of Exeter, UK
«Microplastic and Global Boundary Threads»
11.20 Dr. Michael Sander, ETH Zürich, CH
«From Persistence to Desistance: on the Environmental Fate of Biodegradable Polymers»
12.00 Lunch Break
13.15 SCS General Assembly
14.00 Prof. Wendy Queen, EPFL Lausanne, CH
«The Design of Highly Stable MOF/Polymer Composites for the Extraction of Metal Ions from Complex Aqueous Mixtures»
14.40 Dr. Claudio Screpanti, Syngenta, CH
«Crop Protection 2.0: Chemical Innovation to Support Sustainable Agriculture»
15.20 Short Break
15.30 Dr. Bettina Hitzfeld, Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN)
«Environmental Chemistry: Future Challenges»
16.30 Prof. Arturo Keller, UC Santa Barbara, USA
«Elucidating Crop Plant Response to Engineered Nanomaterials Using Metabolomics and Proteomics»
16.50 Closing remarks

 

Sponsors

Exhibitors

Céline Wittwer, SCS
23.02.2021

 

 

Hello and welcome to the first edition of the 2021 Chemistry in Europe - the newsletter mainly intended for an audience of chemists, but everyone is welcome to subscribe. The Chemistry in Europe newsletter includes contributions from our team, Members, Professional Networks and more. It informs you about research in Europe, provides updates from EuChemS Member Organisations, and looks into policy-related developments.

Access the full online newsletter by clicking here.

What to expect in this issue:

Editorial
Light at the end of the tunnel

Focus
EuChemS at #GWB2021
Together for more Chemistry
Year Book 2020

Policy
Prosciutto pizza for vegans: haute cuisine?
How can plants become sensors of toxic chemicals?

Research
Recovering non-conventional water sources to combat water scarcity

Members' Perspectives
GDCh and ACS panel discussion about the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals
News from the Hungarian Chemical Society
Bridging Christmas Traditions

Meet...
Welcome in your new role at EuChemS!
Pilar Goya awarded the HonFRSC designation

Networks
EYCN Podcast – Chemistry to your ears

Chemistry Talks NEW
A European Chemist, If Not A World Citizen

Calendar

Colophon

Happy Reading,
CiE Editorial Board

Hey, welcome to the Brussels News Updates (BNU), EuChemS newsletter for policy makers, chemists, entrepreneurs and citizens with an interest in chemistry. The BNU newsletter will keep you up to date on the latest chemistry-related and science-policy news, awards, consultations and upcoming events in Europe and beyond.

In this issue, we share with you many news, such as:
- our first Global Women’s Breakfast to address diversity and inclusion in the chemical sciences;
- EuChemS Year Book 2020;
- the launch of Horizon Europe, and of the new ERA Forum for Transition;
- the ISE’s report on the Precarity of Academic Careers.

Is there anything that you would like to read about in the next issue of the BNU? Let us know!
Is this your first BNU reading? Subscribe now to our BNU for your monthly updates!

You can read the full newsletter online here!

European Highlights, Research, Innovation, Education, Entrepreneurship

First EuChemS @Global Women's Breakfast 2021
On the occasion of the Global Women’s Breakfast 2021 #GWB2021, an IUPAC initiative, the European Chemical Society (EuChemS) organised its first own event on Tuesday, 9 February 2021, from 10:00 to 11:00 CET.

An impressive line-up of speakers from the European Chemistry community  engaged with more than 150 attendees on various inclusion-related topics, including work-life balance, building professional networks and STEM education for school-age kids. The recording of the online breakfast is now available on the EuChemS YouTube channel.

Read our full debrief here.

2020: a year to remember or a year to forget? 
The EuChemS Year Book 2020 is now available online!

The 2020 Yearbook is a form of a EuChemS annual report which looks back at the activities and achievements carried out by the European Chemical Society and its community over the year. It also offers an insightful overview of EuChemS Professional Networks and their work. Divided between chapters, the Yearbook explores the 2020 initiatives and actions in policy areas, meetings, events and webinars, as well as awards and the activities related to the 50thanniversary celebration of the European Chemical Society.

Read more about it here.

The launch of 'Horizon Europe' strengthens EU R&I goals
On 2 February 2021, the Portuguese Presidency of the Council of the European Union and the European Commission hosted the launch event of ‘Horizon Europe’, the European Union’s most ambitious Research and Innovation framework programme for the 2021-2027 period.

During this online event, the European Commission reaffirmed the important role of ‘Horizon Europe’ for Research and Innovation: the next seven-year framework programme will focus on societal challenges, including public health, population aging, security and defence, as well as pollution and climate change.

Read the full article here.

 

New ERA Forum for Transition
On 4 February 2021, the European Commission launched the new European Research Area (ERA) Forum for Transition. It is composed of EU Member States’ representatives, and it also includes one representative from each EEA/EFTA country.

The main goal of the ERA Forum for Transition is to provide recommendations to the Directorate-General Research and Innovation (DG-RTD) on the governance structure of the ERA, and on the development of the first ERA policy agenda.

Read the full article here.

 

Delays to ERC 2021 Work programme and first calls
With the transition from ‘Horizon 2020’ to ‘Horizon Europe’, the new seven-year framework programme for Research and Innovation, the European Research Council (ERC) postponed the publication of the first ‘Horizon Europe’ calls, until the programme is adopted by the European Commission.

Read our full debrief here.

 

EIC Innovation Launchpad call: €3.5 million awarded to 35 projects
On 5 February, the European Innovation Council (EIC) announced that 35 projects from 10 European countries were selected in its last Innovation Launchpad call. In total, 118 proposals were submitted for this Innovation Launchpad call.

The selected projects include innovations in various sectors, such as railways, artificial intelligence, energy, and much more.

Read the full article here.

 

ISE’s report on the Precarity of Academic Careers
Initiative for Science in Europe (ISE) released a report on the precarity of academic careers in Europe. As ISE considers that precarity of academic careers is one of the most pressing issues of the research system, the ISE Researchers’ Careers Task Force focused its reflection on the causes for precarity in the academic sector:

  • Funding of academic careers;
  • Research assessment practices;
  • Research grant evaluation.

Read our full debrief here.

 

 

2021 IUPAC Distinguished Women in Chemistry or Chemical Engineering Awards
On 11 February 2021, on the occasion of the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) announced the 12 awardees of the IUPAC 2021 Distinguished Women in Chemistry or Chemical Engineering.

EuChemS is proud to see Dr Rachel Mamlok-Naaman, the Chair of the EuChemS Division of Chemical Education, as one of the awardees. On behalf of all of us at EuChemS, we congratulate Rachel Mamlok-Naaman on her award!

Read the full article here.

Consultations & Roadmap

European Commission Public Consultations and Roadmaps
A number of consultations and roadmaps put forward by the European Commission are currently open:

European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) public consultations
A number of consultations put forward by ECHA are currently open.
You can take a look at them here.

European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) public consultations
A number of consultations put forward by EFSA are currently open.
You can take a look at them here.

Public consultation on the active substance Limestone
17 March 2021

Public consultation on the active substance Hydrolysed proteins
31 March 2021

Public consultation on the active substance asulam as regards the assessments following the clock stop on endocrine properties in the context of the pesticides peer review following a mandate from the Commission
3 April 2021

Fundings, Nominations & Awards

EURAMET Call for Needs 2021 
The European Association of National Metrology Institutes (EURAMET) announced the launch of the 2021 Call for Needs for several topic areas, within the potential European Partnership on Metrology.

Deadline: 22 February 2021, 23:59 CET

Website: https://bit.ly/3jBEtvT

RawMaterials Accelerator
RawMaterials Accelerator introduces start-up teams to potential customers from the EIT RawMaterials partner networks willing to adopt innovations. The programme connects local and national ecosystems to the pan-European network of a pilot and test infrastructure facilities, as well as potential customers.

Deadline (phase 1): 1 March 2021

Website: https://bit.ly/3qhofe1

Call for applications for the ISC3 Innovation Challenge 2021 on Sustainable Chemistry and Renewable Energies
The International Sustainable Chemistry Collaborative Centre (ISC3) Innovation Challenge 2020/2021 addresses innovators from around the world which are active in developing sustainable chemistry solutions linked to renewable energies.

Deadline: 1 April 2021, 12:00 am CEST

Website: https://bit.ly/373FgAG

EuChemS Events

In the current environment and status of COVID-19, some events recognised by EuChemS are being postponed or cancelled.
EuChemS Events calendar is being updated on a regular basis.
If you planned to attend an event, you can check more about it here.

Sustainable Chemistry Lecture Series - SCLS
2 March 2021
Online
Visit the website! 

EuSamplePrep Conference
11-12 March 2021
Online event 
Visit the website!

Eurovariety 2021
7-9 July 2021
Ljublijana, Slovenia & online
Visit the website!

 

OTHER EVENTS

18th Hellenic Symposium on Medicinal Chemistry
25 – 27 February 2021
Online
Website: https://bit.ly/3pnQZjQ

Research assessment practices – Precarity in academia webinar series 
4 March 2021, 14:00 – 15:30 CET
Online
Website : https://bit.ly/3rThJdR

Research grant evaluation– Precarity in academia webinar series
18 March 2021, 14:00 – 15:30 CET
Online
Website: https://bit.ly/3qm5zKh

ONE – Health, Environment, Society – Conference 2022
21 – 24 June 2022
Hybrid: Brussels, Belgium & online
Website: https://bit.ly/2N6MCga

Read the full BNU newsletter here

EuChemS aisbl - Rue du Trône 62, 1050, Brussels, Belgium; www.euchems.eu. Produced for EuChemS by Nineta Hrastelj, Laura Jousset and Jelena Lazić. This newsletter has been carefully prepared and only contains correct information to the best of EuChemS´ knowledge, however this does not exclude the possibility of existence of incorrect information. EuChemS cannot be liable for the use or misuse of any information, whether correct or incorrect, present at this newsletter. Intellectual property belongs to its rightful owners, always explicitly traceable on each article. Compilation Copyright © 2020 EuChemS

Céline Wittwer, SCS
18.02.2021

2020: a year to remember or a year to forget?

The EuChemS Year Book 2020 is now available online!

The 2020 Yearbook is a form of a EuChemS annual report which looks back at the activities and achievements carried out by the European Chemical Society and its community over the year. It also offers an insightful overview of EuChemS Professional Networks and their work. Divided between chapters, the Yearbook explores the 2020 initiatives and actions in policy areas, meetings, events and webinars, as well as awards and the activities related to the 50thanniversary celebration of the European Chemical Society.

Read more about it here.

  1. "Empowering Diversity in Science: Gender in Academia and Publishing" a virtual symposium
  2. Chemistry Travel Award 2021 - Application now open!
  3. SCNAT Newsletter, January 2021
  4. ILMAC 2021 shifted to 19.-21. October 2021

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