ILMAC Lausanne: onsite event for the first time after lockdown
Despite the challenges due to COVID, the organisers of ILMAC LAUSANNE 2020 can look back on a successful fair. On 7 and 8 October, some 721 professional visitors came to Expo Beaulieu in Lausanne to learn about and discuss innovative products, systems and applications for the entire laboratory value chain in industry and research. ILMAC LAUSANNE was thus the first meeting point for the industry since the corona lockdown and offered to the SCS a platform to organize two Symposia and two workshops onsite.
For two days, 117 leading suppliers from the life sciences sector presented visitors, who came predominantly from Switzerland, with the latest developments and topics relating to laboratory technology, analytics and biotechnology. “While digitalisation and automation are continually gaining importance in the life sciences sector, individual solutions are still required to tackle challenges in analytics and diagnosis”, explains Michael Bonenberger, Director of ILMAC LAUSANNE. “The high level of interest was reflected by the very high attendance figures for the symposia and workshops”, Bonenberger continued. The InnO2 for startups was a new feature this year. A total of ten young entrepreneurs presented their visions for the future viability of the industry.
SCS Symposia in the ILMAC Forum
On October 7 at 10.00h Andrea Sting from Syngenta opened the first onsite event of the SCS since February 2020 and chaired the symposium on the topic "Industry 4.0". Four lectures and a panel discussions provided the lates findings in the field.
Speakers of the Industry 4.0 Symposium: Juan-Luis Naveira, Syngenta, Jean-Luc Robyr, School of Engineering and Architecture of Fribourg, Sebastien Gonzalez, Vifor Pharma, Michel Barthe, Firmenich SA and Mikhaél Minisini, Apptitude SA.
After lunch at 14.00h Hans Peter Lüthi, chair of the event, introduced the first speaker of the afternoon symposium.
Speakers of the Industry 4.0 Symposium: Sebastian Schmitt, Novartis, Teodoro Laino, IBM Research Europe, Yves Lachavanne, Socorex Isba SA, Benedikt Wanner, Synple Chem AG, Björn Christensen, Metrohm International, Jason Meredith, Tecan and Christoph Jansen, Mettler-Toledo.
See the full program incl. the abstracts of the symposium on the website.
David Spichiger, SCS
08.10.2020
SCNAT Newsletter, October 2020
Prix Média 2020: Anleitung zum Griff nach den Sternen
Wie erklärt man einem breiten Publikum Exoplaneten? Die Antwort liefert «Attraper une exoplanète, mode d’emploi». Für diesen Online-Beitrag von «Le Temps» werden Fabien Goubet und das am Projekt beteiligte Team von den Akademien der Wissenschaften Schweiz ausgezeichnet. Weiter
Prix Média Newcomer 2020: Frauen und Corona
Michelle Isler analysiert in ihrem Beitrag die Rolle von Frauen in der Corona-Pandemie. Sie zeigt auf, wie wenig Auftritte Frauen in der Berichterstattung haben. Die Newcomerin überzeugte Jury und Publikum mit ihrer akribischen Recherche zu einem hochaktuellen, gesellschaftspolitischen Thema. Weiter
Der 2. Schweizer Landschaftskongress findet online statt
Aufgrund der aktuellen Pandemie-Lage wird der Kongress am 19. und 20. Oktober 2020 virtuell und mit angepasstem Programm durchgeführt. Unter dem Motto «Dialog über Grenzen hinweg» will der Anlass eine fruchtbare Debatte zur Weiterentwicklung der Landschaft in der Schweiz anstossen. Weiter
Call for Prix Schläfli 2021 for excellent doctoral theses
The Prix Schläfli, one of the longest-running science prizes in Switzerland (since 1866), is awarded by SCNAT to young scientists for excellent doctoral theses in Biology, Chemistry, Geosciences and Mathematics. Eligibility is limited to young researchers who did their doctoral thesis at a Swiss University, or Swiss nationals who did their doctoral thesis abroad. Candidates must have defended their doctoral thesis between 1 November 2017 and 31 October 2020. Nominations are submitted via an online form before 31 October 2020. More
Geothermie quo vadis? Ihre Rolle bei der Dekarbonisierung der Schweiz
Geothermische Energie spielt eine wichtige Rolle bei der Energiewende. Forschungsprogramme zu Energie und Geothermie haben im Rahmen der Energiestrategie 2050 in der Schweiz zu einer noch nie dagewesenen Zusammenarbeit zwischen Industrie, Wissenschaft, Verwaltung und Politik geführt. Die erste Phase dieser Programme ist abgeschlossen, und es ist Zeit für eine Bestandsaufnahme. Welche Wege eröffnen sich für die geothermische Energie? Welche Entwicklungen sind kurz- oder langfristig zu erwarten? Was kann die Geothermie beitragen, um die Ziele der Energiestrategie 2050 zuerreichen? Darüber diskutieren Fachleute am 4. November 2020 am Gurten-Symposium in Bern. Weiter
Shaping Earth: From Planet Accretion to Microbes
Am 6. und 7. November 2020 findet an der ETH Zürich das 18. Swiss Geoscience Meeting statt. Das Thema der Plenartagung am Freitag lautet «Shaping Earth: From Planet Accretion to Microbes». Am Samstag geben 28 Symposien Einblicke ins breite Spektrum der aktuellen geowissenschaftlichen Forschung. Organisiert wird die Tagung vom Departement Erdwissenschaften der ETH Zürich und von der Plattform Geowissenschaften der SCNAT. Weiter
Gender Diversity and Equality Workshop
As a prelude to the Swiss Geoscience Meeting (see above), on 6 November 2020 GEOsciences Diversity and Equality Switzerland is organizing an online workshop to raise awareness of the benefits that gender diversity, equality and inclusion for scientific advancement and research culture. This workshop will address the challenges, the statistics and the initiatives aimed at improving gender equality in the Swiss (Geo)science community. More
Transformative Forschung - der neue Imperativ in der Wissenschaft?
Forschung soll zu nachhaltiger Entwicklung beitragen. Wie aber sieht Forschung aus, die zu nachhaltiger Entwicklung im Globalen Süden beiträgt, und wie kann diese gefördert werden? Die Jahreskonferenz der SCNAT-Kommission für Forschungspartnerschaften mit Entwicklungsländern (KFPE) und des Swissuniversities Development and Cooperation Network (Sudac) am 13. November 2020 in Bern bringt Vertreterinnen und Vertreter von Forschung, Zivilgesellschaften, Unternehmen, Bundesämtern und Politik zusammen, um die Rolle und Förderung der transformativen Forschung zu diskutieren. Weiter
Mehr Nachhaltigkeit, Diversität und Chancengleichheit in der Wissenschaft
Die akademische Welt heute ist von ungesundem Wettbewerb, Publikationsdruck und einer Quantifizierungspraxis geprägt. Das rückt die Menschen in der Forschung in den Hintergrund. Die Initiative Better Science will dem entgegenwirken und fordert die Ermöglichung von reflektierter Innovation und Kreativität in einer entschleunigten Wissenschaft. Die SCNAT ist Partnerin von Better Science. Weiter
SWIFCOB 21: Biodiversität und Klima - die Transformation gemeinsam angehen
Die Tagung SWIFCOB 21 des Forums Biodiversität Schweiz der SCNAT bringt die beiden Themen Klima und Biodiversität mit ihren Communities zusammen, um gemeinsam über anstehende Herausforderungen und Lösungswege hinsichtlich des nötigen transformativen Wandels zu diskutieren. Die Veranstaltung findet am 5. Februar 2021 in Bern statt. Weiter
Professor François Diederich dies at 68
The Laboratory of Organic Chemistry announces with great sadness that our SCS member, friend and colleague Prof. François Diederich passed away on September 23, 2020 after a battle with cancer. He was held in highest esteem across all areas of chemistry, both in academia and in industry.
François played a key role in shaping modern chemistry and was a very active community member. He was a force of nature, working with extraordinary vigor and tireless energy for the benefit of young scientists, his large family of scientific progeny, and his colleagues. Over a career lustrous in accomplishments, François has profoundly influenced the contemporary understanding of weak interactions in supramolecular and medicinal chemistry.
François will also be remembered for his personal warmth and joie de vivre. He will be sorely missed but his legacy will persist.
If you would like to send your condolences, please use the following e-mail address:
The Laboratory of Organic Chemistry at ETH Zurich will assemble all condolences in a condolence book in honor of François.
LOC obituary François Diederich in the NZZ (PDF)
ETH obituary François Diederich (PDF)
David Spichiger, SCS / LOC, ETH Zurich
30.09.2020
Magritek Webinars: Spinsolve Benchtop NMR
Since many years, Magritek participates in many of the SCS events as exhibitor and presents the Spinsolve Benchtop NMR. As most of the SCS events were shifted to the virtual room, you could not meet the Magritek representatives in person. Therefore we are happy to offer you the possibility to look at the new Magritek NMR in one of the provided webinars.
Magritek is very pleased to offer one presentation by the CEO Dr. Andrew Coy explaining the latest Spinsolve developments and application examples in academic and industrial environments. In a second webinar the application scientist Dr. Sanel Suljic presents benchtop NMR in reaction monitoring and catalysis applications.
Attend the webinar on latest developments and example applications and you will:
- Understand the latest updates and developments of the Spinsolve product line.
- See how benchtop NMR can be used for reaction monitoring and determination of
reaction endpoints in real time. - Realize how even metabolites can be examined in fermentation processes.
- Learn how the Spinsolve with variable temperature option will cover new application areas.
- Be impressed how pulsed field gradients can be used on benchtop NMR spectroscopy
systems to determine self-diffusion coefficients.
>> Join the Spinsolve Webinars <<
Benchtop NMR systems have become indispensable analytical lab instruments during the past few years. While the launch of the Spinsolve 80 MHz NMR spectrometer pushes the limits in chemical shift spreading and sensitivity further, the introduction of the Spinsolve Autosampler facilitates a run of up to 20 tubes in one fully automatized cycle while an individual list of NMR protocols can be applied to each sample. Magritek’s Spinsolve Benchtop NMR spectrometers
- Offer the highest sensitivity, resolution and stability of all benchtop NMR
models on the market - Come fully equipped with intuitive software
- Operate in a fast, easy and convenient way
- Only need electricity for operation (no need for cryogens like liquid helium or liquid nitrogen)
Magritek is looking forward to answering any question of the audience. Thank you in advance.
With best regards and stay healthy.
Your Magritek Team
David Spichiger, SCS
01.10.2020
Brussels News Update, September 2020
European Highlights, Research, Innovation, Education, Entrepreneurship
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.
Discover the winners of the European Young Chemists’ Award (EYCA) here!
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.
Watch their speeches here!
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.
Read the full article here.
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.
Read the full article here.
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.
Read the article here.
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.
Read our full debrief here.
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 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.
Read the full article here.
Consultations & Roadmap
‘EU Green Deal (carbon border adjustment mechanism)’ public consultation
‘EU Green Deal (carbon border adjustment mechanism)’ public consultation, put forward by the European Commission, is currently open.
Deadline: 28 October 2020
You can take a look at it here
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.
Fundings, Nominations & Awards
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.
You can submit a nomination here.
2020 EuChemS Lecture Award
Each year, EuChemS celebrates the major achievements of a junior scientist working in chemistry.
You can submit a nomination here.
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.
You can submit a nomination here.
2020 EuChemS Historical Landmarks Award
The EuChemS Historical Landmarks Award, which aims to celebrate the important link between history, cultural heritage and chemistry, is open to submission.
You can submit a nomination here.
International Award Committee for the EuChemS Lecture Award (IACL)
The call for the International Award Committee for the EuChemS Lecture Award (IACL) is now open.
You can submit a nomination here (please scroll down to the Submission form “Jury Nomination for the International Award Committee for the EuChemS Lecture Award (IACL) 2020”).
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.
The value is on circularity - Webinar
5 November 2020
Online
Visit the website!
2018 EuChemS Lecture Awardee - Webinar
13 November 2020
Online event
Visit the website!
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
24.09.2020
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