Novartis and the Swiss Women in Chemistry present: 

Corporate Insights at Novartis
on Friday, 13th November, 2020 from 3 to 5pm CEST

 

Speakers:
Karin Briner, Head of Global Discovery Chemistry
Despina Solomonidou, Head of Technical Research & Development New Chemical Entities

Please register here
Registration for the online event is open from October 17th until November 12th, 2020.

Corporate Insights at Novartis will introduce GDC and NCE to the chemistry community, as well as provide personal insights from key industry leaders.

Agenda:

3:00pm - Introduction to Swiss Women in Chemistry

3:15pm - Karin Briner, Global Discovery Chemistry (GDC)

4:00pm - Despina Solomonidou, New Chemical Entities (NCE)

Céline Wittwer, SCS
17.10.2020

 

Hello and welcome to the October edition of the Brussels News Updates, the monthly EuChemS newsletter keeping you up to date on the latest chemistry related science-policy issues, news, awards, and upcoming events. At the end of September, our General Assembly and Professional Networks meetings were held online, where pertinent topics and initiatives were discussed and decided. Amongst other, we welcomed newly elected members of the Executive Board who will start their mandates in January 2021. Meanwhile, the spotlight was on EU science and research during the EU’s Research and Innovation days, negotiations on Horizon Europe, and on 2020 Nobel Laureates in Chemistry. The calls for submissions for four major EuChemS awards are open, as well as the call for the International Award Committee for the EuChemS Lecture Award (IACL), so we invite you to send your nomination before 31 December 2020! You can read the full newsletter online here!

European Highlights, Research, Innovation, Education, Entrepreneurship

EuChemS 2020 General Assembly
The 2020 EuChemS General Assembly meeting took place on Thursday, 24 September 2020. Representatives from EuChemS Member Societies and Supporting Members attended the first ever EuChemS General Assembly meeting held online, including the voting session.

The meeting was chaired by Pilar Goya, EuChemS President.

Read more about it here!

Meet newly elected EuChemS Executive Board members 
Renáta Oriňaková, Christophe Copéret and Artur Silva were elected to the EuChemS Executive Board by the 2020 General Assembly which was held online on 24 September. Their mandate starts on 1 January 2020.

EuChemS congratulates them and warmly welcomes them.

Meet newly elected EuChemS Executive Board members here!

Horizon Europe: trilogue negotiations on the budget are still on the agenda
On 6 October 2020, the German Presidency of Council of the European Union, the European Commission, and the ITRE Committee started together another round of negotiations for Horizon Europe’s budget. The 2021-2027 multiannual budget is being paired with a temporary scheme running from 2021 – 2024, which is aimed at supporting the European Union’s recovery from the COVID-19 crisis.

The Members of European Parliament (MEPs) demanded additional funding: at stake is the multiannual budget for Horizon Europe, but also for the Erasmus+ programme. Following the cuts announced in July 2020 (the European Commission reduced Horizon Europe’s budget to €80.9 billion), MEPs rejected all deal proposals that did not include a budget increase.
Read the full article here.

EU Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability: towards a safer and greener future
On 14 October, the European Commission adopted the EU Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability. This strategy is part of the European Union’s zero pollution ambition by 2050, as announced in the European Green Deal.

With this plan, the European Communication fully recognises the role of chemicals to achieve green transition and its benefits for human well-being, but also strengthens regulations on the most hazardous and harmful chemicals. The EU Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability establishes concrete actions for a safer and greener future.
Read our full debrief here.

 

2020 Nobel Laureates in Chemistry
On 7 October 2020, the Royal Swedish Academy of Science announced that Emmanuelle Charpentier (French) and Jennifer A. Doudna (American) are the 2020 Nobel Laureates in Chemistry for developing the CRISPR-cas9 genetic scissors.  Due to the current environment and environment of COVID-19, an online version of the traditional Nobel Awarding Ceremony will be held this year.

 

Together, they recreated the CRISPR-cas9 genetic scissors in a test tube. They also simplified the scissors’ molecular components, so they were easier to use. With the development of this method for genome editing, « researchers can change the DNA of animals, plants and microorganisms with extremely high precision. » Their discovery will contribute to new cancer therapies and may be used in the future to treat inherited diseases.
Read the full article here.

 

Latest ECHA Committee
The European Chemical Society attended the Committee for Risk Assessment (RAC) online meeting of the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) in September which addressed several pressing issues. Significant topics were discussed, including the new interpretation of the Judgment of the General Court of 7 March 2019 REACH — Commission Decision authorising the use of lead sulfochromate yellow and of lead chromate molybdate sulfate red –Article 60(4) and (5) of Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006 — Examination of the lack of availability of alternatives — Error of law. RAC also discussed applications for authorisation, other restriction proposals and harmonised classification and labelling.

Read the 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.

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
19.10.2020

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.

Photos of the symposia

 

David Spichiger, SCS
08.10.2020

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

Akademie der Naturwissenschaften Schweiz (SCNAT)
Haus der Akademien・Laupenstrasse 7・Postfach・3001 Bern
Andres Jordi・+41 31 306 93 23・

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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

  1. Magritek Webinars: Spinsolve Benchtop NMR
  2. Brussels News Update, September 2020
  3. ICXRL 2020 - Call for Abstract Submission
  4. 3rd Swiss Industrial Chemistry Symposium 2020 (SICS)

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