Hello and welcome to the August edition of the Brussels News Updates, the monthly EuChemS newsletter keeping you up to date on the latest Chemistry related science-policy issues, news and upcoming events and awards.

This month, we bring you the news about several EuChemS Awards, we announce some finalists and some winners, but also bring our readers’ attention to the EuChemS calls for nominations that will be open in September 2020.

In this issue, we also take a look at the updates on the recovery fund proposed by the Parliament in May, we bring updates on the Commission’s “European Research and Innovation Days”, we share some EFSA’s news, as well as other Chemistry-related topics.

Keep reading for the latest news impacting Chemistry in Europe here!

European Highlights, Research, Innovation, Education, Entrepreneurship

Winners announced: EuChemS Historical Landmarks Awards 2019

 

Each year, EuChemS has an open call for a Historical Landmark Award, to recognise various sights of cultural heritage that are significant for the history of Chemistry. As some European countries already have a national landmark programme, two levels of EuChemS Historical Landmarks are foreseen: European (for major initiatives that have impact at the European level) and regional (for local initiatives significant for a particular region).

 

This year, the European level award goes to the Mines of Almaden in Spain, an exemplary historic mining site producing mercury, while the regional level award was given to Edessa Cannabis Factory Museum in Greece, which used to be a standard industrial unit, making ropes and twine from Indian hemp.

Read the full article here.

 

Finalists of the 2020 European Young Chemists’ Award (EYCA) announced! 

The European Award Committee for the EuChemS-EYCN Award (EYCAC) has selected finalists for the Early Career Researcher level and the PhD level, in recognition of the exceptional research in various fields of chemical sciences. The full list of the finalists is available!

Read the full article here.

 

 

Chemistry in Europe 2020-3 newsletter is online!

On 31 July, the quarterly EuChemS newsletter CiE2020-3 has been released. It includes an editorial from MEP Maria Spyraki, various policy and research updates, testimonies from Chemists across Europe about the adaptations to COVID-19 measures, and many other engaging topics.

You are kindly invited to scroll through the CiE 2020-3 here.

 

 

EU long-term budget deal must be improved for EP to accept it

The recovery fund proposed by the Parliament in May has been well accepted by EU leaders who are calling it a “historic move for the EU”. However, MEPs have communicated their complaints concerning the massive cuts to the grant components and the future-oriented programmes, as their concern is that they will “undermine the foundations of a sustainable and resilient recovery”. MEPs are prepared to withhold their consent to the long-term budget unless the deal is improved.

Read the full article here.

 

 

EYCN at the European Research and Innovation Days

EuChemS European Young Chemists’ Network (EYCN) will take an active part and contribute to the session on “Sustainability by Design” during European Research and Innovation Days. If you are interested to join this event that brings together policymakers, researchers, entrepreneurs, and citizens to debate and shape the future of research and innovation in Europe and beyond, you can follow their website for more information.

Read the full article here.

 


Jean-Pierre Bourguignon appointed President ad interim of the ERC

The European Commission (EC) appointed Professor Jean-Pierre Bourguignon as the President of the European Research Council (ERC) for an interim period until the next ERC President takes office. This re-selection has been well received across Europe, considering his previous position as the President of the ERC from 2014-2019, which was already his 2nd term.

Read the full article here.

 


How is the EU making sure perfluoroalkyl chemicals (PFAS) don’t stick around?

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a large family of synthetic chemicals that are widely used throughout society and thus found in the environment (groundwater, surface water, soil, and food). As all PFAS contain carbon-fluorine bonds, one of the strongest chemical bonds in organic chemistry, they are known to persist in the environment longer than any other man-made substance. Some PFAS have already been regulated globally by the Stockholm Convention for more than 10 years, while the manufacture and use of some PFAS are already restricted under REACH.

Read the full article here.

 

Consultations & Roadmap

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

 


European Chemicals Agency Consultations
A number of consultations put forward by the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) are currently open.

You can take a look at them here.

European Food Safety Agency Public Consultations
A number of consultations put forward by the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) are currently open.
You can take a look at it here.

Fundings, Nominations & Awards

Marie Sklodowska-Curie (MSCA) open calls
Currently two calls are open:

1. Individual Fellowships 2020
Deadline: 09 September 2020

2. Co-funding of regional, national, and international programmes 2020
Deadline: 29 September 2020

ERC Advanced Grant 
Researchers who would like to compete for an ERC Advanced Grant have until 26 August 2020 to apply for the next round of funding.

Currently two calls are open:

1. ERC Advanced Grants
Deadline: 26 August 2020

2. Proof of Concept Grant
Deadline: 17 September 2020

More information about it here.

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.

18th Ružička days – “Today science – tomorrow industry”
16-18 September 2020, Vukovar Croatia
Website: see here

 

2020 EuChemS General Assembly
24 September 2020, Online Event
Website: www.euchems.eu

2020 EuChemS Professional Networks (PNs) annual meeting
29 September 2020, online event (Zoom meeting)
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
18.08.2020

JMP Livestream

October 8th, 2020 10:30-12:00 CEST / 9:30-11:00 BST

Register now

Gaining and maintaining competitive advantage requires today’s organizations to innovate at increasing speed. As products and processes become more complex, subject matter expertise alone does not always deliver progress at the pace demanded. Many experts working in R&D rely on a traditional approach to this problem, changing one variable at a time. It might seem to offer the structure for more predictability, but can end up constraining innovation and decreasing efficiency in the long run. 
The answer for an increasing number of organizations is design of experiments (DOE). DOE is a methodology that scales regardless of the size of the problem. It provides the ability to thoroughly explore the opportunity space, creating a model that can increase understanding of the problem, drive decisions and enable consensus with other stakeholders.
The more complex a problem and the more factors involved, the bigger the opportunity space to be explored – and the greater the impact of DOE.
Tim Gardner is a scientist and the CEO and founder of Riffyn, an organization enabling scientists to easily combine DOE with efficient data management and contextualization. Gardner said recently that DoE has changed his life, just as it changed organizations where he worked in the past. Some plants where he worked with DOE experienced a productivity boost of 10-15% and reduced time to market for new products from 15 months to three months.
Bradley Jones, Senior Research Fellow at JMP, calls DOE “active learning” and highlights how it gives organizations the ability to “fail fast”, which in turn drives rapid innovation. Perhaps reframing DOE in these terms would help to demystify it and encourage more scientists and organizations to make the leap. 
 
Join the discussion about the power of using smart trial and error to speed innovation; achieve faster, more predictable cycles; and save time. Register
 
Céline Wittwer, SCS
12.08.2020

 

Vom 23. bis 30. Juli hiess die Türkei 235 Jugendliche aus 60 Ländern willkommen – allerdings nicht in Istanbul, sondern im Internet. Die Internationale Chemie-Olympiade, kurz IChO, fand wegen der Pandemie virtuell statt. Vier Chemie-Talente aus der Schweiz hatten sich am nationalen Wettbewerb im April für diese internationale Herausforderung qualifiziert:

  •  Albert Shang, Ecole Internationale de Genève (GE)
  •  Daniel Isler, Kantonsschule Baden (AG)
  •  Jasmin Frei, Kantonsschule Wettingen (AG)
  •  Lennart Horn, Kantonsschule Solothurn (SO)  
 
Jasmin Frei wurde an der IChO 2020 mit einer Bronzemedaille ausgezeichnet. Ausserdem erhielt Lennart Horn eine Ehrenmeldung. Weiter
Céline Wittwer, SCS
03.08.2020
 

 

Eine Strategie zur Dekarbonisierung fehlt
Die Akademien der Wissenschaften Schweiz begrüssen die Änderungen des Energiegesetzes, mit denen der Bund das Klimaabkommen von Paris erfüllen will. Aber es braucht umfassendere Anpassungen. Weiter

So gelingt die gesellschaftliche Transformation
Wie gelangen wir zu einer nachhaltigen und wachstumsunabhängigen Wirtschafts- und Lebensweise? Der neue ProClim-Flash des Forums für Klima und globalen Wandel liefert mögliche Antworten. Weiter

Von Produzenten, Konsumenten und Destruenten
Was es braucht, dass Nahrungsnetze und Nährstoffkreisläufe in Weide-Ökosystemen funktionieren, zeigt ein neues Fachbuch der Forschungskommission des Schweizerischen Nationalparks. Weiter

Schweizer Arten vor dem Aus
Still und leise verschwinden in der Schweiz unzählige Tier- und Pflanzenarten. Zusammen mit dem Fotografen Tomas Wüthrich begleiteten die Journalisten Gregor Klaus und Nicolas Gattlen Artenforscherinnen und Artenforscher auf der Suche nach den letzten Überlebenden von elf Spezies. Entstanden sind Geschichten über faszinierende Pflanzen und Tiere und über die Menschen, die sich für deren Rettung einsetzen. Das Forum Biodiversität Schweiz veröffentlicht die Reportagen nun im Buch «Arten vor dem Aus». Das Buch ist ab dem 10. August 2020 im Handel erhältlich. Am 19. August findet in Bern die Vernissage im Beisein der Autoren und des Fotografen statt. Weiter

Der Permafrost in der Schweiz taut auf
In den letzten Jahrzehnten hat sich der Permafrost in der Schweiz erwärmt. Es wurden zahlreiche Anzeichen von Degradation beobachtet, und die meisten Blockgletscher bewegen sich deutlich schneller. Das zeigen Langzeitmessungen des Schweizer Permafrostmessnetzes (Permos). Permos wurde im Jahr 2000 als weltweit erstes Messnetz für Permafrost ins Leben gerufen und ist heute ein anerkannter Bestandteil der internationalen Gemeinschaft. Es bietet das grösste Archiv an Permafrostdaten von Gebirgsregionen. Weiter

Neuer Präsident für die Nachwuchsförderung
Die Kommission für Nachwuchsförderung der SCNAT hat Patrick Linder zu ihrem neuen Präsidenten gewählt. Er tritt die Nachfolge von Philippe Moreillon an, der seit dem 1. Juli 2020 Präsident der SCNAT ist. Der Mikrobiologe forscht und lehrt an der Universität Genf. Zudem ist er Mitglied der Plattform Biologie der SCNAT und war von 2013 bis 2018 deren Präsident. Weiter

ScienceComm 2020 - Emotionen in der Wissenschaft
Gefühle durchdringen alles – auch die Wissenschaft – und sind deswegen schwer fassbar. Was, wenn nicht nur Fähigkeiten Entscheidungsprozesse bestimmen, sondern auch Emotionen? Dies erörtern Expertinnen und Experten am 17. September 2020 am Schweizer Jahreskongress der Wissenschaftskommunikation ScienceComm 2020 in Solothurn. Weiter

Anpassung an die gesundheitlichen Auswirkungen des Klimawandels in Europa
Hitzewellen, Überschwemmungen, Brände oder infektiöse Krankheiten: Der Klimawandel hat auch negative Auswirkungen auf die menschliche Gesundheit. Ein wissenschaftliches Gutachten zuhanden der EU empfiehlt deshalb, den Gesundheitssektor für diese Herausforderungen vorzubereiten und entsprechende Strategien zu entwickeln. Weiter

Rigi Workshop 2021: Cell Biology of Infection
Do you want to increase your knowledge in the broad field of cell biology of infection? Join the 3-days workshop at the top of Rigi mountain on 31 January 2021. At one of the most scenic spots in Switzerland you will develop your scientific network and discuss your research with other PhD students and experts in a friendly atmosphere. The event is organised by the Platform Biology of SCNAT. Subscribe now! More

Artenvielfalt auf Banknoten
Unzählige Tier- und Pflanzenarten zieren Banknoten weltweit. Sie sind wichtiger Teil der jeweiligen Identität eines Landes. Sascha Ismail vom Forum Biodiversität der SCNAT hat die Artenvielfalt auf Banknoten untersucht und im Radio SRF darüber berichtet. Weiter

 

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

Céline Wittwer, SCS
03.08.2020

Hello and welcome to the third edition of the 2020 Chemistry in Europe - the newsletter for chemists and beyond, with contributions from our team, Members, Professional Networks and more. 

Access the full online newsletter by clicking here.

What to expect in this issue:

Editorial
Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability - Setting the new standards

Focus
What’s new at EuChemS?

Policy
The Council of the European Union: what about research?

Research
Flotation: A paradigm of an industrial process requiring scientific knowledge from different disciplines and at several size scales
How chemistry is helping in the fight against Coronavirus

Members' Perspectives
German Chemical Society supports Diversity and Equality
Meet...

Notes
EuChemS turns 50!
Interview with EuChemS EUCYS 2019 winner, Zeyad Bady
Webinar Collaboration: COVID-19, Job Hunting and Awards
CatalysisTalks – Bringing Research to the World during the COVID-19 Pandemic
COVID-19 Testimonies

Calendar of upcoming events

Fun fact

Colophon 

Happy Reading,
CiE Editorial Board

 

David Spichiger, SCS
29.07.2020

  1. Chemistry Europe Voices - Self-Care is Not the Enemy of Performance
  2. Brussels News Update, July 2020
  3. Update of the SCS Bylaws
  4. Philippe Moreillon neuer Präsident der SCNAT

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