Brussels News Update, February 2019

Hello and welcome to the February edition of Brussels News Updates, the EuChemS newsletter keeping you up-to-date with the latest developments affecting the chemical sciences, as well as our news, activities and upcoming events!

With the International Year of the Periodic Table now in full swing, we look back on what has been an incredibly busy but exciting early 2019, with events taking place in Brussels to Murcia, without forgetting the fantastic opening ceremony in Paris. But aside from celebrations, important policy developments are taking place, not least with our issued statement on ‘Plan S’ for open access in scientific publishing, EU-UK relations and their impact on science, and more besides.

You can read the full newsletter online here.  

Content

European Highlights

• EuChemS issues statement on the implementation guidelines of Plan S and attends latest OSPP meeting
• Year Book 2018 published
• The #IYPT2019, the Periodic Table and EuChemS
• ‘Elemental Escapades!’: the new EuChemS video game
• ECHA submits proposal for ban on microplastics
• When international collaboration creates Chemistry
• Science week in the European Parliament
• Women and the Periodic Table
• Join us for our upcoming event!
• Members of the European Parliament warn of ‘snail pace on pesticide innovation’

Consultations & Roadmap

• Call for feedback: High and low Indirect Land-Use Change (ILUC) – risks biofuels, bioliquids and biomass fuels
• Public consultation: Evaluation of the feed additives Regulation

Calls for Funding and Awards

• Horizon 2020: Converting Sunlight to storable chemical energy
• Horizon 2020: Safety Research and Innovation for advanced nuclear systems

Events

• Link to event list

Invitation to the SCS General Assembly 2019

The Board of Directors invites all members of the Swiss Chemical Society and the delegates of its associated societies to join the 29^th General Assembly:

29^th General Assembly of the Swiss Chemical Society
April 5, 2019, 13.00–13.30h, Empa Akademie, Dübendorf

Provisional Agenda

1. Welcome and approval of the agenda
2. Election of the vote counters
3. Minutes of the 28^th General Assembly from April 6, 2018 in Neucâtel (published in CHIMIA 5/2018, A348)
4. Annual report 2018 (published on the SCS website and in CHIMIA 1-2/2019)
5. Financial statement 2018 incl. audit report
6. Discharge the Board
7. Elections
8. News and strategic projects
9. Outlook 2019/2020
10. Varia

Motions to the assembly can be submitted until March 22, 2019 to .
A summary of the financial statement 2018 will be published on the website after the formal audit (accessible with member login only)

Swiss Chemical Society (SCS)
Dr. Alain De Mesmaeker, President
David Spichiger, Executive Director

Innovation award “Bio-based Material of the Year 2019: call for applictions

The established innovation award “Bio-based Material of the Year” award will once again be granted to novel, innovative and trendsetting bio-based materials and products. The target of the award is to bring new developments, launched in 2018 or to be launched in 2019, into the spotlight. The award is given by nova-Institute and sponsored by InfraServ Knapsack.

Deadline for submission: end of February 2019.

The innovation award will be carried out within the framework of the “12^th International Conference on Bio-based Materials” in Cologne, 15-16 May 2019 (www.bio-based-conference.com). The Bio-based Material Conference is a well-established meeting point for companies working in the field of bio-based chemicals and materials.

Among the applicants, six candidates will be nominated for the award by an independent expert jury, and will then get the opportunity to hold a ten-minute presentation at the conference. The participants of the conference will elect the final winner of the innovation award “Bio-based Material of the Year 2019”.

Applying to the award is free of charge and each nominated “Top 6” candidate will receive one free 2-day ticket to attend the conference. This is a unique opportunity to promote new bio-based materials and products, that have been or are going to be launched to the market in 2018 or 2019. nova-Institute will issue a worldwide press release and use all communication channels to publish the award-winning material or product.

Click the link to find out more about the innovation award and complete the online application form: www.bio-based-conference.com/award-application/

Last year, the granulate PLA reinforced with a degradable glass fibre from the Finnish company Arctic Biomaterials Oy (www.abmcomposite.com) won the “Bio-based Material of the Year 2018” award. Tomi Kangas, Sales and Marketing says: “The bio-based material of the year award has definitely been of great value to our company. In several cases where customers and co-operation partners have contacted us they have referred to this award as the trigger to look for information about our company and products. We have also been contacted from areas outside our normal reach due to the wide press coverage the award exposed us to.”

In the past, the companies like Aimplas (ES), Arctic Biomaterials (FI), Bio-Lutions (DE), Cardolite Corporation (US/BE), Covestro (DE), Fischerwerke (DE), Ecovative Design (US), Evonik (DE), FKuR (DE), Hib Trim Part Solutions (DE/JP), NewLight Technologies (US), Omodo (DE), Orineo (BE), Paptic (FI), Phytowelt (DE), Qmilk (DE) and Staedtler Mars (DE) have already won the Innovation Award. We received a great feedback from these companies and they reported a significant boost for their bio-based innovation after the conference. Find more details about the winners from previous years at: www.bio-based-conference.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/18-10-22-BMC-2019-Innovation-Award-Winners.pdf

More than 200 participants, mainly from the industry, are expected at the conference. Find the preliminary program and additional workshops on the conference website. www.bio-based-conference.com

nova-Institute is a private and independent research institute, founded in 1994; nova offers research and consultancy with a focus on bio-based and CO2-based economy in the fields of food and feedstock, techno-economic evaluation, markets, sustainability, dissemination, B2B communication and policy. Every year, nova organises several large conferences on these topics; nova-Institute has 30 employees and an annual turnover of more than 3 million €.

If you don't want to get further press releases from nova-Institute, please contact

David Spichiger, SCS
07.02.2019

BASEL LIFE: 9–12 September 2019

BASEL LIFE: Showcasing Europe’s Excellence in Life Sciences

BASEL LIFE is Europe’s leading congress in the life sciences, showcasing cutting-edge science and technology. It brings together preeminent researchers in the field, and offers talented young scientists the possibility to present themselves. Basel is the heart of European’s Life Sciences landscape.

	Science EMBO at BASEL LIFE is an international scientific conference on current and emerging topics in the life sciences, bringing the best in fundamental research to a wide audience. Please click here for the Scientific Programme
	Bioinformatics [BC]2 at BASEL LIFE is the key bioinformatics and computational biology event in Switzerland. This year’s thematic focus is on big data in molecular medicine.
	Technology, Application & Business Business-oriented applied science forums covering a wider range of topics with focus on translating science to practice.  Please click here for the Scientific Programme of Innovation Forums.
	Exhibition Industry exhibition with over 60 suppliers showcasing state-of-the art technology and solutions.
	European Job Fair A showcase for Life Sciences companies during an innovative exhibition to win young and highly qualified scientists from Europe.

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Contact

BASEL LIFE 2018
Congrex Switzerland Ltd.
Peter Merian-Strasse 80
4002 Basel, Switzerland
+41 61 686 77 77
+41 61 686 77 88

Website: https://www.basellife.org/2019

David Spichiger, SCS
05.02.2019