Solidarity with our colleagues worldwide

Editorials in English in Nachrichten aus der Chemie are not unknown, but rather rare. In addition to my inner desire to make GDCh even more international, there is another highly topical and serious reason why I chose this language for this editorial. I would hope that, in this way, it will reach out to international colleagues who are currently in an extremely difficult situation, as they are facing significant restrictions on their academic freedom, not only but also, in chemistry. This problem has existed for some time in many regions of the world, but has now reached a country that was previously considered a safe place for scientific research. Since chemistry funding provided by the US National Science Foundation has faced a 75% cut, we have been watching these developments with great concern, and we hope that this does not mark the beginning of a global trend toward a world of absurdity and arbitrary policymaking. We hereby express the GDCh‘s solidarity with our colleagues worldwide.

To turn words into action, GDCh announces that effective immediately, we will waive membership fees for the first two years for all new international members residing outside Germany. This initiative particularly aims to support scientists in countries facing policy-driven restrictions on scientific freedom. We offer concrete support: access to all online media, career resources, and most importantly, the connection to a scientific community committed to defending academic freedom and sharing knowledge across borders.

Strong networks are generally key to success, and are therefore included in the GDCh’s mission statement. Our active network connects professionals with academic background and colleagues with vocational training, as well as students and trainees. Numerous networking opportunities are therefore essential, and we are expanding these. While regular get-togethers, summer parties, and the “ChemConnect” program have been running for some time already, we have recently launched the new “Meet the President” format, enabling discussions between GDCh members and the president in person.

One of the most pressing questions of our time is how we can actively work together towards a more sustainable future. As one of our activities in this direction, we are currently proudly implementing the GDCh Sustainability Strategy. In addition, a dialogue with politicians is sought to contribute our expertise on topics such as sustainable energy supply, resource-efficient production chains, and sensible data use. We participate in annual parliamentary evenings alongside four other major mathematical and scientific societies, offering information and discussions to political representatives. Furthermore, the GDCh Board has set up a monitoring group to develop statements on important issues incorporating the expertise of all relevant GDCh groups. It is worth noting that GDCh was the first chemical society to become a signatory of “The Stockholm Declaration on Chemistry for the Future”. Other chemical societies have followed our lead.

Finally, joint efforts are also needed to ensure sound and inspiring chemistry education from childhood to professional life. We have started a dialogue with political representatives via the “Round Table on Laboratory Classes in School” to ensure that chemistry is explicitely referred to earlier in the curriculum and that experimental teaching is given the time it deserves.

As a powerful scientific community, we can achieve our goals and advance chemistry in all its facets. To do this, we need you, our members – your commitment, ideas, and expertise. Let‘s work together to make chemistry even stronger – for a liveable future and a world that benefits from the insights of our science.

Prof. Stefanie Dehnen President of the German Chemical Society 2024/25

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