Euchems‐Newsletter

General Assembly 2012 in Dublin

<h2>Chemistry for a better life</h2>
The proceedings of the workshop ”Chemistry for a better life” (hosted by the Science and Technology Options Assessment of the European Parliament and supported by EuCheMS and the European Chemical Industry Council Cefic) are now available at <ext-link ext-link-type="uri"><a href="https://www.euchems.eu" target="_blank">www.euchems.eu</a></ext-link>. The workshop was opened by Theresa Riera Madurell, Member of the European Parliament, by saying that ”Chemistry, both as an industry and a science, will play a pivotal role in ensuring that the European Union is able to realise its vision of an "Innovation Union'. A strong partnership between academic research and industry will ensure that research is transferred to economic solutions that contribute to society welfare.”
The workshop clearly presented the strength of the chemistry community in Europe and in particular its ability to provide sustainable solutions to address current societal issues. The meeting discussed the central role that chemistry plays in inspiring and driving innovation across the EU manufacturing sectors. This proved timely in the context of the political debate on the next European Research and Innovation Framework Programme (Horizon 2020) and the current economic crisis. Accelerating innovation is essential for enhanced European competitiveness and growth; chemical stakeholders have a leading role to play here and are committed to these goals.
Main points from the discussion in the European Parliament were summarized as follows:
· A need to engage with the public to show and tell what benefits chemistry can bring.
· A need for balance between the roles of academia in discovery and increase of knowledge (basic research) and in providing solutions and support to industry (applied research)
· A general acknowledgement that academic research is extremely important for the future of European chemical industry.
· A general acknowledgement that the chemical industry plays a central role in implementing technology solutions and solving European challenges.
Nineta Majcen, <a href="mailto:nineta.majcen@euchems.eu">nineta.majcen@euchems.eu</a>


<h2>European Young Chemists Network with a new structure</h2>
The European Young Chemist Network (EYCN) is an international network of young chemists with members all across Europe, Israel and Russia. EYCN was founded in 2006 as a way to give young chemists a voice within the EuCheMS framework, and we have accomplished much in the last six years.
At the 4th EuCheMS Chemistry Congress in Prague, EYCN has undertaken to organise a parallel session during the congress with the help of the German Chemical Society and its young chemists section. The programme entitled ”Career Days: Making Chemistry Work for You” is aimed towards the development of soft skills for chemists at the start of their careers.
At the annual Delegates Assembly in May in Aveiro, Portugal, it was decided to divide the four aspects of EYCN into four working groups and change the four auxiliary Board members into the corresponding team leaders of the four groups:
· European = External Communications
· Young = Membership
· Chemists = Chief Scientific
· Network = Networks
This new structure is the first step in EYCN becoming a more efficient and professional organisation, allowing us to represent our members' needs and wishes more effectively.
Aurora Walshe <a href="mailto:aurora@eycn.eu">aurora@eycn.eu</a>
<ext-link ext-link-type="uri"><a href="https://www.eycn.eu" target="_blank">www.eycn.eu</a></ext-link>


<h2>Events 2012</h2>
13 — 15 September 2012, Vukovar, Croatia
14th Ružièka Days: ”Today science — tomorrow industry”, <ext-link ext-link-type="uri"><a href="https://www.ptfos.hr/ruzicka" target="_blank">www.ptfos.hr/ruzicka</a></ext-link>
16 — 19 September 2012, Bragança, Portugal
11th Food Chemistry Meeting
<ext-link ext-link-type="uri"><a href="https://www.spq.pt/eventos/11eqa" target="_blank">www.spq.pt/eventos/11eqa</a></ext-link>
13 October 2012, Bologna, Italy
The Photochemistry of the Future. 100 Years Later. <a href="https://sites.google.com/site/photonanolab/news/ciamician2012" target="_blank">https://sites.google.com/site/photonanolab/news/ciamician2012</a>
14 — 16 November 2012, Prague, Czech Republic
EuCheMS 7th International Conference on Chemical Reactions in Foods, <ext-link ext-link-type="uri"><a href="https://www.crf2012.eu" target="_blank">www.crf2012.eu</a></ext-link>
Events 2013
10 — 12 June 2013, Barcelona, Spain
5th European Conference on Chemistry for Life Sciences, <ext-link ext-link-type="uri"><a href="http://5ecclsbarcelona.com" target="_blank">http://5ecclsbarcelona.com</a></ext-link>
3 — 5 July 2013, Limerick, Ireland
5th Eurovariety in Chemistry Education Conference
<ext-link ext-link-type="uri"><a href="https://www.eurovariety2013.ul.ie" target="_blank">www.eurovariety2013.ul.ie</a></ext-link>
25 — 29 August 2013, Warsaw, Poland
Euroanalysis, the European Conference on Analytical Chemistry, <ext-link ext-link-type="uri"><a href="https://www.euroanalysis2013.pl" target="_blank">www.euroanalysis2013.pl</a></ext-link>
11 — 13 September 2013, Leipzig, Germany
EuCheMS conference Flavors &amp; Fragrances 2013
<ext-link ext-link-type="uri"><a href="https://www.gdch.de/flavorsfragrances2013" target="_blank">www.gdch.de/flavorsfragrances2013</a></ext-link>
31 August — 4 September, Istanbul, Turkey
5th EuCheMS Chemistry Congress
<ext-link ext-link-type="uri"><a href="https://www.euchems-istanbul2014.org" target="_blank">www.euchems-istanbul2014.org</a></ext-link>

The 2nd European Energy Conference (E2C) took place in Maastricht, The Netherlands, from 17 to 20 April. It was organised by the European Science Foundation, the European Materials Research Society and the European Physical Society, under the patronage of Günther Oettinger, EU Commissioner for Energy. About 400 participants from all over the world attended the conference with 40 invited and keynote lectures. The format included plenary morning sessions and afternoon technical symposia on system aspects and sustainability, sciences for energy, primary energy conversion, energy networks and storage and efficient end use of energy.
This biennial conference series is a unique international forum for discussion between academic and industrial scientists working in the areas of chemistry, physics, engineering and biology, also providing opportunities to explore political, economic, social and environmental aspects. Plenary lecturers covered topics as diverse as artificial photosynthesis, innovative automotive solutions, materials for energy production and storage, sustainable cities, with a flavor of international geopolitics as illustrated by Javier Solana.
The road to a sustainable energy system is an extraordinary endeavor involving all fields of science. The European chemical community gave a key contribution to the success of E2C, showing that energy research is the perfect setting for chemistry to fulfill its role as a central science.
Nicola Armaroli, EuCheMS member of the scientific committee of E2C


<h2>Shining a light on solar fuels</h2>
Academic researchers from across Europe joined leading industrialists and policy experts at the Royal Society of Chemistry's discussion meeting on solar fuels in May.
If we are to advance solar fuels research in Europe and the UK we need a coherent strategy. That's the conclusion of the Royal Society of Chemistry's report on solar fuels and artificial photosynthesis, launched at the symposium on 17 May at the Chemistry Centre in London. The aim of the meeting was to raise awareness of the environmental and economic potential of solar fuels and to start a conversation about a coherent strategy for solar fuels research and innovation in the UK and Europe.
Harnessing the sun's energy to produce solar fuels has been identified by the Royal Society of Chemistry and EuCheMS as one of the challenges for the chemical sciences. While the idea of producing solar fuels is around for many decades, there have been fluctuations in the levels of research support and rates of progress. But the field has witnessed significant advances over the last ten to fifteen years which is why the Royal Society of Chemistry has brought together scientists, advisers and policymakers.
Organised in partnership with the UK Global Science and Innovation Network, the meeting brought together academic scientists from the UK, Sweden, France, Germany, Spain, US and Singapore as well as representatives from two of the UK's research funding agencies, the UK Technology Strategy Board, the Foundation for Fundamental Research on Matter in the Netherlands, and from the European Chemical Industry Federation and Cooperation for Science and Technology in Europe. Also among the 70-strong delegate list were industrialists from Shell, AkzoNobel, Merck, Tata Steel, Johnson Matthey, Cristal Global and representatives from the UK Government Office for Science.
The importance of solar fuels was recognised some time ago by the European Cooperation for Science and Technology (COST) with a collaborative network focused on molecules and molecular devices. COST is now considering a proposal for a new collaborative network dedicated entirely to the photochemical splitting of water using supramolecular catalysis.
Lynsey Thorpe, <a href="mailto:ThorpeL@rsc.org">ThorpeL@rsc.org</a>
<ext-link ext-link-type="uri"><a href="https://www.rsc.org/solar-fuels" target="_blank">www.rsc.org/solar-fuels</a></ext-link>

European Energy Conference: International forum for industry and academy

On 8 June the Société Chimique de France (SCF) presented its national and bi-national awards 2011 at a solemn meeting held on the scientific campus of the University Claude Bernard Lyon 1.
The Joseph Achille Le Bel Prize rewarded Marc Fontecave, College of France in Paris and Atomic Energy and Alternative Energies Commission (CEA) in Grenoble, for his work on metalloenzymes leading inter alia to artificial hydrogenases that could provide novel advances in the area of bio-fuel cells.
The Pierre Süe Prize recognised the work of Jean-Marie Tarascon, University of Picardie Jules Verne in Amiens and College of France in Paris, associated with the development of high-performance Lithium-ion batteries.
The French-Italian binational award honoured Maurizio Peruzzini, Institute of Chemistry of Organometallic Compounds of the National Research Council in Florence, for his work in coordination chemistry with the development of new phosphorus ligands which resulted in extensive scientific collaboration in Europe, particularly with several French groups.
Last but not least, the French-British bi-national award was shared by Graham J. Hutchings, Fellow of the Royal Society, University of Cardiff, for his work in heterogeneous catalysis, including his seminal contribution in the use of gold-based catalysts, and Stephen Mann, Fellow of the Royal Society, University of Bristol, for his pioneering work in bio-mineralisation and bio-inspired chemistry. The awardees will hold three lectures within this year in France.
Marie-Claude Vitorge
<a href="mailto:marie-claude.vitorge@societechimiquedefrance.fr">marie-claude.vitorge@societechimiquedefrance.fr</a>


<h2>Award for Service: José Empis</h2>
José Empis was awarded the EuCheMS Award for Service at the ChemPubSoc Europe Meeting in Lisbon on 20 April.
José Empis was a Board member of the Federation of European Chemical Societies (FECS), playing an active role in the transformation of FECS into EuCheMS. He became the first treasurer of EuCheMS and efficiently organised this activity.
For many years he was also a Portuguese delegate to the Working Party on Food Chemistry (later Food Chemistry Division), helping to create a European community in this discipline, resulting in increased levels of international scientific collaboration and successful conferences. He also represented his country as a delegate to the food area R&amp;D Committee for the 6th and 7th EU Framework Programmes and as a member of both the EU Standing Committee on Agricultural Research and the Board of the International Centre for Advanced Mediterranean Agronomic Studies.
In all his European activities and responsibilities he always maintained a strong focus on achieving the strategic aims of EuCheMS and improving European cooperation in chemistry.
Prior to his retirement from the Technical University of Lisbon, José Empis worked in the areas of food processing, preservation and ingredient-quality, and also the development of novel foods and ingredients. He was President of the Instituto Nacional de Investigação Agrária e das Pescas from 2002 to 2006.
Luis Oro, <a href="mailto:oro@unizar.es">oro@unizar.es</a>


<h2>Marc Taillefer wins European Sustainable Chemistry Award</h2>
Marc Taillefer has been chosen as the laureate of the European Sustainable Chemistry Award 2012. Taillefer heads a research team at the Institut Charles Gerhardt in Montpellier, France, and is also vice-president and chairman of the Organic Chemistry Division of the Société Chimique de France.
The 51 year-old chemist is being recognised for his seminal contribution to the field of homogeneously catalysed coupling reactions leading to C-C, C-N, C-O and C-P bonds. Those ”Ullmann type arylations”, catalysed by copper and iron complexes, avoid the use of more expensive catalysts based on palladium. Since 2001, Taillefer's group discoveries have been protected by more than 25 patents and are in use at the industrial level for producing fine chemicals.
The European Sustainable Chemistry Award was launched by EuCheMS in 2010. This has been encouraged by the European Environment Agency and supported by the European Platform for Sustainable Chemistry (SusChem) and the European Chemical Industry Association (Cefic). The European Sustainable Chemistry Award is intended to raise the profile of sustainable chemistry and be a spur to innovation and competitiveness.
The Award is designed to recognise individuals or small research groups which make an outstanding contribution to sustainable development by applying green and sustainable chemistry and promote innovation in chemistry and chemicals that will deliver clear improvements in the sustainable production and use of chemicals and chemical products. The awardees demonstrate that chemistry and chemicals can play a central role in delivering society's needs, while minimizing and solving environmental problems.
Marc Taillefer succeeds the German chemist Matthias Beller, the first laureate 2010. The Award was presented at the opening ceremony of the 4th EuCheMS Chemistry Congress in Prague on 26 August. ks
<ext-link ext-link-type="uri"><a href="https://www.euchems.eu/news.html" target="_blank">www.euchems.eu/news.html</a></ext-link>

French awards for excellent chemists

Following the 4th EuCheMS Chemistry Congress (ECC) on 26 to 30 August 2012 in Prague, the 5th ECC will take place from 31 August to 4 September 2014 in Istanbul. Helena Grennberg, chair of the EuCheMS Division of Organometallic Chemistry, was elected as chair of the scientific committee for the 5th ECC. She is professor of organic chemistry at Uppsala University, Sweden, and also chair of the Swedish Chemical Society. Karin Schmitz, EuCheMS newsletter coordinator, asked her some questions about the upcoming congress:
What is your personal motivation to accept the office of the scientific chair, which undoubtedly causes a lot of work?
I love challenges! When I got the nomination proposal from the Turkish Chemical Society, I talked with some persons whose advice I strongly value. Then I looked at the good luck amulet I was given when visiting one of the Istanbul universities last year and decided that this is a challenge I can't turn down. Organising a scientific event, regardless of scale, is among the most challenging tasks I can think of, yet a task that in my experience returns more energy than it takes — especially if the event has good local support as is the case for ECC5.
In 2010, I initiated a process towards collaborative involvement from the EuCheMS scientific network of divisions and working parties early on in the planning process of the ECCs. Initially, we met around the ECC4 programme, but I already had Istanbul 2014 in my mind. We quickly made progress, and I was preparing to provide for smooth collaboration of the EuCheMS scientific communities with whoever the Turkish Chemical Society would nominate for the scientific chair. Obviously, I will now use the preparations for the benefits of ECC5!
What from today's view will be different to previous congresses? What will not change because it has proved to be successful?
A major difference is the involvement of the EuCheMS scientific community of divisions and working parties early on in the planning process; in fact it has already started. Ideally, this will have simply the effect of getting the programme ready faster. Those planning to participate will recognize from the programmes of previous ECCs that all directions of chemistry can be re-presented. For Istanbul, the tentative main headings for the scientific programme will contain topics that have proven of broad interest at previous ECCs as well as some emerging ones.
What makes Istanbul a suitable venue for the 5th ECC?
I was surprised to learn how well Istanbul is connected to most parts of Europe by direct flights. Once there, the hotel area and the congress venue are within walking distance of each other. I also like the rich social programme offered inclusive in the congress fee and, as organiser, I am very pleased that the Turkish Chemical Society has already appointed a good local committee. Last but not least — the city is beautifully situated, historically interesting yet modern.
Your personal motto for the 5th ECC?
The motto for the international year of chemistry, ”Chemistry — our life, our future”, is too good to be left as a tag for 2011.
Helena Grennberg
<a href="mailto:helena.grennberg@kemi.uu.se">helena.grennberg@kemi.uu.se</a>


<h2>New presidents of EuCheMS Societies</h2>
Helena Grennberg has been elected president of the Swedish Chemical Society for the period from March 2012. She is professor of organic chemistry at Uppsala University, Sweden. She received her BSc in 1988 and her PhD in 1992, both from Uppsala University. She became docent and senior lecturer in 1996 and was promoted to a professorship in 2005. Her research and teaching interests span several themes, including organometallic chemistry, synthesis and catalysis. She serves as scientific chair of the 5th European Chemistry Congress in Istanbul (see left).
Kenneth Ruud was re-elected as president of the Norwegian Chemical Society for 2012/13. He is professor of theoretical chemistry at the University of Tromsø, Norway, and director of the Centre for Theoretical and Computational Chemistry, a Norwegian Centre of Excellence. He is an author or coauthor of more than 220 scientific articles. In 2008 he was awarded the Dirac medal from the World Association of Theoretical and Computational Chemists, and received an ERC Starting Grant in 2011.
Christophe De Bie has been elected president of the Royal Flemish Chemical Society for the period from May 2012. He is a PhD student at the University of Antwerp working on the fluid modelling of dielectric barrier discharges for plasma-assisted conversion of greenhouse gases. He is active in the Royal Flemish Chemical Society since 2007. He was involved in the youth division for five years where he was among others responsible for the dynamic growth of the division and the organisation of the 10th Flemish Youth Conference of Chemistry.
KS, <a href="mailto:k.schmitz@gdch.de">k.schmitz@gdch.de</a>

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Euchems‐Newsletter

Euchems‐Newsletter

General Assembly 2012 in Dublin

Euchems‐Newsletter

Euchems‐Newsletter

Euchems‐Newsletter

European Energy Conference: International forum for industry and academy

Euchems‐Newsletter

French awards for excellent chemists

Euchems‐Newsletter

Loving challenges: Helena Grennberg is scientific chair for 5th ECC in Istanbul