EYCN Projects

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Last updated 22/02/2026

Empowering young chemists

At EYCN, we’re dedicated to fostering the growth of young chemists through direct support and initiatives. We actively engage with chemical societies to provide project support to empower emerging talents in the field.

Join us in our mission to nurture the next generation of chemical innovators and leaders.

Application for Financial Support by EYCN

Do you have ideas for interesting projects related to EYCN or with an international scope?
Chemical societies can request financial support through their delegates. Please choose the correct template for funding applications.

Option 1: General funding proposals (all projects except for conference awards)
Option 2: Conference award proposals

Guidelines and template for the application and reimbursement process are also available on our website.

General project proposals
Conference award proposals
Funding guidelines
Reimbursement

Below you can find the previous winners of the EYCN Scientific Contribution Prize.

EYCN Scientific Contribution Prize

EYCN Scientific Contribution Prizes

2023

Swiss Snow Symposium

The Swiss Snow Symposium is a 3-day chemistry conference traditionally organized every year by the young Swiss Chemical Society (youngSCS) in the Swiss Alps. Andrea Blankenship (ETH Zurich) and Cesare Berton (EPFL) received the oral presentation awards sponsored by the EYCN.

2022

CRF-ChemCYS Poster contributions awardees:

Chemical Synthesis & Methodology
1. Ewoud Vaneeckhaute, KU Leuven
2. Lauren Voets, KU Leuven
3. Givi Kalandia, KU Leuven

Energy & Environment
1. Sander Stulens, Hasselt University
2. Tianhui Ma, Vrije Universiteit Brussel
3. Adriaan Ampe, Ghent University

Functional Materials
1. Laura Van Bossele, Ghent University
2. Denis Dochain, UCLouvain
3. Mariana Arreguin Campos, Hasselt University

Chemistry meets Biology
1. Nada Savic, KU Leuven
2. Elias Denijs, Ghent University
3. Pepijn Heirman, University of Antwerp

Chemical Processes & Reactor Technologies
1. Milan Den Haese, Hasselt University
2. Cedric Devos, KU Leuven
3. Amine Lataf, Hasselt University

Renewables & Sustainability
1. Marthe Nees, University of Antwerp
2. Jonas Mortier, Ghent University
3. Hippolyte Meersseman, UCLouvain

8th Conference of Young Chemists of Serbia:

At the Conference, there was 113 participants presenting their scientific work as poster (103) and oral (10) communications. The participants are younger of 35 including chemistry students and young researchers.

At Conference, there were one plenary lecture, two invited lectures, on-line workshop, three sessions of oral communications and two poster sessions. Michael Menche, the chair of EYCN, presented on-line workshop about importance of Networking in Europe.

Award for the best oral presentation was given to Dr. Dušan Ružić, teaching assistant from Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Belgrade. Award for the best poster presentation was given to Nađa Živanović, student of Faculty of Sciences, University of Belgrade.

The Summer Meeting of the YSPCS was held in Szczecinek (Poland) from June 29 to July 03, 2022. The conference was attended by participants from numerous academic centers all over Poland. 
The EYCN Scientific Contribution Prize for the best communication presented at the Convention was awarded to Zuzanna Błocka, for the communication: ‘Bioremediation potential of selected fungal species in the light of studies on their’ metabolome’.

Joshua-Philip Barham (Universität Regensburg) was awarded the EYCN Special Sponsor Award at the 3rd European Young Chemists’ Meeting for his oral presentation entitled ‘Electrifying’ Photocatalysis: A New Frontier in Light-Powered Organic Synthesis.’ .

2021

Sofiya Runikhina was awarded for an oral presentation “Carbon Monoxide as a Powerful Tool in Catalytic Reductive Addition”, A.N. Nesmeyanov Institute of Organoelement Compounds of Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia

Alexandra Sysoeva was awarded for a poster presentation “Prediction of Catalytic Activity of Azolium-Based Halogen Bond Donors: An Experimentally Verified Theoretical Study”, Saint Petersburg State University, Saint Petersburg, Russia

2020

Elien Derveaux (University of Hasselt) was awarded the EYCN Best Poster Presentation Award at the ChemCYS 2020 conference for her poster “NMR-metabolomics to predict therapy response of resectable lung cancer: The Prolung Project”.

Nikolaos Eleftheriadis (University of Leuven) was awarded the EYCN Best Poster Presentation Award at the ChemCYS 2020 conference for his poster “Deciphering the mechanism and dynamics of SecA using single molecule FRET”.

Sarah Lentink (University of Leuven) was awarded the EYCN Best Poster Presentation Award at the ChemCYS 2020 conference for her poster “Development of hybrid polyoxometalates as building blocks for supramolecular assemblies of biomolecules”.

Andrea Guidetti (University of Antwerp) was awarded the EYCN Best Poster Presentation Award at the ChemCYS 2020 conference for his poster “Mechanistic studies of photocatalysed thyolation reaction of aryl-allyl species”.

Greg Quintens (University of Hasselt) was awarded the EYCN Best Poster Presentation Award at the ChemCYS 2020 conference for his poster “Muconic esters as bio-based building block towards polyacrylate mimics”.

Jochen Vanderspikken (University of Hasselt) was awarded the EYCN Best Poster Presentation Award at the ChemCYS 2020 conference for his poster “Near-infrared optical cavity organic photodetectors”.

2019

One poster presentation prize was awarded during the Merck and Elsevier Young Chemists Symposium in Rimini (Italy) to Mariarosaria Tuccillo for the poster “Ab initio study of Li-rich layered transition metal oxides as positive electrodes in Li-ion batteries”.

Jovana Tubak (University of Novi Sad) was awarded the EYCN Best Poster Presentation Award at the 7th Conference of the Young Chemists of Serbia for her poster presentation “Influence of the ionic liquids based electrolytes on the tomato growth, development and oxidative stress”.

Anđela Mrkobrad (University of Novi Sad) was awarded the EYCN Best Oral Presentation Award at the 7th Conference of the Young Chemists of Serbia for her oral presentation “Synthesis and characterization of new cadmium(II) complexes with 2-acethylpyridine-aminoguanidine”

Katharina Pfennigbauer (Technical University Vienna) was awarded the EYCN Poster Award at the 18th Austrian Chemistry Days for her poster “Synthesis of clickable N-heterocyclic carbenes for the functionalization of gold”.

One poster presentation prize was awarded during the 11th International Conference on Chemistry for Young Scientist Mendeleev 2019 in Rimini (Italy) to Julia Strelnikova for the poster “Rh(III)-catalyzed reaction of pirazoles with 1-sulfonyl-1,2,3-triazoles”.

Róbert Rončák (Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice) was awarded with the EYCN Poster Award at the 71st Congress of the Slovak and Czech Chemical Societies for his poster “Nové sacharidové tiomočoviny ako potenciálne organokatalyzátory”.

María Pilar Martínez Moral (University of New York at Albany) was awarded the EYCN Best Oral Presentation Award at the SEQA 2019 for her oral presentation “Advancements in the determination of biomarkers of oxidative stress: the importance of a multiparameter approach”.

Andrzej Kałka (Jagiellonian University in Cracow) was awarded the EYCN Best Oral Presentation Award at the Spring Meeting of SSPTChem 2019 in Ustroń for his oral presentation “The burning Gordian knot of UV-Vis spectroscopy, namely the compensation of the temperature effects in a few words”.

Hadi Hachem (University of Rennes) was awarded the EYCN Best Oral Presentation Award at the Journées Scientifiques Société Chimique de France – Bretagne et Pays de Loire for his oral presentation “Single component conductors based on Ni(R-thiazdt(s))2 complexes”.


Malte Fischer (Carl-von-Ossietzky University Oldenburg) was awarded the second price of the EYCN Oral Presentation Award at the 21st JCF Frühjahrssymposium & 2nd EYCHeM for his oral presentation “Electrophilic cationic complexes of group 4 metals: establishing novel types of tridentate ligands and their applications”.


Veit Hänsch (Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology) was awarded the first price of the EYCN Oral Presentation Award at the 21st JCF Frühjahrssymposium & 2nd EYCHeM for his oral presentation “Metal-free synthesis of pharmaceutically important biaryls by photosplicing”.

2018

  • One poster presentation prize was awarded during the Merck Young Chemists’ Symposium 2019 in Rimini (Italy) to Veronica Caratelli for the poster „Origami multiple paper-based electrochemical biosensors for pesticide detection“.
  • One oral presentation prize was awarded during the XV Simposio de investigadores jóvenes de la Real Sociedad Española de Química in Toledo (Spain) to Ángela Martín-Serrano Ortiz.
  • One poster presentation prize was awarded during the 2nd Chemistry Conference of Graduate, Postgraduate students and PhD candidates at the Aristotle Universityde in Thessaloniki (Greece) to Despoina Andriotou.
  • One oral presentation prize was awarded during the 6th Conference of the Young Chemists of Serbia in Belgrade (Serbia) to Marta Spasić, and one poster prize was awarded to Stefan Pavlović at the same event.
  • Two poster prizes awarded during the Congress SCF18 in Montpellier and Toulouse (France) to Angelica Laurita and Vuk Vuković.
  • One poster prize awarded during the 70th Irish Universities Chemistry Research Colloquium in Queen’s University Belfast (Ireland) to Vincent Duong.
  • One poster prize awarded during the 6th Portuguese Young Chemists Meeting (PYCheM) in Setúbal (Portugal) to Pedro Ferreira.
  • One poster prize awarded during the 35th Spring Meeting in Skorzęcin (Poland) to Zuzanna Lawera.
  • One oral presentation prize was awarded during the 20th JCF Spring Symposium in Konstanz (Germany) to Sebastian Lamping, and two poster prizes were awarded to Anna Gruszkiewicz and Natalia Wilkosz at the same event.
  • Six poster prizes awarded during the 14th Chemistry Conference for Young Scientists (ChemCYS) in Blankenberge (Belgium) – partial financial support by the EYCN.
  • Seven oral presentation prizes awarded during the 10th Trobada de Joves Investigadors dels Paisos Catalans in Barcelona (Spain) – partial financial support by the EYCN.

2017

  • One poster prize awarded during the 25th Anniversary of Students’ Section of Polish Chemical Society Winter Meeting in Bydgoszcz (Poland) to Natalia Jurga.
  • One best oral presentation prize awarded during the 1st Conference of Graduate and Postgraduate Chemistry Students in Thessaloniki (Greece) to Afroditi Vlachou.
  • One poster prize awarded during the Merck Young Chemists’ Symposium (MYCS) in Milano Marittima (Italy) to Francesco Distante.
  • One poster prize awarded during the 5th Conference of the Young Chemists of Serbia in Belgrade (Serbia) to Dragana Barjaktarević.
  • One poster prize awarded during the 17th Austrian Chemistry Days in Salzburg (Austria) to Nastaran Hayati.
  • Two poster prizes awarded during the 69th Irish Postgraduate Colloquium in Dublin (Ireland) to Aishling Dunne and Vuslat Buk.
  • One poster prize awarded during the V Portuguese Chemistry Students Meeting Chemistry (ENEQUI) in Coimbra (Portugal) to Andreia Espirito Santo Cunha.

2016

  • One poster prize awarded during the 22nd Hellenic Chemistry Conference in Thessaloniki (Greece) to Constantina Diamanti.
  • One poster prize awarded during the 4th Conference of the Young Chemists of Serbia in Belgrade (Serbia) to Sanja Stojanović.
  • One poster prize awarded during the 4th Journeys of Mediterranean Young Researchers (JMJC) in Nice (France) to Elena Bovio.
  • Two poster prizes awarded during the Merck Young Chemists Symposium (MYCS) in Riccione (Italy) to Claudia Caprini and Flavio di Pisa.
  • One poster prize awarded during the 4th Royal Society of Chemistry Early Career Symposium in Glasgow (UK) to Stacey Webster.

2015

  • Two poster prizes awarded during the 15th Sigma-Aldrich Young Chemists Symposium (SAYCS) in Rimini (Italy) to Claudia Cioce and Arianna Rossetti.
  • One poster prize awarded during the 3rd Conference of the Young Chemists of Serbia in Belgrade (Serbia) to Stepan Stepanović.

What Should Stick?

Keeping up with the world of research isn’t easy. If you ever feel overwhelmed trying to shift through the constant stream of scientific news, the What Should Stick? Project might be just what you need.

The project delivers the highlights from research conducted by young, ambitious chemists – all in a clear, concise format. Each update is no longer than a sticky note: under 100 words!

New Sticky Notes, after previous evaluation, are featured monthly in EYCN Newsletter. Want to stay in the loop? Simply sign up for the Newsletter!

And if you’d like us to promote your research, we warmly encourage you to submit your own Sticky Note – just make sure to check out the Rules and Regulations first (there you can also find link for the template file)!

Rules and Regulations

What Can I Be With a PhD?

You are not sure what you want to do after your PhD? Join EYCN’s webinar series “What Can I Be with a PhD?” and get insights into all the possibilities you have after finishing your PhD. We will invite speakers from a variety of fields who will explain their career path to you and will be open for questions at the end of the webinar.

Take a look at the previous speakers:

EYCN Podcast

You want to hear something about the latest chemistry research while walking the dog, washing the dishes, or doing your laundry? We have got you covered! In late 2020, the EYCN started a new science podcast to present current research topics in chemistry and related sciences to a general audience.

With this podcast, the EYCN wants to make current chemical research more accessible and demystify currently discussed science topics in the news. The target audience is not only chemists who want to explore topics beyond their own research, but also science-interested people in the general public. Each episode focuses on a highly discussed field or research topic. The EYCN gives a short introduction and interviews an expert in the field. Furthermore, they are highlighting some of the most interesting stories in chemical research in the last month.

Eurospectives

Three questions are asked from scientists across Europe to explore the range of views on key topics in science.

Science for Policy

An overreaching objective of the Science Policy Team has been to provide a platform for young chemists to contribute to the policy-making process in Europe. Since such a platform has not existed previously, the initial milestone has thus been to set a path towards establishing it. As a result, early-career chemists would have a better understanding of policy-making as well as the opportunity for involvement, thereby having a broader impact on our society globally.

Some of the activities and initiatives lead by Science Policy Team
  • Supporting EuChemS in science (for) policy activities and identifying the opportunities for young chemists to engage with policy-makers in Europe.
  • Providing a comprehensive overview of the activities and guidelines for the Delegates
  • Contributing to a database of early-career chemists and their field of expertise
  • information for surveys (such as the Employability Survey)
  • Organizing seminars and workshops on topics related to policy advice. For instance, during the 15th Delegate Assembly in Sitges, an interactive “Science (for) Policy Session” took place. The main purpose was to identify key policy concerns, discuss options to actively engage, formulate strategies to address, and form a team for the European Youth Event (EYE).
  • Communicating information about the projects and developments to the delegates and the public on different platforms, such as scientific journals, newsletters, and social media:
  • Pursuing independent collaborative opportunities and partnerships with academic, industrial, and governmental representatives (e.g. participation in events and dialogues around the initiatives and various legislations), such as with the European Commission and the National Science Policy Network, and others.
  • Contributing to the “legislative process” in any appropriate capacity, such as through (a) actively monitoring the activities and the legislative process, as well as (b) providing expertise through the shared database of experts when required while keeping EuChemS informed.
  • Striving to contribute to long-term sustainability in Europe as well as globally, such as through partnerships evolving around the European Green Deal and advocating for sustainability in education, as well as organising webinars and workshops on the topic.
Attending science policy events in Europe and abroad

EYCN Workshops

EYCN-YSN Mental Health in Academia | Focus on Impostor Syndrome

The online workshop is organized by the European Federation for Medicinal Chemistry and Chemical Biology – Young Scientists Network (EFMC-YSN) and the European Young Chemists’ Network (EYCN). It will take place on 26 February 2026 at 3 PM CET via the Zoom platform.

This workshop will explore impostor syndrome in academic and research environments and will consist of two complementary parts:

• A 45-minute keynote lecture by Prof. Luis Echegoyen

• Moderated small-group discussion rooms designed as safe and supportive spaces for reflection and peer exchange to ensure meaningful and interactive discussions, registration is required and participation in the small-group sessions will be limited.

As part of the registration process, participants are invited to complete a short pre-event survey. Responses will help us better understand expectations, create balanced discussion groups, and tailor the session to attendees’ needs.

EYCN Webinars

The European Young Chemists’ Network (EYCN) has hosted various webinars directed at a broad audience over the last years.

You can find detailed information about the individual series that were (co-)hosted by the EYCN below and in this article.

Mentorship: The Secret Key to Academic Life

Are you interested in learning more about mentoring, why we need mentors, and how to choose a good one? Then register for our upcoming webinar with Jen Heemstra!

Industry-Academia Collaborations

Are you interested in industry-academia collaborations? Then, our upcoming discussion featuring everything from students over a start-up to an incubator and an international company is exactly the thing for you!

EYCN-IYCN Collaboration Webinars on COVID-19

During the pandemic, the European Young Chemists’ Network (EYCN), had to find new and exciting ways of reaching our audience. Thus, the EYCN, in cooperation with the International Younger Chemists Network (IYCN), organised a series of webinars on COVID-19 and related topics. These webinars focused on dealing with COVID-19 (in terms of medical details, mental health, job hunting during the pandemic, and teaching) as well as various international awards relevant to early-career chemists.

Chemists Fighting COVID-19 – The Status QUO

Chemists Fighting COVID-19 – Tools to Thrive Remotely

Job Hunting During COVID-19

Fellowships and Awards for Young Chemists

CatalysisTalks

The European Young Chemists’ Network (EYCN) and the Young European Catalysis Network (YEuCat) teamed up to start an online seminar series on catalysis research named CatalysisTalks. Each session of the series, which launched in Mid-May 2020, hosts three speakers from various countries and career stages with a particular focus on enabling early-career chemists to present their research.

Follow @CatalysisTalks on Twitter or LinkedIn!

Register for the series here (for free)!

Read more about this series in the article “CatalysisTalks – Bringing Research to the World during the COVID-19 Pandemic”.

e-YCN@ECC Online Sessions

The European Young Chemists’ Network (EYCN) also hosted some of the 2020 in-person planned events online to continue supporting the young chemists’ community in remaining connected and keeping the interest in networking activities high. Among them, the e-YCN@ECC event was organized due to the postponement of the 8th EuChemS Chemistry Congress (ECC8) until 2022. The online event included multiple sessions about the future in chemistry, different career opportunities and professional development for young scientists in academia and industry. Particular attention was devoted to grant writing through two workshops aimed at providing useful tips for writing competitive MSCA and European Research Council grant proposals.

The following sessions are available to view online:

Session 1: Future in Chemistry
Session 2: Grant Writing Workshop
Session 3: Career Workshop
Session 5: Science Communication Workshop