The past few weeks have been busy in terms of EuChemS webinars, we kindly invite you to read about them below.
Towards a more inclusive chemistry community
EuChemS organised the webinar ‘Towards a more inclusive chemistry community’ on 18 November 2021. Our invited speaker, Dr Alejandra Palermo, discussed some interventions that can make chemistry fairer and more inclusive for everyone. She also presented the strategies implemented by the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC), a EuChemS Member Society, to increase the diversity of people choosing the chemical sciences.
The event was moderated by Pilar Goya, EuChemS Vice-President, who welcomed the attendees. They were invited to share their views during the Q&A session, which led to engaging debates. The EuChemS Task Group on Inclusion and Diversity is currently evaluating the outcomes of this webinar to propose follow up actions in the near future.
The Lithium Element – Enabler of the Energy Transition
On 1 December 2021, EuChemS hosted a science policy workshop on the lithium element. An impressive line-up of speakers from the international scientific community and the European institutions addressed topics around the energy transition, including new European sustainability regulations, lithium batteries and their alternatives, geopolitical issues, and recycling. This online event also saw a wide range of scientific and EU policy discussions on the endangered elements and on the EuChemS Periodic Table. Interesting debates ensued during the panel discussions.
This workshop, chaired by Nicola Armaroli, gathered attendees from 22 different countries who were invited to ask questions, as well as answer polls related to the webinar discussions. Their feedback will be carefully considered by the EuChemS Task Group on the EuChemS Periodic Table, also chaired by Nicola Armaroli, for follow up actions. Welcome and closing words were given by Floris Rutjes, EuChemS President.
We invite you to watch the recordings of the Morning Session and Afternoon Session of this webinar on the EuChemS YouTube channel – and consider subscribing!
The second meeting of the High Level Roundtable on the implementation of the Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability was held online on 25 November 2021. Floris Rutjes, EuChemS President, in his capacity as EuChemS’ representative within this expert group attended this meeting, together with Nineta Hrastelj, EuChemS Secretary General, as a Sherpa (substitute).
The topic of the meeting was enforcement aspect of the Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability.
Virginijus Sinkevičius, Commissioner for Environment, Oceans and Fisheries, chaired this meeting and provided information regarding the state of the implementation of the Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability. He also thanked all stakeholders, especially the Sherpas, for their work in preparing this meeting and contributing actively to the debate around the Strategy.
The recording of this meeting can be watched here.
The third meeting of the High Level Roundtable on the implementation of the Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability is scheduled to be held in-person in Brussels (Belgium) in May 2021.
As a reminder, the European Chemical Society, EuChemS, has been invited to the expert group “High Level Roundtable on the implementation of the Chemicals Strategy” set up by the DG Environment of the European Commission. EuChemS has set up an internal expert group to discuss topics regarding the implementation of the Chemicals Strategy and to propose a diversity of perspectives from EuChemS wide network to the European Commission.
The European Chemical Society is organising the webinar ‘The Lithium Element – Enabler of the Energy Transition‘, which will be held on Wednesday 1 December 2021, from 10:00 to 16:30 CET.
Speakers from the European Parliament, the European Commission, academia, and industry will address key issues around the lithium element, such as circular economy, recycling lithium and its alternatives, geopolitics, etc. This webinar will also be an opportunity to discuss the colour of Lithium in the EuChemS periodic table.
The webinar is chaired by Nicola Armaroli (CNR, EuChemS Executive Board member). More information about the speakers and the programme is available here.
You are kindly invited to join us online. The registration link for the webinar is available here.
The European Chemical Society is organising the webinar ‘Towards a more inclusive chemistry community‘, which will be held on Thursday 18 November 2021, from 10:00 to 11:15 CET.
Our distinguished invited speaker, Dr Alejandra Palermo FRSC, will present the data and evidence behind the inequalities observed for underrepresented groups of people in chemistry and discuss some interventions that can make chemistry fairer and more inclusive for everyone.
More information about the speaker and the programme is available here.
You are kindly invited to join us online, the registration link is available here.
The Leuphana University in Lüneburg, Germany, is offering a Professional Master’s Programme in Sustainable Chemistry M.Sc. tailored for working professionals with a background in chemistry. For 4 semesters, students will be taught how to understand and apply chemistry in the context of sustainability.
This programme, offered in English, enables working professionals to pursue their career while continuing higher education. In place since 2020, it was recently listed among the SDGs Good Practices by the United Nations (UN) for its active contribution to the achievement of SDGs 4, 9, 12 and 17.
The Leuphana University will also launch in March 2022 another Master programme, which is the MBA Sustainable Chemistry. It is open for students with different disciplinary background and focuses on sustainability-oriented management in various sectors connected to the chemical enterprise. More information about it is available here.
On 28 October, the Girls Go Circular initiative, in collaboration with the European Commission, Directorate-General for Education, Youth, Sport and Culture (DG EAC), organised the first edition of the Women and Girls in STEM Forum.
This online forum gathered researchers, professionals, and stakeholders in STEM and equal opportunities to discuss the challenge of eliminating gender bias and achieving gender equality in digital and STEM-related disciplines. They highlighted gender gaps in leadership, pay and investment, and the importance of peer support and role models. The aim was to inspire future policy actions in the European Union on these topics. More than 1,000 people registered for this online event and had the opportunity to exchange with the speakers, mentors, and their peers.
Mariya Gabriel, Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth, opened the Women and Girls in STEM Forum and invited the attendees to join the upcoming editions, including the one that will be held next year. Stay tuned!
More information about the Women and Girls in STEM Forum is available here.
On 10 November, the European Commission Directorate General Research and Innovation (DG RTD), the European Innovation Council (EIC), SMEs Executive Agency (EISMEA), and the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) signed a letter of intent for co-operation on intellectual property (IP) management.
This commitment will enhance efforts of coordination between all parties in the field of IP management. It will come to support the objectives of the European Research Area (ERA) to ensure the EU’s competitive leadership in R&I and the market uptake of research results.
This initiative will translate to the implementation of various activities, such as awareness raising actions on IP, measures to support SMEs in the economy, and upcoming IP policies development.
The energy aspects of the “Fit for 55 package” have been discussed during a public hearing organised by the European Parliament Committee on Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE) on 9 November.
Members of the ITRE Committee exchanged views on this topic with experts from academia, industry, and NGOs, who called for a more ambitious Fit for 55 package. The focus was on the revision of the Energy Efficiency Directive and the Renewable Energy Directive.
The recording of the public hearing is available here.
As a reminder, the Fit for 55 package is an initiative expected to provide the EU with tools to meet the Green Deal’s objectives, comply with the European Climate Law, and keep its Paris Agreement commitments launched by the European Commission in July 2021. You can read our complete debrief in the August issue of our Brussels News Updates (BNU) newsletter.
On 28 October, the European Commission adopted a proposal to eliminate Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) present in waste. The proposal, in line with the Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability, tightens the limits for these harmful chemicals in waste: as POPs can still be found in waste, they may re-enter the economy when it is recycled and the resulting materials are used in new products.
POPs are toxic chemicals that accumulate in the food chain and remain in the environment for a long period of time. With this proposal, the European Commission wants to prevent harming human health and to protect the environment, thus delivering on the European Green Deal.
The following three substances (or group of substances) are targeted in the proposal:
perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and its salts and related compounds;
dicofol;
pentachlorophenol, its salts, and esters.
POPs – not as charming as they sound‼️
Today we adopt new limits for Persistent Organic Pollutants – some of the most harmful chemicals in waste.
