Descriptions
Below, you can find a description for each of these sessions.
Symposium Descriptions
Strengthening Europe–Taiwan Collaboration in Chemical Sciences: Exploring new opportunities for Europe–Taiwan collaboration in chemical sciences, highlighting advances in catalysis, molecular materials, chemical biology, energy chemistry, and structural biology
Exploring new opportunities for Europe–Taiwan collaboration in chemical sciences, highlighting advances in catalysis, molecular materials, chemical biology, energy chemistry, and structural biology.
Scientific collaboration between Europe and Taiwan in chemical sciences has expanded significantly in recent years through complementary expertise and strong institutional support. This symposium highlights research strengths of the Taiwanese chemical community and introduces international collaboration platforms supported by Taiwan’s National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) that facilitate partnerships with European researchers.
The Taiwanese delegation brings expertise spanning multiple frontier areas of chemistry, including functional molecular materials and photophysics, supramolecular chemistry, chemical biology and glycochemistry, natural product biosynthesis, organometallic chemistry and catalysis, CO₂ conversion and energy chemistry, analytical chemistry and drug discovery, and structural biology with time-resolved crystallography.
By bringing together scientists from Taiwan and Europe, the symposium aims to promote scientific exchange, stimulate new collaborative opportunities, and strengthen long-term partnerships addressing key challenges in energy, health, and advanced materials.
Chemically programmable nanomaterials for biomedical applications
Molecular self-assembly is ubiquitous in nature, being essential not only for the formation of structurally and functionally complex biological supramolecular landscapes, but also for the regulation of biological processes. Taking biological systems as a source of inspiration, including the native cellular microenvironment, the DNA double-helical structure, the cell membrane or the molecular motor proteins, scientists have been motivated to create chemically programmable and dynamic materials designed to recreate the structural complexity and functional dynamics of living systems and pursue advanced regenerative therapies.
This symposium will count on three invited speakers who will focus their lectures on the molecular self-assembly of bioinspired, chemically programmable, and dynamic molecular nanomaterials and nanoparticle-based systems designed to interface with living systems in a highly controllable fashion. Emphasis will be given to the latest developments and future trends in (i) synthetic gene circuits regulated by modular DNA-based responsive units to interface with cellular machinery, (ii) DNA origami nanostructures for biointerfacing with cells and controlling cellular motility, and (ii) DNA-inspired multicomponent hydrogels and nanofibrillar systems as dynamic and responsive biomaterials to interface with living systems. These systems open new avenues as advanced therapies for engineering cellular behavior and designing functional biomaterials for synthetic biology and biomedical applications, including controlled drug, therapeutics, and cell delivery, (bio)sensing, diagnostics, theranostics, tissue engineering and regenerative medicine.
Invited lectures:
- Rewiring cellular machinery with chemically programmable gene circuits (Simona Ranallo)
- Programmable DNA nanorobots for motility control and cellular biointerfacing (Tania Patiño Padial)
- Chemically programmable supramolecular multicomponent biomaterials to guide cell fate (João Borges)
Mechanochemistry for sustainable synthesis: from hard materials to soft matter
The mini-symposium is expression of the EuChemS Professional Network (PN) on Mechanochemistry, created in 2023. The symposium seeks to raise awareness of mechanochemistry as a versatile strategy for Safe and Sustainable by Design (SSbD) synthesis, complementing the subject matters transversally covered across the eight ECC-10 congress themes.
It will highlight the multidisciplinary character of mechanochemistry and its largely untapped potential for innovation in sustainable synthesis and its potential of application in different areas of chemical sciences. Invited speakers were defined upon consultations with the members of the EuChemS PN on Mechanochemistry, considering criteria of inclusion, diversity, gender balance, geographic and scientific background distribution. Subject matters of the symposium will cover material synthesis, organic mechanochemistry, crystal engineering, life cycle assessement (LCA) and techno-economic analyses (TEA) approaches for mechanochemistry, transversally complementing the eight ECC-10 main congress themes.
Overall, the mini-symposium aims to promote sustainable scientific and technological solutions by fostering interdisciplinary collaboration and knowledge exchange, supporting the development of mechanochemistry, and encouraging interaction between early-career researchers, newcomers to the field, and established experts within a growing international community.
Porous Materials at the Frontier of Sustainable Catalysis, hosted by ACS Central Science
Porous materials act as highly efficient catalysts by providing immense internal surface areas, high selectivity, and structural stability. As global industries seek cleaner processes and more efficient resource use, these materials stand at a pivotal intersection of fundamental science and practical impact. This symposium, hosted by ACS Central Science, will feature talks from outstanding researchers at various career stages and will highlight the catalytic concepts facilitated by porous materials from both experimental and theoretical perspectives and how they address challenges that remain in scaling, integration, and long‑term sustainability
Embedding Risk-Based Safety into Chemistry Education: A Transatlantic Dialogue
The purpose of this workshop is to foster a transatlantic dialogue that clarifies shared challenges, highlights emerging innovations, and identifies transferable principles for embedding risk based safety thinking into chemistry education and research training across the EuChemS community.
Developing chemists who can think and act through a risk based lens is an increasing priority in European and international contexts. Yet the ways in which safety is introduced, taught, and reinforced vary widely across institutions and regulatory environments. This two hour interactive workshop brings together the EuChemS education and safety communities with representatives of the American Chemical Society (ACS) to examine how risk based safety competencies can be embedded more intentionally across the chemistry curriculum.
The workshop presents the ACS’s development of a RAMP framework (Recognize, Assess, Minimize, Prepare) into a scientific competency. The session does not present the ACS approach as a model to adopt, but as a framework that invites comparison with European practices.
A moderated dialogue invites participants to share how chemical safety is introduced in their own institutions; where responsibility for safety education sits; whether safety is taught explicitly, implicitly, or assumed; and what barriers or innovations they observe. These questions create a shared evidence seeking space for European perspectives.
The workshop concludes by highlighting open access educational safety resources that support cultural change and empower faculty.
Natural Polymers as the 21st Century Materials – From Discovery to Deployment
Material innovation is difficult and requires the alignment of enabling science and technology, critical scale and customers that take risks jointly to go from discovery to commercialization. At the forefront of these innovations are natural polymers that can be obtained from renewable feedstocks using chemical and biotechnological processes. While consumers are beginning to embrace sustainable materials as a gateway to circularity, there is no tolerance for a decrease in performance and their regulatory compliance compared to incumbent, synthetic materials such as plastics, which have experienced technological commercial growth of in the 20th century, but today face significant challenges with its end-of-life pollution to the environment. To that end, the industry-led ACS Green Chemistry Institute Natural Polymers Consortium aims to catalyze the sustainable development, production, and application of natural polymers in material science, and the foundational science that drives the acceptance and inclusion in policy and regulatory processes. This symposium will feature presentations from organizations leading Europe’s efforts to foster collaborations, create synergies, and secure funding that are essential to accelerating the discovery, mass production and deployment of natural polymers as the 21st-century material in high performance supply chains.
Mini-Symposium Descriptions
Modernizing chemistry education for new challenges and responsibilities: RDM & data science in the curriculum
The mini-symposium will include 3-4 short presentations and address how Bachelor-level chemistry education must evolve to prepare graduates for a data‑intensive, digitally networked research landscape. Building on the European Chemistry Thematic Network’s1 (ECTN) recently updated recommendations for bachelor-level chemistry programmes (Core Chemistry) and leveraging community infrastructures such as NFDI4Chem2 and the Physical Sciences Data Infrastructure3 (PSDI), it focuses on embedding research data management (RDM), data science and open science as transversal elements of the curriculum.
Rather than adding disconnected “digital” modules, the symposium will explore how good RDM practices and basic data-science competencies can be integrated into the existing core chemistry content and laboratory courses. NFDI4Chem’s discipline-specific guidelines on FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) data, electronic lab notebooks, metadata, persistent identifiers and reproducible workflows will provide a reference for turning traditional lab documentation into structured, machine‑actionable records. In parallel, PSDI’s cross‑domain perspective will highlight interoperable infrastructures and services that enable the long‑term reuse and linking of chemical data across the physical sciences.
By bringing together curriculum developers, infrastructure initiatives and educators, the mini‑symposium aims to formulate concrete, implementable recommendations for modernizing European chemistry programmes. The goal is to empower future chemists to assume their emerging responsibilities as competent data producers, managers and users, strengthening both scientific quality and societal trust in chemical research.
The New Intergovernmental Science-Policy Panel on Chemicals, Waste and Pollution
20 June 2025 was a historic day, when the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) established the new Intergovernmental Science-Policy Panel on Chemicals, Waste and Pollution (ISP-CWP). https://www.unep.org/isp-cwp
The ISP-CWP will be a hugely important sister Panel to the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystems Services (IPBES) and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) to provide independent scientific evidence to help address the triple planetary crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution from chemicals and wastes. The ISP-CWP is now being set up and the rules of procedure, work programme and issues of concern being developed and agreed by governments.
This panel discussion at ECC10 will raise awareness and provide an update on the progress on the establishment of the ISP-CWP and begin to engage scientists who may wish to contribute to the work of the panel in the months and years ahead.
The success of the ISP-CWP is going to rely on engaging multidisciplinary expert scientists in its work, synthesising and reviewing technical evidence, and providing advice and making recommendations for possible solutions to chemicals, waste and pollution issues based on the latest state of the art evidence. This is an opportunity to explain and discuss why chemical scientists are going to be so important.
The Chair of this session will be Professor Tom Welton OBE, Ambassador in Sustainable Chemicals Policy at the Royal Society of Chemistry. Each panellist is asked to present their perspectives on the ISP-CWP in 5 minutes around key questions below, and then there will be an open discussion. There may be some time for a few questions or comments from the floor.
- How can scientists become more involved in the work of the SPP?
- How can scientific independence be built into the SPP?
- How can the SPP ensure that it gets the advice that it needs from all disciplines?
- If you could ask one question of the ISP-CWP to address first, what would it be?
Rare Earths from E-Waste: A Sustainable Path for Energy and Emerging Technologies
TBA
New strategies for analytical chemistry in environmental assessments
TBA
Poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS): Priority pollutants and analytical challenges
PFAS comprise more than 10,000 individual compounds used in a broad range of applications (industry, firefighting foams, consumer products) and are found globally in water, soil, plants, animals, and also in remote areas due to atmospheric transport. Health concerns arise from their toxicity (cancers, immune issues, developmental problems), very high stability, environmental persistence and accumulation in living organisms. Challenges arise from the still considerable knowledge gaps about the sources, identity and fate in environment and biota of individual PFAS, as well as from the insufficient coverage of PFAS by target analytical methods. Biotic and abiotic transformation processes of polyfluorinated compounds, so-called precursors, complicate the matter further. Therefore, new analytical approaches like nontarget screening or sum parameters for organic fluorine are required. This symposium sets some spotlights on different aspects of PFAS including advanced analytical methods for identification and passive sampling, occurrence and fate of PFAS during long-range transport and in agricultural soils.
Advanced non-target screening of environmental contaminants by high-resolution mass spectrometry
Considerable progress in analytical instrumentation, informatics, and related fields has delivered powerful tools and techniques in environmental analysis for assessing chemical
contamination. Among them, mass spectrometry (MS) has gained tremendous popularity thanks to its advantages, including unparalleled sensitivity and specificity, high resolution and wide dynamic range.
High-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS) enables rapid detection and reliable identification of a range of contaminants, even in complex environmental matrices, thanks to full scan acquisition mode with high mass resolving power and high mass accuracy combined with advanced workflows for data prioritization and analysis. Screening techniques can either target the detection of several classes of known (suspect) compounds or employ a non-targeted approach using HRMS, which allows for the identification of otherwise unknown compounds through retrospective data analysis. In this regard, the use of HRMS-based approaches is changing the way we approach emerging contaminant research.
This mini-symposium disseminates the latest developments, challenges and opportunities in HRMS screening and data evaluation approaches with a focus on research involving
environmental matrices (water, soil, indoor dust) and emerging contaminants, including per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and plasticizers.
Chairs: Ester Heath and Adrian Covaci
EuChemS Division of Organic Chemistry: Award Lectures
In this mini-symposium, Prof. Helma Wennemers (ETH Zürich) will receive the EuChemS Female Investigator Award, Dr. Johannes Wahl (Uni Mainz) the Young Investigator Award and Prof. Pat Guiry (University College Dublin) the Award for Service. Both Prof. Wennemers and Dr Wahl will present their research.
On the Impact of Artificial Intelligence in Chemistry and Beyond
The workshop builds on the presentations delivered by members of the EuChemS Working Party on Ethics in Chemistry. Its aim is to provide a structured forum for collective reflection on how artificial intelligence is reshaping chemistry and its role in society. Particular attention is given to the societal and sustainability-related ethical challenges that accompany the increasing use of AI in chemical research, innovation, and practice.
The workshop is organised around two rounds of facilitated group discussions.
Round 1 (Thursday, 16th July 2026, morning session, 10.00 – 12.00)
The debate will be focused on the presentations RC-D4-I1, RC-D4-001, RC-D4-002, RC-D4-003.
Participants will discuss which ethical issues they consider most critical for chemistry and its practitioners from a societal perspective. These include, but are not limited to, chemistry’s responsibility in relation to sustainable development, environmental and climate impacts, resources use, technological responsibility, inequalities in access to data and AI-enabled tools, and issues of research integrity, such as data quality, reproducibility, transparency, and accountability in scientific practice.
Round 2 (Thursday, 16th July 2026, afternoon session, 14.00 – 15.30)
The debate will be focused on the presentations RC-D4-006, RC-D4-007, as well as on the conclusions of the first round.
Participants will explore how artificial intelligence intersects with and influences the ethical challenges, based on specific examples. Discussions will address both AI’s potential to accelerate scientific discovery and the green transition, and the risks associated with bias, lack of transparency, unintended consequences, and shifting responsibility in complex, AI-supported research and decision-making systems.
The second round of the workshop will conclude with a synthesis of the discussions, forming the basis for a report summarising key themes, perspectives, and recommendations. To encourage open and candid dialogue, the workshop will be conducted under the Chatham House Rule, meaning that participants are free to use the information received, but neither the identity nor the affiliation of speakers or other participants may be revealed.
Society Publishing with Chemistry Europe (Sponsored)
Founded in 1995, Chemistry Europe is an association of 16 chemical societies that are members of EuChemS. The mission of the Chemistry Europe association is to evaluate, publish, disseminate, and amplify the scientific excellence of chemistry researchers from around the globe through high-quality publications. It publishes a family of high-quality scholarly chemistry journals covering a very broad range of chemistry disciplines, including the namesake flagship open access journal ChemistryEurope, which will be featured in the talk.
Unlocking Publication Success: Your Guide to Publishing in Angewandte Chemie Journals (Sponsored)
Angewandte Chemie is a household name in high-impact chemistry publishing, known for its rigorous editorial standards. Since 2025, the portfolio addition, Angewandte Chemie Novit, offers a new and unique route to publishing exceptional research – The Up-Transfer. We invite you to join this workshop, where you will gain insights into what the editors seek in a manuscript, learn about the thorough evaluation and selection processes for both journals, and discover practical strategies to help your research thrive within the Angewandte Chemie family. Whether you are an early-career scientist or a seasoned researcher, this session is designed to empower and inspire your journey toward publication success!
AI, reshaping chemistry education: curriculum design, student skills, and departmental decision‑making – Pearson (Sponsored)
Digital learning platforms and AI-supported study tools are increasingly integrated into higher education chemistry curricula. Institutions are seeking robust evidence on how these approaches influence student engagement, learning behaviours, and academic outcomes.
This session explores how structured digital learning approaches and AI-enabled support can enhance student success in chemistry, and how these insights inform curriculum design choices such as continuous assessment, sequencing of content, and the integration of structured digital practice.
We analyse real-world data from undergraduate chemistry courses using structured, digitally mediated formative assessment, including weekly low-stakes testing and AI-supported study tools. Quantitative performance data is complemented by instructor observations and student feedback to provide a holistic view of learning impact.
Across multiple cohorts, students engaging consistently with structured digital formative assessment demonstrate higher pass rates than those who do not. In first-year courses, overall pass rates were 55%, increasing to 63% among students successfully completing regular assignments and decreasing to 26% among those who did not. In second-year courses, overall pass rates were 79%, increasing to 87% for engaged students and decreasing to 55% for non-engaged students. While causality cannot be fully isolated—given that engaged students are often more motivated—the findings suggest that consistent, structured practice supports improved academic outcomes and sustained engagement.
Structured digital learning and AI-supported tools play an important role in supporting student progression in chemistry education. The findings highlight the value of embedding continuous formative assessment and structured practice as core curriculum design elements rather than optional enhancements. These insights support departments in making informed decisions about assessment strategies, student support mechanisms, and scalable digital integration.
Quantum optimization and quantum chemistry: two tracks, one data, and AI architecture for the chemical industry – Delaware (Sponsored)
Quantum computing is moving from promise to real impact in the chemical industry. Today, value is emerging along two distinct technical tracks that are often confused. In both cases, the same challenge applies: data and AI models are available, but between the dashboard and decisions on the shop floor, something gets lost.
We outline the current landscape for R&D and academic audiences. We clarify which approaches already deliver value and which are still emerging. We also show how a single data and AI architecture can support both tracks, letting your data (re)act.
We distinguish between two application tracks The optimization track focuses on solving complex business and laboratory problems. These problems are modeled as cost functions such as QUBO, HUBO, or QUDO and solved using quantum annealers, quantum inspired digital solvers, or hybrid back-ends. The chemistry track computes electronic ground-state energies using variational quantum eigensolver methods today and quantum phase estimation in the fault-tolerant regime. Both tracks are framed as energy-minimization problems requiring fundamentally different toolchains. Sharing one architectural foundation: automated and predictive AI designed to work in real operations.
Real world optimization cases already show clear value. For example, BASF’s manufacturing scheduling can be reduced from hours to seconds using current technology. In chemistry, hybrid workflows that combine HPC, AI, and quantum computing are already being used to estimate molecular energy states. Both tracks can run on a single architecture. This architecture is built on a federated data mesh that feeds machine learning models and connects to HPC and quantum compute resources. Across all cases, one key finding stands out: data quality is the main limiting factor. Organizations preparing for quantum are addressing their data challenges today.
Optimization and quantum chemistry are complementary, not competing, applications. Treating them as parallel tracks on one well-governed, data-centric architecture lets chemical-industry and research organizations capture value now while preparing for the fault-tolerant horizon. Detect. Prevent. Perform.
Workshop Descriptions
Next European Research Programme: ‘good chemistry’ between politics and science?
We are in a critical period for the future of research: Horizon Europe – the EU, and one of the world’s largest Research and Innovation funding programme – is taking shape for the 2028-34 period. The programme is developing in front of the backdrop of geopolitical paradigm shifts, questions of competitiveness, and discussions on trust in science, amongst others. Insights into this emerging policy framework not only concern how to get research funding, but also focus on getting a broader picture on what drives research policy, the role bottom-up and mission-driven research plays, and ultimately to figure out where to find not only chemistry, but science altogether in the broader policy context.
Responsible Chemistry Needs a Global Inclusive Approach
Can chemistry be truly responsible without embracing diverse global perspectives? The challenges we face – sustainability, safety, and resource use – are inherently global, and so are their consequences. This workshop explores why diversity of perspectives – gender-related, but not only – is not just about representation. It is about strengthening how we define problems, interpret uncertainty associated with risks, and anticipate impact. Join the conversation on how inclusive thinking, listening, and discussion can lead to better, more responsible chemistry.
Change and challenge in the chemical sciences – universities, higher education and research across Europe
Universities across Europe are undergoing substantial change, affecting how chemical sciences education and research are delivered, funded and valued. This interactive workshop will explore how chemistry teaching, research, innovation and partnership models are evolving across European higher education systems. The session will involve hearing from speakers from across Europe each bringing complementary insights into current sector‑wide shifts. Participants will also be invited to take part in breakout discussions to consider their own experiences, identify challenges and opportunities and share good practice. This session aims to bring a cross Europe chemical science dimension to understanding how universities are navigating and responding to rapid and significant change.
How can we make female pioneers in chemistry more visible, and why?
Although we have achieved some success in gender equality, it is by no means guaranteed, and we must continue to defend it.
Mentoring programs are an important way to encourage girls and young women, in particular, to pursue careers in chemistry. However, looking to history is also a viable way to establish female role models, despite the different circumstances of the 19th and 20th centuries.
In the workshop, which will be moderated by Gisela Boeck, the chair of the History of Chemistry Division of the German Chemical Society (GDCh) at the University of Rostock, participants will discuss what young people hope to gain from researching and publishing the biographies of female chemists (statement by Lena Bonitz, the chair of the GDCh’s Young Chemists’ Forum, PhD-student at the Technical University Minors academy of Freiberg). Tomasz Pospieszny (professor in the Department of Bioactive Products at the Faculty of Chemistry at Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań) will discuss his work related to Marie Skłodowska Curie’s life and work in Poland. Annette Lykknes (Chair of the Division of the History of Chemistry at EuChemS and Professor in the Department of Teacher Education at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology in Trondheim) will discuss her motivation for focusing on women who contributed to the periodic table. Finally, Brigitte van Tiggelen, Director of International Affairs at the Science History Institute in Philadelphia, will present the Science History Institute’s initiatives regarding women. During the concluding discussion, all participants will be invited to share activities in their respective countries. The discussion will explore ways to make all these successful projects more visible so their results can be utilized. One outcome of this workshop could be a collection of publications, books, films, and radio plays about female pioneers in chemistry that will be made available online later.
