European Sustainable Chemistry Award

Nominations for the second EuCheMS European Sustainable Chemistry Award are open until 1 March 2012. The award is an initiative of EuCheMS (the European Association for Chemical and Molecular Sciences) and is supported by SusChem, Cefic and the European Environment Agency (EEA).

The Award, which includes a €10 000 prize, will be presented to the winner at the 4^th EuCheMS Chemistry Congress that takes place in Prague, Czech Republic from 26 – 30 August.

SusChem board member Prof Matthias Beller (right) was the first ever recipient of the European Sustainable Chemistry Award in 2010. He was recognised for his exceptional research in the field of homogeneous catalysis for the environmentally sustainable conversion of small molecules into recyclable or reusable materials.

Rationale
The European Sustainable Chemistry Award is designed to:

• Recognise individuals or small research groups which make an outstanding contribution to sustainable development by applying green and sustainable chemistry
• Promote innovation in chemistry and chemicals that will deliver clear improvements in the sustainable production and use of chemicals and chemical products
• Demonstrate that chemistry and chemicals can play a central role in delivering society’s needs, while minimizing and solving environmental problems

Successful national green and sustainable chemistry award schemes have been in place for some years in several European countries and outside Europe and a recent study by the Economist Intelligence Unit points to the value of awards as demand side solutions as a key element in pushing the EU further up the global innovation rankings. The European Sustainable Chemistry Award is intended to be a prestigious scheme that will raise the profile of sustainable chemistry and be a spur to innovation and competitiveness.

More information
The Award is open to individuals or teams of up to three persons working at an institution in a country where there is a EuCheMS member society. For more information and the application forms visit the EuCheMS website or contact Nineta Majcen, EuCheMS General Secretary.