Leader: Strategic decisions for the UK science industry
Most major economies will have to navigate a tricky path over the next couple of decades. Whilst seeking to continue to grow industry, they are also having to balance sustainability. Reducing a reliance on virgin fossil carbon means that they’ll have to replace business models, supply chains and industrial processes that have been optimised over a century or more.
Changing times and unexpected reactions in chemicals and pharma
The ongoing upheavals to international trade and the many executive orders issuing from the White House continue to create headaches for those in industry trying to do forward planning.
Leader: Chemistry’s biggest shortage is people
Too many in society forget the role that chemicals play in every aspect of modern life. Of course, without chemistry there’s no way to build the circuit boards and sensors inside our smartphones, or the new batteries for electric vehicles (or the light-weight plastics to counter the extra weight of those new batteries) or the pharmaceuticals that save lives every day and improve the quality of life for millions of people.
Leader: The sustainability journey continues
Sustainability can mean different things to different people. The most common definition is found in a 1987 report, the so-called Brundtland Report, from the UN Commission on Environment and Development, which defined sustainable development as that which ‘meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs’.
REACH out and hope: The challenges for Europe's chemicals industry
Twenty years ago, when I first joined C&I as Editor, the main topic of conversation across the European chemical industry centred on the EU’s proposed Regulation, Evaluation and Authorisation of Chemicals, the so-called REACH regulations.
The big challenge for small business
Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are the backbone of any economy. These companies, usually defined as employing fewer than 250 people and (according to EU) with an annual turnover not exceeding €50m, make up the vast majority of all businesses.
C&I Leader: Reproducibility, all over again
Reproducibility underpins the scientific method – the observational method for acquiring knowledge that has been fundamental to the conduct of science since at least the 17th century.
AstraZeneca and the importance of innovation
In this month’s issue of C&I we take the time to celebrate the remarkable success of AstraZeneca, a modern powerhouse of scientific and business innovation and a company that’s consistently outperformed in terms of long term stock price growth.
Chemistry in the new ‘Age of Electricity’
Big changes are ahead for the global energy system, according to the latest annual outlook from the International Energy Agency (IEA). The IEA believes there is a need for stronger policies and greater investments to accelerate and expand the transition to cleaner and more secure technologies.
Standing on the shoulders of giants (wearing lab coats)
Few of us even register the huge impact that science has on us every day. The long history of advances in pharmaceuticals that keep us healthy, or the creation of the materials that keep us warm or safe, are developments that rarely few of us ponder deeply in our daily whirl.