Telling better stories about science
It has never really been enough just to do great science; you need to tell people about it, too. A discovery that sits in a lab notebook won’t do much to benefit society (or do much to help boost the career of a researcher, either). That’s why publishing research is so important to both academics and industry; it’s the evidence of the steady progress that contributes to the huge scientific revolutions that underpin modern society.
Leader: Powering up - the challenges facing the energy sector
Energy – its availability but most importantly, its cost – remains a critical concern for the chemical industry, particularly in Europe. Industry leaders and trade bodies have been increasingly vocal about the impact of high energy costs which are tilting the playing field in favour of imports over local production.
Leader: Bad COP, good COP?
The most recent UN COP climate science meeting in Belem, Brazil, was seen by many as something of a damp squib, with the usual lengthy process to arrive at a final statement that was acceptable to all attendees long after the final events ended.
The big decisions facing the European chemicals industry
Europe’s chemicals industry has faced a number of severe shocks in recent years and is now at a tipping point.
Leader: Chemistry’s most important ingredient
It’s often hard for people early in any career to feel like they are having much influence, or to understand how their small addition to a project or process will contribute to a larger business impact. But in chemistry that may be about to change.
Leader: Chemical industry at the crossroads
The chemical industry has weathered a long series of serious challenges over recent decades – and is facing a new set right now. The impacts vary around the world, but certainly the new emphasis on tariffs emerging from the US has added a new level of complexity to decisions around international trade – and a cascade of consequences that are still to become clear for businesses in any region.
Leader: Strategic decisions for the 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’.