The KVCV is organising the tenth edition of the biennial congress, which covers the entire spectrum of chemistry. The congress themes range from the more ‘pure’ chemical branches, such as Catalysing New Chemistry Solutions and Molecular Dynamics & Reactivity, to topics that overlap with biology, ethics and history. This variety ensures that everyone will find sessions that touch on their field of expertise, as well as unfamiliar topics that provide new insights.

This breadth in the programme is crucial, says Markus Antonietti, keynote speaker at the Max Planck Institute for Colloids and Interfaces: ‘We are in a critical situation and we cannot continue along the old path. To really do something new, you have to think and work interdisciplinarily. A well-organised, broad-based conference can stimulate this.’

Work to be done

According to Antonietti, chemists have a lot of work to do. ‘The future of our carbon use lies in waste and biomass. This requires us to reconsider our approach to catalysis and develop new catalysts. Current catalysts developed for the petrochemical industry can be likened to prima ballerinas or top footballers. They are very good, but also very sensitive. However, if we are going to work with highly variable, impure waste streams or biomass, we will have to take a different approach. Only biology can handle such streams, which is why I look to biological systems as a source of inspiration.’

What is striking about the programme but not entirely unexpected is that the subject of AI and machine learning can be found in almost every theme. Sustainability is another common theme throughout the programme.

‘The current catalysts can be seen as prima ballerinas or top footballers. They are very good, but also very sensitive.’

Markus Antonietti, ECC10 keynote speaker

ZOO Inspiring

But besides the congress themes, there is much more to look forward to. For starters, there’s the beautiful port city of Antwerp, which provides a wonderful backdrop for the conference. The organisers have already listed a number of highlights. The venue itself is special, too: A Room with a ZOO, located right next to the world’s first scientific zoo, Antwerp Zoo. The venue is also within walking distance of the beautiful railway station and several hotels.

Antonietti is looking forward to it. ‘The chemical cluster in Antwerp is reinventing itself, which is very promising. What’s important to me is inspiring the younger generations and showing them that they can really contribute. If we can give them the confidence to take on the challenges, then for me it will be a successful conference.’

Everything about ECC10 is covered: the programme, the speakers, the deadlines, and so on.