SCS Annual Report 2017

Introduction and Strategy

In the first quarter of 2016, the SCS Board of Directors, along with a group of experts representing the our key stakeholders, reviewed the SCS strategy and its portfolio of activities. As a result of this discussion, and in response to the increasing need for multidisciplinarity, the SCS started a number of initiatives that go beyond the focus of one of the five SCS divisions and that link traditional fields with emerging trends.

As part of the revised strategy, the society not only further developed existing offerings but also integrated a number of events formerly organized by third parties. As a consequence, the society’s portfolio of activities was significantly enriched and the following list shows our new accomplishment in 2017. We have:

• Broadened the scope of the Society with two new organizational entities which were approved at the General Assembly in April 2017: the Division of Chemical Education and the Section of Catalysis;
• Implemented the SCS Seminars series with a first event on process chemistry in Fribourg in January 2017;
• Integrated the Conference on Stereochemistry (Bürgenstock Conference) into the SCS portfolio;
• Established Bern, in addition to Zürich and Lausanne, as third location of the SCS Fall Meeting and successfully organized a 1.5-days Fall Meeting for the first time since many years;
• Stimulated the formation of an active community on PAT (Process Analytical Technology) in Switzerland with a parallel session at the SCS Fall Meeting;
• Successfully partnered for the first ILMAC Lausanne and put a cornerstone for future editions;
• Initiated an in-depth analysis of the need/opportunity to form interest groups on ‘green and sustainable chemistry ’,‘environmental sciences’ and ‘IP in chemical sciences’.

To manage the additional workload, we hired a director for the SCS Foundation as well as an accountant, both on a part-time basis (40%). At the same time, we also made investments in our office and IT infrastructure

Please enjoy reading through the 2017 annual report that shows a very active and lively society.

David Spichiger, SCS
25.01.2018