American Chemical Society-Chinese Chemical Society Alliance

The American Chemical Society and the Chinese Chemical Society (CCS) formed a three-year collaborative alliance in 2010 to address shared global concerns. Here we highlight some activities in 2012 to strengthen our ties and sustain the momentum generated during the International Year of Chemistry (IYC) in 2011. We are now evaluating our memorandum of understanding for renewal beyond 2013.

ACS Delegation Visit To China

In 2012, CCS hosted the ACS delegation—including Marinda Li Wu—at the 28th CCS Congress in Chengdu. The delegation also met with academic and industrial scientists from various organizations in Beijing and Shanghai. We had productive discussions on a wide range of issues, including the contributions of the chemical industry to the rapid economic growth of China, which further fuels the advancement of chemical research and education. We also discussed ways to better communicate to the public the central role of chemistry in improving daily life. This was an opportunity for the two societies to recommit to shared priorities that were a major focus of a number of IYC activities in 2011, both in the U.S. and in China.

Chemical Sciences & Society Summit

ACS and CCS have worked closely to foster the Chemical Sciences & Society Summit (CS3) since its inception in 2009. The annual gathering features a small group of top researchers who assess and forecast research breakthroughs and novel applications in a particular research field. The series is a joint effort among the chemical societies of China, the U.S., Germany, Japan, and the U.K.

CCS hosted the 2011 summit in Beijing. The meeting discussion, titled “Chemistry for Better Health,” focused on the essential roles of chemistry in drug design, diagnosis, natural products, and discovery biology.

In September 2012, ACS—under the auspices of the Committee on International Activities and led by the Office of International Activities—hosted the fourth annual summit. The meeting was held in San Francisco and examined “Chemistry for Next-Generation Sustainable Electronics.” Wu made opening remarks on behalf of ACS to welcome the 31 participants from the five delegations. CCS Vice President Xi Zhang also participated in the summit and served as chair of the Chinese delegation. The meeting discussion focused on recent advances in organic and molecular materials and carbon nanostructures and their novel applications in energy, health, medicine, and other fields. A joint report is expected to be released in early 2013.

Website & Information Sharing

ACS and CCS continue to share information across different forums to help each society’s members stay informed about scientific meetings, research advances, and collaborative activities. Responding to the demands of ACS members, partners, and friends in China, ACS recently launched a new Chinese microsite at acs.cn.com. This website provides scientists with information in the Chinese language about ACS programs, products, and services. The launch of the site will help strengthen the ACS-CCS alliance and the scientific community in China at large, including ACS international chapters in Hong Kong and Shanghai. The site will serve as a portal for Chinese researchers and scientists to the world of information offered by ACS, including publications, professional development, meetings, membership, educational resources, international chapters, global alliances, and the ACS Network.

We believe global platforms such as CS3 and others are critical to addressing global concerns through science and technology. The ACS-CCS alliance is committed to working together to tap into our most valuable assets—our members—to develop innovative solutions for a better world. In this process, we constantly ask a simple question: How do we create a more enabling environment for chemistry to make a positive impact on our global society?

We welcome your ideas on how the ACS-CCS alliance can better address this question. Please contact the ACS Office of International Activities via e-mail at intlacts@acs.org and the CCS at zcc@iccas.ac.cn with your suggestions.