ACS invests internationally

The American Chemical Society continued to invest internationally this past year. “Our authors are increasingly global, our customers for CAS are increasingly global, and we’re seeing a marked increase in our membership from outside of the U.S.,” says ACS executive director and CEO Tom Connelly.

ACS approved three more International Chemical Sciences Chapters—China National Capital Area (JingJinJi), South Western China, and Iraq—and three more international student chapters in Malaysia and India, bringing the totals to 19 and 27, respectively. Meanwhile, ACS on Campus hosted 16 events abroad this year.

At the fall ACS national meeting, ACS signed six Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) with organizations such as the Chinese Chemical Society, the Mexican Chemical Society, and the European Association for Chemical & Molecular Sciences, and agreed on plans to organize the 2018 Atlantic Basin Conference on Chemistry. MOUs formalize partnerships between signatories.

On Oct. 23–25, ACS Publications hosted its inaugural symposium, Innovation in Molecular Science, in Beijing with the Institute of Chemistry of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, which celebrated its 60th anniversary (C&EN, Oct. 10, page 18).

“We’re looking at developing a range of events across the globe so we can support world-class research internationally, as represented in our journals,” says James Milne, senior vice president of the Journals Publishing Group at ACS. ACS Publications will host two symposia next year, in partnership with the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, and the Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, with planning under way for additional events in 2018 and beyond.

CAS hosted three Innovation Summit events in China, Japan, and Brazil. This initiative, which began in 2015, engages business leaders and decision makers in addressing global challenges. “This investment is empowering research everywhere and has developed new customer relationships, increased customer engagement, and elevated recognition of ACS brands, including CAS,” says CAS president Manuel S. Guzman.

On Nov. 11–12, in Hyderabad, India, ACS held its inaugural ACS Industry Symposium with Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories. The event connected ACS members in India, higlighted the local chapter, and recruited new ACS members. The next symposium will take place in India in late 2017.