The Top Ten Emerging Technologies in Chemistry - Call for Proposals for 2024

The first selection of the Top Ten Emerging Technologies in Chemistry was released in 2019 as a special activity honoring IUPAC’s 100th anniversary. The results were published in the April 2019 issue of Chemistry International, 41(2), pp. 12-17, 2019, see: https://doi.org/10.1515/ci-2019-0203). The results of subsequent initiatives and the related articles in CI can be accessed at: https://iupac.org/what-wer-do/top-ten/.

The search for the 2024 Top Ten Emerging Technologies in Chemistry has already begun and is being led again by Prof. Dr. Michael Droescher, Treasurer and General Secretary of the German Association for the Advancement of Science and Medicine. Droescher served as a judge for the initial search and has been chair of the Jury since 2020. For more information on the search for the 2024 Top Ten Emerging Technologies in Chemistry go to: https://iupac.org/the-top-ten-emerging-technologies-in-chemistry-call-for-proposals-for-2024/.

An “Emerging Technology” is one that is between a new scientific discovery and a fully-commercialized technology. It should involve a solid understanding of the technology, some type of prototype, or even better some start-ups working to commercialize the technology. But most importantly, the technology needs to be exciting, have the capacity to open up new opportunities in chemistry and beyond, and most importantly, help to solve major global problems – the focus of IUPAC’s vision and mission. The term “chemistry” is used in its broadest sense, including material science, nanotechnology, and biochemistry. Bottom line, an emerging technology is a discovery that hovers between an embryonic “Eureka” moment in the lab and an industrial application.

This initiative is to help to raise chemistry’s profile and reinforce its essential role in the advancement of science and technology.