The Organic-Chemistry Institute visits Groningen

(03/24/2023) At a symposium of the Organic Chemistry Institute of the University of Münster with the working groups of the Stratingh-Institut for Chemistry of the Rijksuniversiteit Groningen, their shared features were highlighted, discussed and celebrated through lectures and poster presentations on research topics at the overlap between the two facilities. The event, which was held in the north of the Netherlands on 24 March 2023, attracted around 120 participants and is intended to serve as a stimulus for future collaborations, strengthen cooperation and take place regularly from now on. The day started early for the organic chemistry delegation.
At 6:30 am, the coach pulled into Corrensstraße to pick up the 30 PhD students, post-docs and other academic staff. After a quiet ride, the scientists were welcomed with coffee, tea and the typical Ontbijtkoek before the lecture program started. In his welcoming speech, Prof. Dr. Gerald Roelfes (Groningen) spoke about the successful research of the two institutes in the partly very similar fields. In the further course, besides two keynote lectures by Professors Armido Studer (WWU) and Sijbren Otto (Groningen), mainly the younger generation of scientists was given the chance to present their research. The research topics presented ranged from synthetic methodology to the production, characterization and application of new organic materials and the investigation of biologically active molecules for medical studies. "The range of topics was impressive and the quality of the presentations was consistently of the highest level," said co-organizer and junior research group leader Dr. Clemens Mayer (Groningen).

Those who did not get a slot for a lecture were able to visually compile their own results on a poster and engage in conversation with colleagues during the two poster sessions, which were accompanied by lunch and dinner. Furthermore, many interested people registered to take part in the discussions and to give new impulses or to take away ideas for their own projects. The final dinner lasted until late in the evening in the state-of-the-art New Energy Academy, which was completed in 2016, as the discussions continued. "Next time, the symposium could be held over two days for even better networking!" wished Titia Rixt Oppewal, PhD student at the Stratingh-Institute. At least the repetition of this event seems likely: "We would be happy to welcome you with us then in the future." invited co-organizer Dr. Henning Klaasen (WWU) the researchers in the Netherlands in his closing remarks and was pleased with the positive response. With its 17 research groups, including Nobel laureate Ben Feringa, and an average of 150 articles per year in peer-reviewed journals, the Stratingh-Institute is one of the most research-intensive chemistry institutes in Europe. Last year, publications with about 60 different partner institutes and programs were released. The symposium was financially supported by the two participating institutes and the Backer Foundation.