The working group presented the revised Core Chemistry Brochure at the ECTN General Assembly 2026 in Valencia, where it was unanimously approved for publication. The brochure is now available as an open-access resource.
Click here to read it.
The upcoming 5th STEM-CPD Summer School is an exceptional opportunity for university lecturers in chemistry and other STEM disciplines who are committed to student-centred teaching and who aim to promote the continuous professional development (CPD) of teaching competences to foster skills for the future. Participants who have not attended a STEM-CPD Summer School before will be awarded a CPD Ambassador certificate.
The 5th STEM-CPD Summer School will take place from 21 to 25 September 2026 in Madrid, in cooperation with Universidad Rey Juan Carlos. Unlike our previous STEM-CPD Summer Schools, this edition will focus on the “Union of Skills” challenge in STEM higher education. The “Union of Skills” is the Erasmus+ strategy for 2028–2034. Through an intensive co-creation programme, we will work together on this challenge, build new collaborations for the future, and initiate a new project collaboration. This STEM-CPD Summer School will welcome all STEM higher-education educators, including those who have already obtained the CPD Ambassador certificate at one of our previous Summer Schools.
The STEM-CPD Summer School is recognized by EuChemS.
ECTN General Assembly and Annual Meeting will be held on 21-23 MAY 2026 in Valencia, Spain, Faculty of Chemistry Burjassot.
Participation of all ECTN members is welcome!
To support academic teachers and program directors in implementing active learning strategies in teaching and learning, the ECTN WG Eurolecturer Academy is organizing a 2.5‑day summer school on “Question‑Driven Learning in STEM” from 19–21 May in Valencia, as a pre‑event to the ECTN GA. The summer school is organized in close collaboration with and hosted by the University of Valencia, bringing together expertise from both the ECTN network and the local academic community.
This summer school explores a specific activating teaching approach. The immersive program, combining hands-on activities, peer exchange, and vivid discussions within an international community of practitioners, will empower participants to enhance the quality of their teaching and curricula and to design more engaging STEM learning experiences for students.
The Question-Driven Learning in STEM Summer School is recognized by EuChemS.
Registration
The ECTN General Assembly will take place on 8 – 9 APRIL 2022 at the Institute for Food Science and Technology, Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Buda Campus, Budapest, Hungary.
The meeting website is now open at:
https://ectnga2022.mke.org.hu/
The registration deadline is March 7 and the payment deadline is March 25.
There will be an election for EChemTest User Representative on the VEC committee.
This post is open to any ECTN Member. If you, or someone from your institution, wish to stand for election, please send an e-mail to the election officer, generalsecretary@ectn.eu before the deadline of 1st April 2022 The message should provide the name and institution of the nominee, and a very brief (a few lines) account of the EChemTest experience of the nominee. No other formalities are required.
Quoting our President, Sanjiv Prashar:
Despite these difficult times I hope as many of you that can, will join us in Budapest and participate in this vibrant project that we share.
Our network has many aims and objectives but for me the most important goal is the integration of European chemists, be they researchers and/or educators. For this human interaction is by far the most important reagent and although Zoom and Teams have come to our rescue, nothing can replace the in-person warmth and good will that is the essence of our meetings.
These are exciting times for the ECTN. Firstly, our General Assembly will be asked to approve a complete overhaul of the working groups and several new ones will be presented. Members will be invited to participate at all levels. These new groups will cover topics such as lecturer accreditation, Tuning revisited, ECTN digitalization and chemistry in society.
Our three standing committees Labels, Virtual Education Community and Quality Standards in Teaching, have been revamped with new faces that will surely continue and extend the excellent work that is being carried out in the name of the ECTN.
This year we have the good fortune to participate in two projects financed by the Erasmus Plus Programme, namely, STEM Continuous Professional Development at European Universities (STEM-CPD@EUni) and Digital Support in Chemistry Teaching (DISTINCT). Both projects are looking to recruit ECTN members to work and develop different aspects of each project. Presentation at our annual meeting will be made by the respective project coordinators Iwona Maciejowska and Marek Frankowicz
So, exciting times for all. You don’t want to miss out. Register now and I will see you in Budapest where a memorable chemistry reaction will no doubt take place.
The ECTN is a partner in a new Erasmus+ project entitled DISTINCT. It is coordinated by the Jagiellonian Universityin Krakow, Poland (Marek Frankowicz).
We are now partners in two Erasmus+ projects, DISTINCT and .
Details of the project can be found on the ECTN website. Details of the DISTINCT project are given below.
DISTINCT Project File
| Project type | Educational |
| Call | ERASMUS+ Key Action 2 Partnership for Cooperation 2021 |
| Project number | 2021-1-PL01-KA220-HED-000027619 |
| Title of the project | Digital Support in Chemistry Teaching (DISTINCT |
| Number of months | 36 |
| Start and End Date | 01/11/2021 – 31/10/2024 |
| Project partners | 1. Jagiellonian University in Krakow, Poland – JU (project leader)
2. University of Bologna, Italy – UNIBO 3. Technical University of Vienna, Austria – TUWIEN 4. Vilnius College, Lithuania – VIKO 5. University of Latvia, Latvia – LU 6. European Chemistry Thematic Network Association, Belgium – ECTN |
| Total budget | 340 625 EUR |
| Project Summary | The aim of the project is to support digitalization of European chemical faculties/departments to adjust them to the new post-COVID reality.
Four main strands of activities are planned: 1) Analysis of the situation, creation of a European database of good practices 2) Support for distance learning – lectures and seminars 3) Support for practical education (laboratory classes) 4) Support for school education and training in the chemical sector and development of recommendations for the organization chemical studies in crisis situations. Instructions, training materials and teaching materials, including multimedia materials, will be developed and disseminated. Recommendations for various target groups will be elaborated. Dissemination activities for institutions outside the consortium (schools, universities, vocational training institutions) will be organized. Particular attention will be paid to the problem of remote assessment and analysis of learning outcomes to be implemented as part of remote education. Training materials will also take into account issues such as remote work hygiene, “netiquette” (proper online behavior) and problems related to the GDPR and the protection of intellectual property. Participation in the project of the ECTN ensures its European dimension and guarantees durability of its results. The impact of the project is also ensured by the appropriate consortium composition: the Jagiellonian University and the University of Bologna are members of the Coimbra Group and the UnaEuropa consortium, the University of Latvia belongs to UNICA (a network of universities from the capitals of Europe) and Vilnius College is an active member of EURASHE (European Association of Institutions of Higher Education). Moreover, the University of Latvia is a coordinator and the Jagiellonian University is a partner in a large ERASMUS + project for the modernization of doctoral studies in Russia, Armenia and Belarus (focused on science, natural and technical studies), hence the results of the DISTINCT project will be also used outside EU countries. The activities carried out under the project will also be correlated with the work of the Polish Sector Skills Council for the Chemical Sector, and the developed recommendations will be made available to accreditation committees and other organizations operating in the field of higher education. |
Planned Results and Activities:
| Result | Leader/
Co-leader |
Activities |
| DISTINCT Platform | JU/LU | 1.1 Development of the DISTINCT platform for collection of cases
1.2 The query on internet resources and analysis of the collected questionnaires 1.3 Investigation of the needs and offers affecting the effectiveness of teaching and learning process 1.4 Mapping/collecting, structuring/classifying good practices and innovative solutions 1.5 Development of self-learning modules |
| Remote Lecturing Support Toolkit | UNIBO/JU | 2.1 Definition of the guideline contents
2.2 Identification of key persons (experts) for each content 2.3 Completion of the modules 2.4 Testing and evaluation of the guidelines 2.5 Publication of guidelines |
| Remote Laboratory Support Toolkit | TUWIEN/JU | 3.1 Assessing the current laboratory situation
3.2 Re-designing/modifying laboratory 3.3 Assessment of online alternatives 3.4 Possibilities for remote group work 3.5 Grading of practical courses held in remote format |
| Stakeholders Support & Policy Recommendations | ECTN/VIKO | 4.1 Recommendations for universities
4.2 Recommendations for chemistry sector 4.3 Recommendations for schools 4.4 Multiplier events 4.5 Creation of DISTINCT Community of Practice |
We will have the kick-off meeting ONLINE on 2 February 2022, to which all ECTN Members are invited to attend. A link for attending the meeting will be sent to all ECTN Members.
The agenda:
Open session (we can invite persons from the outside of our consortium, to inform them on our project):
10:00 – 10:30 Opening session
10:30 – 12:00 Presentation of partner institutions (15 minutes/partner)
12:00 – 12:15 Break
12:15 – 13:15 Presentation of planned activities (15 minutes/result: R1 – JU, R2 – UNIBO, R3 – TUWIEN, R4 – ECTN)
Restricted session (only for DISTINCT participants):
14:00 – 15:00 Administrative & financial issues
15:00 – 15:30 Work Plan for February – June 2022