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Goals and Strategic Thrusts - 1998-1999
To further its mission, IUPAC has established a set of long-range Goals
and has formulated strategic thrusts that are aimed at achieving each
of the Goals. These strategies are intended to guide the development
of operational plans and the setting of priorities for optimal use of
the Union's resources, both human and financial.
1. IUPAC will serve as a scientific, international,
non-governmental body in objectively addressing global issues involving
the chemical sciences. Where appropriate, IUPAC will represent the
interests of chemistry in governmental and non-governmental forums.
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IUPAC will conduct projects pertaining to the chemical
aspects of important issues of international concern. In addition
to projects initiated within IUPAC, input for new projects of scientific
and industrial importance may come from international governmental
and non-governmental bodies and from appropriate public groups.
Examples are the series of CHEMRAWN conferences, the recent White
Book on Chlorine and the studies of methods for disposal of chemical
weapons. IUPAC will not undertake projects that cast it in the role
of policy development or as an advocate for special interest groups.
-
Collaborations with international governmental bodies,
such as UNESCO and the World Health Organization, should continue
and be strengthened. The IUPAC/UNESCO International Council for
Chemistry will serve as the central forum for planning and coordinating
work with UNESCO. Collaborations with other individual scientific
Unions, with international scientific societies, and with the International
Council of Scientific Unions (ICSU) should be enhanced to plan and
carry out projects of an interdisciplinary nature.
2. IUPAC will contribute to the advancement of
research in the chemical sciences throughout the world.
-
The importance of standardized nomenclature, symbols,
terminology and methodology is critical to communication in the
chemical sciences. To remain the recognized international authority
in this area, IUPAC must ensure that important problems are recognized
and treated fairly and expeditiously. Collaborations with national
and regional chemistry societies, with governmental bodies and with
commercial information organizations should be augmented. Greater
efforts should be made to encourage adoption of IUPAC recommendations
through contacts with authors, editors and publishers.
-
The biennial IUPAC Congress is intended to present
the most outstanding relevant developments in modern chemistry and
to inspire high research standards. Future Congresses should adhere
to this principle.
-
An assessment should be made of IUPAC sponsorship
of specialized symposia in order to strengthen this well accepted
program. New significant research fields in chemistry should be
highlighted by the initiation of relevant high quality symposia.
-
Special attention should be devoted to improving
the quality of the Union's scientific publication program. Bibliometric
analysis and other criteria can be used to assess the impact of
IUPAC books and the journal Pure and Applied Chemistry. IUPAC should
take advantage of advances in electronic publishing methods to ensure
high quality publications that are disseminated in a rapid and cost-effective
manner.
-
Policies should be developed for IUPAC's role in
the preparation and dissemination of critically evaluated databases,
from atomic weights to thermodynamic and other chemical data.
3. IUPAC will assist chemistry related industry
in its contributions to sustainable development, wealth creation and
improvement in the quality of life.
- IUPAC is unique among the International Scientific Unions in including
within its scope a large industrial base. IUPAC is often perceived
as being oriented primarily toward academic institutions, but industry
benefits equally from much of the Union's work in standardized symbols,
nomenclature and terminology, as well as from critically evaluated
data. Greater efforts should be made to demonstrate the ways in which
IUPAC serves industrial needs directly and indirectly. In addition
to the present links provided by the Committee on Chemistry and Industry,
serious efforts are needed to engage leaders in the chemical industry
and national and international industry associations in dialogue to
explore ways in which IUPAC and industry can enhance mutually beneficial
interactions.
- IUPAC should be particularly alert to projects that help develop
the scientific basis for practices and procedures that protect society
while encouraging responsible and sustainable development. Such projects
may be initiated in the basic chemistry Divisions, as well as in the
mission-oriented Divisions [Chemistry and the Environment, and Chemistry
and Human Health].
4. IUPAC will facilitate the development of effective
channels of communication in the international chemistry community.
- The vast potential of the Internet should be utilized to enhance
information transfer between IUPAC and chemists in many countries.
The Affiliate Member Program already provides a base, which should
be expanded many-fold.
- Chemistry International should be developed as a forum for highlighting
important problems and advances in chemistry and for discussion of
science policy and global issues in chemistry.
- Increased efforts should be made to provide information on IUPAC
activities and news about important matters of international chemistry
to major scientific journals and national and regional chemistry news
magazines, which routinely reach hundreds of thousands of chemists
worldwide. Feedback should be encouraged.
5. IUPAC will promote the service of chemistry
to society in both developed and developing countries.
- CHEMRAWN Conferences have long provided the principal mechanism
for IUPAC to address issues that transcend pure science and have important
socio-political aspects. Such Conferences should continue to be promoted,
along with follow-up Future Action Programs.
- IUPAC bodies should continue to be alert to projects on matters
of societal importance (e.g., chemical weapons disposal, environmental
cleanup) that depend heavily on chemical sciences and technology.
- Within its limited funds, IUPAC should consider ways to foster chemistry
in developing countries. In many instances, IUPAC's initiative and
scientific expertise has been paired with outside funding sources
(e.g., recent UNESCO-supported work in the least developed countries
and the UNESCO/UNIDO/IUPAC program in chemical safety) to produce
valuable results, and this model should be further elaborated.
6. IUPAC will utilize its global perspective to
contribute toward the enhancement of education in chemistry and to advance
the public understanding of chemistry and the scientific method.
- Scientists everywhere recognize the critical role played by formal
and informal education at all levels, from kindergarten through graduate
school, not only for future scientists but also for the general public.
The problems associated with such educational programs are enormous.
Educational systems, administration and curricula vary drastically
by country, locality and individual school and teacher. IUPAC cannot
hope to make an impact on detailed curricula or outreach activities
in individual countries and localities, but it may be able to complement
the efforts of national chemical societies and to coordinate exchange
of information. IUPAC should examine carefully what long-range role
it can realistically play in international science education and develop
appropriate policies. Meanwhile, a number of specific activities can
usefully be initiated or continued, as described below.
- The Committee on Teaching of Chemistry (CTC) has been effective
in carrying out its program on exchange of information on teaching
methods, equipment, etc. CTC should continue to serve as the focal
point for IUPAC's programs in this area, but its programs should be
broadened. In addition, IUPAC Divisions should be invited to develop
complementary projects to enhance education at all levels and to coordinate
them with CTC.
- IUPAC should cooperate in whatever ways are feasible with the major
new program established by ICSU on Capacity Building in Science, which
will endeavor to disseminate information on science teaching in primary
schools and science education for the public.
7. IUPAC will make special efforts to encourage
the career development of young chemists.
- It is apparent that the future development of the chemical sciences
lies largely in the hands of the younger generation of scientists,
who often encounter severe obstacles in an era of constrained resources.
IUPAC should develop programs that are perceived by "younger
chemists" to be helpful to them and feasible for the Union to
undertake within its resources. Young chemists from developing countries
who return after advanced training elsewhere may benefit particularly
from these programs and from exchange of information with IUPAC via
the Internet.
- IUPAC should strongly encourage organizers of the IUPAC Congress
and IUPAC-sponsored symposia to provide travel support for younger
scientists and to include younger scientists among the invited lecturers.
- IUPAC Commissions and other bodies should make special efforts to
recruit well qualified younger scientists for their projects. Several
National Adhering Organizations (NAOs) now provide travel support
for younger scientists to attend the General Assembly as Associate
Members, National Representatives or Observers; other NAOs should
be encouraged to follow this lead.
8. IUPAC will broaden the geographical base of
the Union and insure that its human capital is drawn from all segments
of the world chemistry community.
- The Union is taking active steps toward globalization of its activities
with regional meetings and solicitation of input from the world's
chemists.
- The 42 National Adhering Organizations and 14 Observer Organizations
that currently comprise IUPAC are broadly distributed throughout the
world, but there are several geographic regions with little or no
representation in the Union and a number of countries with substantial
academic and industrial developments in chemistry that do not adhere
to the Union. IUPAC should encourage such countries to apply for membership.
In addition, IUPAC should stimulate less developed countries to seek
Observer status.
- The Union has long had a formal policy of "fair geographical
representation" among Elected Members of the Bureau and informally
strives to obtain geographic diversity among IUPAC and Division Officers.
While maintaining the focus on expertise, IUPAC's scientific bodies
should make efforts to recruit younger chemists, women chemists and
chemists from recently developed regions, including in some instances
countries that are not yet full Members of the Union.
9. IUPAC will encourage worldwide dissemination
of information about the activities of the Union.
- Much of the valuable work done by IUPAC bodies is published only
in Pure and Applied Chemistry or in specialized books and journals.
Although such formal and archival publication is essential, greater
efforts should be made by individual IUPAC bodies, the Secretariat
and the NAOs to disseminate this information as early and as widely
as possible to the relevant scientific community. In many instances,
high quality reports from symposia, workshops and Commission activities
should be prepared not only as formal scientific publications but
also as semi-popular documents emphasizing applications. For topics
that warrant attention in the popular scientific press, carefully
drawn news releases are needed.
- Contacts with major national chemical societies, regional chemistry
federations, industrial associations, and government/industry/university
consortia should be expanded to ensure that these organizations are
fully aware of IUPAC activities and can provide credit to the Union
where its activities complement theirs.
- Improved two-way communication with NAOs concerning science policy,
planning and implementation of projects and other activities is needed.
Special efforts should be made to prepare suitable material describing
IUPAC programs and accomplishments in a form that will assist NAOs
in recruiting Company Associates.
10. IUPAC will assure sound management of its
resources to provide maximum value for the funds invested in the Union.
- The Union can undertake its many activities only because of stable
financial support from its National Adhering Organizations, which
in turn usually obtain their resources from government and/or industrial
sources. IUPAC has a continuing responsibility to demonstrate to its
sponsors that all relevant management tools, including the use of
modern information technology, are employed to maximize productivity
in the administration of the Union.
- IUPAC should encourage philanthropic donations to the Union's endowment.
With continued wise investment strategies that assure maximum return
consistent with reasonable safety, the endowment and operating reserves
will provide a continuing source of funding that augments and leverages
the subscriptions from the NAOs.
- Although the purpose of the IUPAC publications program is the dissemination
of scientific information, this program has for a number of years
provided substantial income to help support IUPAC's other work. As
the program is redirected in the era of electronic publishing, efforts
should be made to continue to have publications as a source of funds,
rather than a drain on the Union's resources.
- Officers of IUPAC bodies and the Secretariat should continue to
be alert to possible sources of funds for specific projects from outside
groups (e.g., UNESCO, ICSU, charitable foundations and industry) to
augment the base funds provided by NAO subscriptions.
Page last modified 8 January 1999.
Copyright ©1997, 98 International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry.
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