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IUPAC Strategic Plan -- 2000-2001
Goals and Strategic Thrusts - 2000-2001
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.
- 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, special issues of Pure and Applied Chemistry
on chlorine and endocrine disrupters, and 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 for Science
(ICSU) should be enhanced to plan and carry out projects of an interdisciplinary
nature.
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> Goals - summary
2. IUPAC will provide tools (e.g., standardized
nomenclature and methods) and forums to help advance international research
in the chemical sciences.
- 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 has become a recognized forum for presenting
outstanding relevant developments in modern chemistry and inspiring
high research standards. Future Congresses should adhere to the high
standard set in recent years.
- 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 scope and quality
of the Union's scientific publication program. 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.
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> Goals - summary
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 have begun and should continue 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].
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> Goals - summary
4. IUPAC will facilitate the development of effective
channels of communication in the international chemistry community.
- The vast potential of the Internet should continue to be utilized
to enhance information transfer between IUPAC and chemists in many
countries. The Fellows Program and Affiliate Member Program already
provide a base, which should be expanded many-fold.
- The decision by IUPAC in 1999 to assume direct responsibility for
its printed publications, rather than relying on a commercial publisher,
now provides great flexibility to enhance the scope, quality, and
circulation of Pure and Applied Chemistry and Chemistry International
and to promote the book publication program more widely. The important
material traditionally published in PAC should be augmented by timely
special topics, and CI 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 newsmagazines,
which routinely reach hundreds of thousands of chemists worldwide.
Feedback should be encouraged.
- In order for IUPAC to play an appropriate role in addressing global
issues, the Officers of the Union should organize regular meetings
with the leaders of National Chemical Societies and Regional Chemical
Federations so that their respective roles may be clarified from time
to time and plans and projects of international scope agreed.
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> Goals - summary
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 and economically disadvantaged 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.
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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 has begun to examine carefully what long-range
role it can realistically play in international science education
and to 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 educational
programs established by ICSU and other scientific Unions, which will
endeavor to disseminate information on science teaching and science
education for the public.
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> Goals - summary
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.
The IUPAC Prize for Young Chemists now gives specific recognition
to the accomplishments of graduate students, and IUPAC should be alert
to other opportunities to assist younger chemists.
- IUPAC should encourage developing and economically disadvantaged
countries to create opportunities for young researchers that will
reduce their exodus from the field of chemistry and from their home
countries. IUPAC should also use its Internet and other resources
to help young chemists from developing countries, including those
who return after advanced training elsewhere, to maintain contact
with contemporary research.
- The Union 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.
- The IUPAC Secretariat should explore the use of the web site as
a central point for announcing the availability of postdoctoral research
positions in chemistry worldwide. Young scientists in many parts of
the world could benefit significantly by having such information accessible
in one place, and by accessing the web site they will learn also about
other IUPAC programs.
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> Goals - summary
8. IUPAC will broaden the geographical base of
the Union and ensure that its human capital is drawn from all segments
of the world chemistry community.
- The 45 National Adhering Organizations (NAOs) and 16 Associate NAOs
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
Associate NAO 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. Several NAOs now provide travel support for younger
scientists to participate in IUPAC activities as Associate Members,
National Representatives, or Observers; other NAOs should be encouraged
to follow this lead.
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> Goals - summary
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 semipopular 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.
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> Goals - summary
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.
- The decision to focus much of IUPAC's scientific work in time-limited
projects should improve effectiveness and accountability, but IUPAC
leadership must develop and implement procedures for optimizing the
flexibility of the new system.
- 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.
- 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.
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> Goals - summary
> IUPAC Strategic Plan -- 2000-2001 - index
page
> Mission Statement
> Long-Range Goals
> Goals and Strategic Thrusts -- 2000-2001
> Implementation and Updating of
the Strategic Plan
Page last modified 25 April 2000.
Copyright ©2000 International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry.
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