Chemical Sciences Focal Areas

Moving from a strong chemistry discipline to robust interaction with other players: that is CW’s point of departure. Developments in the sciences show that chemistry has become a broad, challenging and comprehensive discipline. Making choices is inevitable if this ever growing area is to develop in a well-balanced way. CW wants to combine its strong points in three focal areas that each have their own challenges and methods. Of course there are many common goals and the focal areas complement each other with some overlap. That is what makes chemistry such a relevant field and CW will continue to aim for the integration of a very strong chemistry discipline, where there will always be room for chemistry pure and simple.

Chemistry in relation to biological/medical sciences
The understanding of living nature, the development of new drugs, molecular research into the human body and cellular processes in living organisms in general, and more recently the use and manipulation of biological processes and bio-mimicry have long occupied a central place in chemical research. Biological chemistry, large parts of organic chemistry and parts of analytical and macromolecular chemistry meet their challenges in this focal area. In addition this focal area comprises activities at the intersection of CW and ALW or ZonMW. Centre stage is the molecule in a biological or medical context.

Chemistry in relation to physics/materials
With the rise of nanotechnology and the molecular understanding of mesoscopic and macroscopic materials the boundary between parts of physics and parts of chemistry has become less visible. Chemists and physicists in this focal area speak the same language and deal with the same questions. New theoretical and spectroscopical and surface techniques and indispensable for progress in this field. Physical chemistry, spectroscopy and theory, the chemistry of solids and materials science, parts of organic chemistry and polymere chemistry as well as liquids and interfaces benefit from the physical approach to chemistry; the activities often intersect with those of FOM.

Chemistry in relation to technology/sustainability
Chemistry in this focal area is characterised by the most efficient use of raw materials and energy, the development of new technologies for creating chemical products, analysing these in the most modern way with the help of new insights from biology and physics, and guaranteeing a sustainable society. Biotechnology and Process-on-a-chip are just two examples of great import, while catalysis aims to achieve the highest atomic efficiency in chemical processes. Process technology, catalysis and parts of organic, polymere and analytical chemistry are associated with this focal area that, together with ACTS and STW, has become an important pillar of Dutch science and technology.