Introduction to Our Proposal

The Australian Academy of Science (AAS) has asked the RACI to accept responsibility for organising the 49th IUPAC General Assembly and 46th IUPAC Congress as part of the RACI centenary celebrations from the 19th July to the 28th July 2017.

The RACI will be 100 years old in 2017 having been founded in Melbourne, Australia, in 1917. The centenary year of any organisation is very important but for the RACI it is especially so as it is the oldest national scientific or engineering society in Australia. This gives the celebration added status and the various governments in Australia (Federal, State and City) are offering very generous support to the RACI in recognition of this milestone.

This proposal describes the development of chemistry in Australia and the challenges faced and resolved since the RACI was founded. It takes a forward look to the contribution that chemistry is likely to make not only to the world, but Australia and especially to the Asian region where Australia conducts the majority of its business. We are in the Asian Century and Australia is very much a part of this with its contribution to environmentally sustainable global food supplies utilising the latest research and advances in chemistry and chemical sciences.

We describe some highly novel approaches to congress planning and presentation. The proposal is to conduct the IUPAC meetings alongside a major RACI Centenary Congress. By exploiting efficiencies of scale, the RACI will be able to significantly enhance the breadth and ingenuity of the IUPAC Congress. Very strong Government financial sponsorship has been obtained which, when added to the planned industrial sponsorship, produces a very attractive program. Any congress and in particular the IUPAC Congress is significantly enhanced with a parallel Chemistry and Chemical Industry trade Exhibition. The RACI is negotiating with three “Expo” partners to produce an event of note.

The host venue is the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (MCEC). The MCEC opened in July 2009, and can host congresses of up to 15,000 delegates. It is one of the finest and most advanced Centres in the world and includes a 30,000 square metre modern exhibition centre.

Melbourne is a safe and vibrant city with a very warm and inviting community and IUPAC is invited to accept the RACI invitation and make the Centenary a truly memorable occasion.