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The European Federation for Medicinal chemistry and Chemical biology (EFMC) is an independent association founded in December 1969 and representing 31 scientific organisations from 26 European countries, and more than 9000 scientists. Its objective is to advance the science of medicinal chemistry and chemical biology by promoting cooperation and encouraging strong links between the national adhering organisations to deepen scientific contacts and exchanges in Europe and around the World. EFMC fulfils this objective by organising symposia and short courses, by sponsoring meetings and schools, by publishing on relevant topics and by conferring awards and prizes.
Its most important event is the biennial International Symposium on Medicinal Chemistry (EFMC-ISMC). These symposia, with an average attendance of 1,200 delegates, are highly international with a broad range of speakers and attendees from the pharmaceutical industry and academia. In addition, EFMC organises the EFMC|ACSMEDI Medicinal Chemistry Frontiers and the International Symposium on Advances in Synthetic and Medicinal Chemistry (EFMC-ASMC), as well as short courses on specific topics in medicinal chemistry. The Young Medicinal Chemists’ Symposium (EFMC-YMCS) has become an annual gathering of young talents. Most recently, EFMC started co-organizing the International Symposium on Chemical Biology (EFMC-ISCB) with the Swiss Chemical Society, continuing the tradition of high scientific quality of the NCCR Chemical Biology and highlighting the latest advances in this discipline.
An important activity of the EFMC is the sponsorship of national scientific meetings and medicinal chemistry or chemical biology schools, including their certification to EFMC standards. EFMC awards travel grants for younger scientists to attend EFMC symposia and schools.
The journals of EFMC are ChemMedChem and ChemBioChem.
EFMC acknowledges the excellence of medicinal chemists’ work, by conferring four major awards: the Nauta Pharmacochemistry Award for Medicinal Chemistry and Chemical Biology, the UCB-Ehrlich Award for Excellence in Medicinal Chemistry, the EFMC-WuXi AppTec Award for Excellence in Chemical Biology and the Prous Institute-Overton and Meyer Award for New Technologies in Drug Discovery, which are given every two years for outstanding achievements in the field. Since 2010, EFMC also awards two prizes for scientific accomplishment to young medicinal chemists and chemical biologists, both in industry and academia.
