Think tanks
The world is facing major challenges – from the energy transition to the sustainable handling of chemicals. Through its think tanks, the GDCh brings together experts from academia, industry and other fields to examine current chemical issues in a well-founded and multifaceted way.
A GDCh think tank is an interdisciplinary working group that focuses on a selected topic of the future. Its aim is to provide scientifically sound information and to inform policymakers and the public about chemical and technical interrelationships. The range of disciplines and industries involved allows different perspectives to be incorporated – a major advantage in the complex world of chemistry and one of the GDCh’s strengths.
Would you like to get involved or do you need sound information? Below you will find an overview of the existing think tanks and your points of contact.
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are ubiquitous in the environment due to their widespread use and are the subject of controversy. They are persistent, many are bioaccumulative and mobile. Some PFAS have harmful effects on human health and the environment, while little is known about many others. Individual PFAS are already regulated, but in some cases have been replaced by other PFAS that also have harmful effects.
Restriction procedures are currently underway in many countries to reduce emissions. The main sources of emissions are firefighting foams, industrial emissions, accidents, the application of contaminated sludges, as well as fluorinated gases and the textile industry. PFAS can be avoided in most consumer products, whereas in many highly specialised areas of application they are difficult or impossible to replace.
Further information can be found in the following publication:
Report on the PFAS Conference in Berlin – Nachrichten aus der Chemie, Jun. 2025 (DOI)
Contact:
Hon.-Prof. Markus Grosse-Ophoff, Osnabrück University of Applied Sciences
Email
Prof. Sebastian Hasenstab-Riedel, Freie Universität Berlin
Email
Prof. Dr Ruth Bieringer, Freudenberg FST
Prof. Hubertus Brunn, Justus-Liebig-Universität Gießen
Prof. Maik Finze, University of Würzburg
Dr Thomas Früh, Wuppertal
Dr Stefan Hahn, Fraunhofer Institute for Toxicology and Experimental Medicine (ITEM), Hanover
Prof. Gerd Hamscher, Justus-Liebig-Universität Gießen
Prof. Florian Kraus, University of Bonn
Dr Holger Schultheiss, BASF, Ludwigshafen
Dr Eckart Louis, Burghausen
Dr Dirk-Henning Menz, Pharmpur, Königsbrunn
Prof. Thorsten Reemtsma, University of Leipzig
Prof. Martin Scheringer, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich, CH
Dr Michael Schlipf, FPS GmbH, Burgkirchen an der Alz
Dr Klaus Günter Steinhäuser, Berlin
Prof. Thomas Ternes, Federal Institute of Hydrology, Koblenz
Prof. Patrick Théato, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology
Prof. Christian Zwiener, University of Tübingen
The energy transition is one of the central challenges of our time. The GDCh Energy Transition Think Tank brings together experts from industry and academia to make scientifically sound contributions to the transformation of the energy system.
The chemical industry plays a dual role in this: it is a major consumer of energy and emitter of greenhouse gases, but at the same time it is also part of the solution. New technologies for energy storage developed by the chemical industry, energy-efficient processes and innovative materials can make a decisive contribution to the success of the energy transition. The industry is dependent on carbon as a raw material, however, whose availability will be reduced in the long term by decarbonisation.
The think tank analyses possible transformation pathways, evaluates technological concepts and discusses challenges and potential solutions. The results of this work are presented at Conferences, symposia and in specialist publications.
Further information can be found in the following publications:
Prioritising net zero – Nachrichten aus der Chemie, Sep. 2025 (DOI)
Storing chemical energy correctly – Nachrichten aus der Chemie, Feb. 2025 (DOI)
Storing solar and wind energy – Nachrichten aus der Chemie, Oct. 2024 (DOI)
Energy transition: what needs to be considered and done – Nachrichten aus der Chemie, Sept. 2023 (DOI)
Contact:
Prof. Dr. Thomas Osterland, TH Augsburg
Email
Dr. Joachim von Heimburg, jvhinnovation GmbH
Email