In my fourth blog, I write about a recent conference I have attended and how I manifested my participation at the conference with a fully funded trip to Helsinki, all thanks to utilizing my coach’ advice: to create opportunities and make my presence known in my field. In this blog, I write about what the conference was about, and how to take every situation as an opportunity to grow. Here is what I include:
👉European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) – What’s it?
👉Journey to Shaping Tomorrow ECHA 2024 conference
👉Inside ECHA 2024 conference
👉What next?
Do also check out my previous posts & connect with me on LinkedIn!
European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) – What’s it?
ECHA, the European Chemicals Agency, is headquartered in Helsinki, Finland. It was established in 2007 and operates under the European Union’s regulatory framework for chemicals, and oversees the implementation of EU regulations on chemicals, such as REACH and CLP, ensuring their safe use and protecting human health and the environment.
ECHA’s regulatory activities provide guidance and compliance standards for companies operating in the chemical sector, contributing to enhanced safety, sustainability, and innovation within the industry.
During my three-year tenure as a regulatory compliance engineer in the automotive industry, working at both Robert Bosch and Varroc, I came to appreciate the vital role of ECHA in shaping EU regulations. Seeking guidance from ECHA for the database of each chemical has made it a respected institution for me, especially with my background in Chemistry. Today, as I pursue my European Masters in Chemical Innovation and Regulation, ECHA remains a valuable resource for understanding chemicals and software. Its commitment to safety and environmental protection resonates with me. In fact, ECHA’s influence underscores its importance in the industry, serving as a beacon of excellence in chemical regulation.
Journey to Shaping Tomorrow ECHA 2024 Conference
This year, the ECHA conference was themed “Today’s implementation, tomorrow’s innovation: the future of EU chemicals”. Sessions were planned to be both online and in-person.
After a regular meeting with my coach, I invested time looking for conferences relevant to me. By the time I came across the ECHA 2024 conference, the in-person registration was full. ECHA is a dream place of work for me, so attending that conference was vital for my career. I shared my concerns about travelling and getting in-person attendance with my coach Dr. Nadan who advised me to bring this up with my Erasmus Program Coordinator to fund my attendance at the conference, which apparently is a perk on some Erasmus Mundus courses. Embodying the advice of my coach, I therefore started to enquire with my Programme Coordinator who shared the contact of my course alumnus Mariana, a current trainee at ECHA. My Programme Coordinator also shared the good news that, if my registration is confirmed, he could possibly fund my whole trip.
I immediately reached out to Mariana with lots of hope and was advised to email the ECHA Events Team. As my coach says, if you do not give up, the universe will join hands to make things happen for you! After two weeks of waiting, I received the confirmation of my in-person attendance to the ECHA 2024 conference, and my Programme Coordinator arranged for my travel and stay to Helsinki.
Once everything was confirmed, I reached out to my coach again who shared valuable tips on networking during conferences, in particular how to network in person, especially with people at higher levels.
Inside ECHA 2024 Conference
I made my travel plans to arrive one day before the conference, so I can relax and explore the local transportation to the venue. During the morning of the conference, once I reached the premises, I felt like a dream come true. As my credentials were getting validated for entry, I was full of hope and excitement. On-the-spot registration was also available, which is worth exploring by those without pre-confirmed spots.
In this section, I present a run down of the conference and what interested me the most.
Keynotes:
The conference had a sharp 9am start with the introduction and welcome keynote by Virginijus Sinkevicius (EU Commissioner for Environment, Oceans & fisheries), followed by another keynote by Juhani Damski (Permanent Secretary Ministry of Environment, Finland). I was eagerly waiting for the speech from Sharon Mccguiness (Executive director of ECHA), who I also managed to catch up with during one of the break sessions.
Available Stands
During the whole day, there were several stands available for browsing useful information in the sector:
- Careers – ECHA as an employer
- Helsinki City
- Biocidal Product regulation
- Biocides
- ECHA CHEM
- Helpnet
- ECHA IT tools and support
- Instrument for pre-accession Assistance-IPA
- Board of Appeal
Organizations and researchers were immersed in clarifying their doubts regarding the conformance particularly for dossier submission and data availability.
ECHA Careers & ECHA CHEM
As I continued to explore the stands, my focus naturally flowed to two most significant stands for me: Careers & ECHA CHEM. At the Careers stall, I learnt about the ECHA Traineeship Program process and the interim positions available for non-EU residents. Juusela Minna and Kiors Arnis, staff from ECHA HR and Administrative team were very encouraging and and very responsive to post-conference queries.
Going Green & Digital
After the break, there were sessions for collaboration meant for green and digital transition and regulatory coherence. The panel consisted of Dorothee Arns (European Association of Chemical Distributors), Frida Hök (International Chemical Secretariat), Marco Mensink (European Chemical Industry Council), Kristin Schreiber (European Commission) and Peter van der Zand (ECHA). A Q&A by the in-person audience and online audience with the panel was followed by a delicious and healthy lunch.
Bridging Science & Regulation
During this session, I got sparked by the conversation of Ellen Fritsche (Professor Swiss Centre for Applied Human Toxicology), about the collaboration between universities and organizations to work on the same path, this made more sense. Intrigued by the discussion, I asked a question during the Q&A to Juliette Legler (Professor of Toxicology Institute for Risk Assessment Sciences, Utrecht University), Mike Rasenberg (Director of Hazard Assessment ECHA), and Matthieu Schuler (Managing Director-General Science for Expertise Division French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health and Safety).
Speech by Sharon Mccguiness – Executive director of ECHA 
Panel with Dorothee Arns (European Association of Chemical Distributors), Frida Hök (International Chemical Secretariat), Marco Mensink (European Chemical Industry Council), Kristin Schreiber (European Commission) and Peter van der Zand (ECHA)
Opportunities to network
I wondered why there were so many breaks, and as if catching my mind’s voice, the moderator Chris Burns announced these were to foster networking. Throughout the conference I had a notepad where I noted contacts for all the new connections, it was insisted by my mentor and I realised its importance after the conference.
As I was about to explore further, I was approached by Irene Belinchón Visier who works in Biocidal regulations, she appreciated me for the question and mentioned she is one of the Professor of my Erasmus Mundus program modules, whom I will meet again at my University. I also met other graduates from my course who were undertaking traineeships at ECHA.
Ending it beautifully
The last session was based on “Creating tomorrow’s knowledge with data”, with the final remarks given by Sharon Mccguiness followed by more networking opportunities with ECHA colleagues. I was approached by Jay Ingram from the Humane Society International to further discuss my question to the panel. Little did I know that this would be the beginning of an opportunity that deserves a separate blog altogether in future.
Post ECHA 2024 Conference
Post the conference, as per my coach’ advice, I extrapolated everything from my notepad and I created a connection list of all the events that I have attended and reached out to the people I have met in order to foster and maintain a professional connection. My coach kept repeating that these small things is what creates long lasting impact, and I truly starting to understand her point now, as I see new opportunities being created.
What next?
My coach is now encouraging me to work on my poster for my research module and to use the skills obtained to present my poster at academic conferences in the future.
I end this blog here, with the hope the information I have provided that will help current and future students to create professional networking opportunities for themselves.
Acknowledgment
I thank my coach & mentor Dr Teeroumanee Nadan for guiding me in writing this blog, and for reviewing, text editing, image editing, and adding information to this blog to make it suitable for publication.
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