Organised by the SCI’s Colloid and Surface Chemistry Group and RSC Colloid & Interface Science Group, the European Coatings Symposium has run every two years since 1995. The meeting returns to the UK for the first time in 20 years.

There will be a training day aimed at students and newly hired industrialists on the 20 September. The conference will then run from 21 – 23 September. There will be speaking slots available via submitted abstracts, as well as a poster session. There will also be a conference dinner held in the historic dining hall of Gonville and Caius College.

For more information, visit the conference webpage.

The Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Joint Colloid Group will be held on Wednesday 16 September 2026, 1 PM BST.

Members of the RSC’s Colloid and Interface Science Group and of the SCI’s Colloid and Surface Chemistry Group are free to attend the AGM, and registration is not required. Members of either groups have received an email with MS Team link to join the online meeting.

During the meeting, the JCG chair will give an overview of the group, review past activities, and set up future plans. There will be a Q&A feature in the meeting where you will be able to type questions to be answered at the end of the AGM. The total duration of the event will be around 30 minutes.  

Members of either group are free to attend the AGM, and registration is not required.

The Sir Eric Rideal Travel Bursaries are a joint bursary between the Royal Society of Chemistry and the Society of Chemical Industry.  It provides funds for attendance at a conference in the field of colloid and surface science.

Sir Eric Rideal (1890-1974) was the founding Chair of the RSC Colloid and Interface Science Group.

The Rideal Trust annually offers financial assistance to promising academic research workers in the general field of colloid and surface science to attend conferences and/or to visit relevant research institutions.

Awards of up to £500 will be made on a competitive basis to assist with travel and/or subsistence and/or conference registration fees.

There are two closing dates for applications each year:

15 April (for travel planned between 1 June and 31 December)

15 October (for travel planned between 1 December and 30 June).

Please contact the SCI Awards department for further information.