The International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) is pleased to announce the successful conclusion of negotiations with both the City and University of Malaga, Spain, and the Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR) in Rome, Italy, leading to the establishment of a European-based Secretariat.
This follows an open international call for proposals, which attracted several generous and high-quality responses, demonstrating strong interest from multiple countries in hosting this international organization. The complementary bids from Malaga and Rome provide new opportunities and open a new chapter in the Union’s development through the creation of additional operational capacity. This milestone marks the relocation of IUPAC’s Secretariat from North Carolina, where it has operated continuously since 1997.
The decision reflects IUPAC’s commitment to ensuring that its operations evolve alongside its scientific mission. The new arrangements will provide the Union with strengthened institutional support and expanded opportunities to implement the scientific restructuring currently under consideration. Central to this transition is enhanced professional staff support for IUPAC’s extensive volunteer community, whose dedication underpins the Union’s work. Both CNR Italy and the University and City of Malaga are offering office space, seconded staff, and general corporate support.
Andrea Lenzi, President of CNR, welcomed the agreement, noting that hosting the IUPAC Secretariat in Rome reflects CNR’s commitment to working closely with its counterpart in Malaga to strengthen IUPAC’s role as a globally recognized reference point for the chemical sciences.
Additional staff roles will reinforce communication strategies across all levels of IUPAC membership — including National Adhering Organizations, Council, Divisions, Committees, and individual members — ensuring clearer dialogue, improved coordination, and greater visibility of IUPAC activities worldwide.
Mary Garson, IUPAC President, states:
“In line with its mission to provide objective scientific expertise and a common language for chemistry, the relocation of the Secretariat to a dual-centre European base is welcomed and will significantly enhance IUPAC’s capacity to deliver support for global chemistry now and into the future.”
Francisco de la Torre, Mayor of Malaga, emphasized that Malaga’s selection to host the Secretariat, alongside Rome, reinforces the city’s international profile as a science- and technology-driven hub and highlights its growing role in areas of chemistry linked to strategic fields such as microelectronics.
Teodomiro López, Rector of the University of Malaga, described the agreement as a historic milestone for the University, underscoring that hosting the IUPAC Secretariat at the heart of the university reflects its ambition to be an active contributor to global scientific decision-making.
IUPAC is approaching this transition as a collective effort involving its leadership, staff, and volunteer community, working together to design and implement robust governance and operational frameworks. Through the use of modern management practices and digital collaboration tools, the Union will ensure effective coordination between the Malaga and Rome sites. A distributed model is viewed as a strategic asset, enhancing organizational flexibility and increasing IUPAC’s capacity to respond effectively to the evolving needs of the global scientific community.
The relocation of the Secretariat was discussed by the IUPAC Council in July of last year. Following those discussions, both the Executive Board and the Science Board endorsed the plan to pursue negotiations with potential host institutions in Rome and Malaga. The successful outcome of these negotiations reflects the strong support and shared vision of all parties involved.
IUPAC expresses its sincere gratitude to the many institutions, partners, and stakeholders who demonstrated interest and support throughout this process. The Union looks forward to building enduring and productive collaborations with its new hosts in Malaga and Rome, and to leveraging these partnerships to further advance its mission of serving chemistry and society worldwide.
* For further information, contact Dr. Fabienne Meyers, Executive Director, IUPAC, at fmeyers@iupac.org