EFMC, Medicinal Chemistry and Chemical Biology in Europe

This article is a reflection on the development of medicinal chemistry and chemical biology in Europe, and how the European Federation for Medicinal Chemistry (EFMC) helps the scientific community address its changing scope in a proactive manner. Networking, knowledge exchange and representation, as well as the acceptance and integration of novel scientific developments, are keys to a healthy and dynamic scientific community. This article also reviews some of the forces that shape the medicinal chemistry and chemical biology continuum, including cross‐fertilization, digitalization, and the outsourcing of synthetic and characterization work to focus on productivity and scientific excellence. A scientific continuum in constant evolution: This article is a discussion of the trends in medicinal chemistry and chemical biology in Europe, as seen from the European Federation for Medicinal Chemistry (EFMC). We review some of the needs and forces that shape this discipline, including networking and cross‐fertilization, the integration of new technologies, digitalization and the use of outsourcing for the benefit of productivity and scientific excellence.