Chemistry in 2026: The global outlook
The importance of the chemical industry cannot be underestimated. A few numbers illustrate the scale involved: in the US there are around 547,000 workers across the industry generating $637bn in value, while Europe’s chemical industry has a turnover of €635bn and employs 1.2m people. In the UK alone, the industry directly accounts for 155,000 highly-skilled jobs and £21.8bn gross value added to the economy.
Business digest: Chemistry industry updates
The latest business digest for C&I Issue 1 2026 with all the latest mergers and acquisitions in the chemical industry.
Chemistry in 2026: Navigating the year of uncertainty
With tepid economic growth and continuing geopolitical upheaval, 2026 will be a year of uncertainty and uneven performance across the global chemicals industry.
How global science research is evolving
Global research collaboration is evolving in response to geopolitical tensions, pandemic disruptions, and strategic national investments, according to a new report, Research collaboration in a changing world, from the Institute for Scientific Information (ISI) of business intelligence provider, Clarivate.
Osteoarthritis: Fighting pain with pain neurons
A biotech firm in the US has revealed a potential cell therapy for knee osteoarthritis. This involves injecting pain-sensing neurons into the knee to treat chronic osteoarthritis.
Nano-spear defense leaves bacteria unexpectedly vulnerable to antibiotics
Bacteria that can defend themselves against a molecular attack from other bacteria are also unexpectedly more vulnerable to antibiotics, researchers in Switzerland report.
How halogens have been overlooked in atmospheric models and why it matters
Short-lived halogens must be added into atmospheric models, say an international consortium of researchers. This includes organic and inorganic chlorine, bromine and iodine compounds with a lifetime in the atmosphere of less than six months.
Bio-based paints: Innovations in coatings from new materials
Bio-based coatings have often struggled to replicate the performance of their petchem equivalents. But researchers are taking their performance up a step – even making paints that incorporate living microbes. Lou Reade reports
Extracting phenolic compounds and sugars from grapefruit peel
A new study has evaluated combining high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) and enzymatic hydrolysis (EH) to recover phenolic compounds and sugars from grapefruit peel.
Making sustainable insulation panels from agricultural waste
Researchers have developed composite thermal insulation panels from two sources of agricultural waste, which can help with both efforts to make the construction sector more sustainable, and also find a new use for biomass left-overs.