CHEMUK 2026 Provisional themes* set to include: – confirmed/slated/or subject to final space availability

*subject to DAILY continual change. Full timetable programme coming soon.

When Cleaning Becomes Challenging

Ethanol a game of two halve………..

To green or not to green, that is no longer the question! Making it happen

From concept to capability — how to make the market-driven insetting breakthrough a reality.

Agrochemicals regulation panel – slated to cover Plant Protection Products (pesticides and related formulations) and Fertilisers and Biostimulants (including novel nutrition and biostimulant products).

Annual CBA ‘Stage of the Nation’ chemical industries keynote (title tbc)

Annual CHEMUK IChemE keynote – from the new President /or Deputy President

Benefits of advanced sealing solutions against critical process emissions (provisional)

Beyond Compliance – Building a High-Performance EHS Culture

Beyond Conventional Testing: Grouping Strategies Driving the New REACH Polymer Requirements’

Beyond the Lab: Alternative Paths for a Career in Chemistry

Big Educational Debate – addresses the critical shortage of science skills, focusing on the decline of university chemistry departments, the pipeline of future chemists, and teacher recruitment.

Challenges for the supply chain in regulating groups of chemicals

Chemical Spill Prevention and Immediate Response- also encompasses the broad area of hazard management and containment (Mini Conference) – tbc

Closing the PFAS Compliance Gap: Managing Short- and Ultra-Short-Chain Compounds in Industrial Wastewater

CLP ‘Q&A’ session – embracing multiple areas of focus (panel)

CO2 utilisation, developed unique catalyst technology to create surfactants from waste CO2

China’s Hazardous Chemicals Safety Law and What It Means for Compliance in 2026

Compliance in Bulk Materials Handling (IMechE Keynote)

Compliance Planning for UK REACH: The ATRm Explained

Cosmetics and Ingredients – Are you legal? Feature panel

Cost-Efficient O/W Emulsion Stability Without High-Pressure Homogenisation: A Practical Approach Using Multi-Stage In-Line Mixing

Critical materials supply chains and how chemistry is driving secondary supply chains (feature panel)

Focus on how UK chemistry and chemical process innovation streams are fostering new secondary supply chains for critical materials like Rare Earth Elements (REEs) through advanced recycling, ion metallurgy with ionic liquids, chemical looping etc

Dangerous Goods Safety Advisors (DGSAs) workshop/briefing – feature panel – key current changes affecting DGSA’s

Day Two – Developing the Modern Chemical Engineer (mini conference)

IChemE’s Day Two focuses on the skills and development pathways needed for a rapidly evolving sector. Sessions explore future skills, digital and data literacy, process safety competence and early-career development, with clear takeaways for individuals, employers and educators strengthening the talent pipeline.

DBT Focus Session: Focusing on where DBT is supporting circularity and green chemical agendas in the UK Chemical Industries – through its ‘real world levers’

Broad ‘circularity’/’green chemistry’/ ‘decarbonisation’ & ‘de-fossilisation’ themes tbc

How Outsourcing in the UK Empowers Brand Owners and Retailers to Focus on Core Operations and Achieve Better Outcomes

Decarbonisation and energy compliance Cost & strategic impacts from emissions policies

Decarbonisation in Food and Drinks Industry (Day 1 Stage 4 Panel)

How Chemical & Process Engineers are meeting the challenges in the Food sector such as – decarbonising energy-intensive operations , sustainable process design, moving to a circular ecology , PFAS threats etc

Eight Reasons to Invest in High Quality Chemical Emergency Response

Environmental monitoring & pollution control – reflecting latest changes, enforcement & scrutiny

Environmental risk reduction & compliance – supporting safe and sustainable operations in the chemicals industry (title tbc)

Exploring the Innovation ecosystem changing landscape/ “re-boot” – pertaining to Chemicals sector – clearing away confusion relating to the respective roles & priorities of key components of the Innovation Ecosystem in 2026 Specific deep tech support structures /deep tech IP management

Is Extended Producer Responsibility for packaging (pEPR) helping or hindering the domestic chemical market?

F-gas clarity and refrigerant regulation

Financing the Net Zero Capital Agenda (Feature panel session)

Financing of Capital Projects for the Energy Transition and Carbon Neutral Agenda

Providing ChemUK attendees with a comprehensive, end-to-end roadmap for funding the next generation of industrial decarbonisation and energy transition projects.

The Catalytic Role of Sovereign Capital

Private Equity’s Investment Compass

The Path to FID: Commercial Offtake, Contracts, and Certainty for Industrial CO₂ Logistics

The Cluster Advantage

Food-Based Attractants and Biocidal Regulation: Understanding the Boundaries

From pilot to production: Scaling modular, customised manufacturing

From Planet to People friendly, introducing the chemicals of tomorrow

From Predictive Alerts to Prescriptive Action: Improving Reliability and Reducing Downtime in Chemical Plants

From Soil to Surface: How Cleaning Mechanisms Shape Formulation Design

UK Chemicals – Reaction, Reinvention and Resilience

We are all aware of the challenges faced by the chemicals sector and recent UK site closures. This session explores the challenges and how some are facing these with resilience whilst others are working on future reinvention of our sector.

Future strategies to deliver growth in UK fine chemicals.

Future-Proof Through Compliance: Transform Rules into Real Opportunity.

Great British Chemicals – exploring the new National Research & Innovation Centre for Sustainable Industrial Futures.

Harnessing AI /Robotics & Automation-powered innovation streams—a ‘working prototype’ of how future materials R&D ecosystems will function ?

Horizon scanning for the UK Chemicals Industry /An Intelligence Report on UK Chemicals and Sustainability Regulations

Illuminating flow – Unlocking photochemical pathways for controllable selective synthesis

Importance of Equipment futureproofing, meet evolving sustainability requirements and regulatory expectations over time.

IMechE–EEMUA Joint Industry Project (JIP) on Asset Integrity Transformation.

Importance of policy in driving adoption of green chemistry

Improving Critical Quality Attribute Control in Reactive Distillation via Hybrid Mechanistic – ML Digital Twins

Industrial IoT: Practical Pathways To Power Past Pilot Purgatory

Insight via joint industrial/academic presentations, into PhD project work undertaken reduce the carbon footprint of UK industry, via PINZ (The “Process Industries: Net Zero” (PINZ) Centre for Doctoral Training) Insight into ongoing processes intensification projects, via joint industrial/academic presentations (title tbc) (Panel)

Integration of Appropriate Testing Methods for a Complete Chemical Process Evaluation

Intelligent Laboratories: Transforming Chemicals and Materials Innovation Through Automation

Joint Industry Project (JIP) on Asset Integrity Transformation – Stage 4 Panel

Addressing one of the most significant performance challenges facing chemical and process operators today: transforming asset integrity management through risk‑based methods, digital technologies, non‑invasive inspection techniques, improved mechanical integrity competence, and more efficient turnaround strategies.

Latest CLP Label Updates (title tbc)

LCA for Chemicals – Preparing to comply: SRS, ESPR and more

Lignin Emerging as a Next-Generation Chemical Feedstock

Loss of biocidal active substances / regulatory withdrawal of certain biocidal active substances under the Biocidal Products Regulation (BPR) — and what that means

Impact of the loss of biocidal active substances (panel) theme tbc –For UK formulators, the loss of biocidal active substances is not just a regulatory issue — it is a core business continuity risk

Lube Lounge 2026 (title tbc) – UKLA -hosted panel explore some of the most pressing topics affecting the lubricants sector (Panel)

National Materials Innovation Strategy (provisional keynote theme)

Navigating Harmonised Classifications under CLP: Learnings for the UK

Navigating Post-Transition Poison Centre Requirements: EU and Global Perspectives

New EU CLP regulations for Multi-Constituent Substances (MOCS), including UVCBs and essential oils (title tbc)

Occupational & process safety enforcement – risk reduction management

Optimisation of binder ratio for wet granulation using an MTR

Optimising shelf-life and stability in dispersions

Overcoming Challenges with Substance Identity for REACH Registration

Owning What We Buy – The Scope 3 Challenge in Purchased Goods & Services – experiences and challenges from different parts of the coatings and chemicals value chain.

Oxone™ Monopersulfate Compound: The Next-Generation Oxidant for Low-Temperature Laundry Detergents (keynote)

Particle Design and Plant Engineering for Functional Powders, Granules and Pellets

Pathways to Safer, Smarter, Cleaner Indust ry (mini conference)

IChemE’s Day One programme – showcases how chemical and process engineers are enabling safer, more sustainable and more efficient industry. Across Hydrogen, Digitalisation, Sustainable Energy Systems and Bio-tech/Bio-engineering, speakers share practical routes to real-world deployment, with process safety woven throughout.

PFAS Emissions Management using Surface-Modified GAC (Granular Activated Carbons) – “Search, Capture & Destroy”

PFAS regulation & contamination issues – linked evolving restrictions

Policy Update UKGOV panel– potentially embracing: Defra/DESNZ/DBT/HSE etc (Panel)

Powering the Future: Energy Costs, Net Zero and the Competitiveness of UK Chemicals- title tbc

Practical Advice on the New CLP Hazard Classes – managing ED, PBT, PMT etc substances and products in their portfolios?

Process engineering challenges of Industrial scale decarbonisation of the chemical industries

Production waste energy capture and utilisation

Raman spectroscopy to improve process understanding and control of multi-phase slurry polymerization

REACH information requirements for Endocrine Disruption

Reclassification Risks – Is relabelling pushing your site into COMAH

Reconciling sector recognition against challenging societal perceptions – Don’t Mention the ‘C_ _ _ _ _ _ _ ‘ Word (Panel debate)

Redefining Solvent Innovation for Tomorrow’s Chemistry: Driving Circularity Through Bio-Based Solutions (keynote)

‘Reducing Your Regulatory Burden’ – feature regulatory affairs panel

Regulatory Affairs Round Up – Feature Day 1 finale session – structured discussion on REACH and CLP issues, and include other chemical regulations such as Biocides, Fertilisers, EUDR, etc in GB and the EU

Regulatory fragmentation (UK REACH + divergence) – and linked compliance complexity & costs

Replacing conventional organic solvent-based systems in favour of high-performance water-based alternatives.

Resurrecting the UK Chemicals Industry: Growth, Resilience, Sustainability and Competitive Advantage

ISO/FDIS 14001:2026 – Preparing the Chemicals Sector for the Upcoming Revision

Reuse, Recycling and REACH – Regulation in the Circular Economy

RSC Change Makers programme insight – as part of the sectors innovation ecosystem

RSC Keynote – Chemistry: a catalyst for change / Dr Helen Pain MBE CSci CChem FRSC, Chief Executive, Royal Society of Chemistry

Outlines the RSC’s recent activities and achievements, and the society’s vision for the future of the chemical sciences.

RSC Mini Conference – Skills and Pathways for a Sustainable Chemical Sciences Workforce

As the chemical sciences evolve, so do the skills and career pathways that shape its workforce. This session will explore how professional development, recognition frameworks, and technical and vocational routes are enabling chemical scientists to build resilient, future‑focused careers. Join us to learn how the RSC and our industry community are broadening pathways into the profession and developing the skills that underpin a sustainable future.

Safety Culture Transformation’ of key leadership in the chemicals, chemical formulated products, and wider high-risk process industries.

Beyond Compliance – Building a High-Performance EHS Culture

Same Chemistry, Different Rules: Surviving Global Regulatory Divergence – PFAS Regulation as a Model for the Evolution of REACH-like Frameworks

Safe and Solvent: Risks, Regulation, and Resilience in the European Solvents Industry

Sticky Business: Exploring Future Opportunities in Adhesives & Sealants (Panel ) will cover critical regulatory landscape

Strategic Compliance – Streamlining Sustainability and Chemical Regulation

Supply chain data transparency

The ‘Forever Journey’: PFAS Regulations in the UK

The coating that nearly slipped away: The value of Intellectual property (IP) strategy

The hidden Risk across the supply chain: When It’s Not Your Incident . But It Is Your Responsibility

The Importance of Size and Zeta Potential Characterisation in the Development of Coatings

Thermal Destruction of PFAS During Full-Scale Reactivation of PFAS-Laden Granular Activated Carbon

“Dangerous Goods issues in the modern chemical supply chain”

Together for Sustainability (TfS) focus – working to accelerate the development of sustainable and resilient chemical supply.

Triameen® Y12D: A Versatile Active for Modern Biocidal Products – disinfecting and preservative applications. (keynote)

Turning Data into Advantage: AI, Efficiency, and Growth in Chemicals R&D

UK REACH: What’s in the Mix for ’26? (Panel) hosted by BASF and CBA – hear varying perspectives on this everchanging and continuously developing topic.

UK’s Shrinking Substance Portfolio: Threat or Turning Point?

UKGOV Modern Industrial Strategy (Invest 2035 / Industrial Strategy 2025–35 framework) – title tbc

Understanding EU and GB Biocidal Product Registration Routes: Strategic Considerations and Common Pitfalls

Water-saving sustainability/resource efficiency in temperature control applications

What do Beauty Brands Really Want from the Bioeconomy? – will reflect the evolving manufacturing and product development requirements

X3D Catalyst – A step change catalyst technology for Step Change Catalysis !

The Chemicals Industry Growth Reality Check

What Caused the Downward Spiral

Three Credible Growth Pathways

Is the UK investable for sustainable chemicals growth today?

The CHEMUK 2026 Chemicals Reset: 3 Non-Negotiate Growth Enablers”

What Must Change by 2027

Where Investment is Happening – and Why?