Thank you for making EuroVariety 2025 such a memorable event!

The 11th European Variety in University Chemistry Education conference took place from 2–4 July 2025 at the Faculty of Chemistry, Jagiellonian University in Kraków. It brought together 115 participants from 29 countries across Europe and beyond (including Australia, Brazil, Ghana, Israel, and the USA), united by a shared commitment to modern, engaging, and effective chemistry education at the university level and in lifelong learning.

We would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to all participants for their invaluable contributions to creating an inspiring scientific programme — through your presentations, questions, and comments. We hope you returned home with your heads full of new ideas for your teaching practice.

The conference programme featured 4 plenary lectures, 2 keynote talks, 62 oral presentations in three parallel sessions, 35 posters, and 6 interactive workshops. Presentations covered a wide range of topics, including:

• competence-based teaching and assessment,
• the integration of sustainability and Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) into curricula,
• innovative uses of digital tools, artificial intelligence, and virtual or augmented reality,
• the role of laboratory work in developing research and practical skills,
• pre-service school teacher training, and
• professional development for academic staff in chemistry and related fields.

Participants also had the opportunity to join thematic excursions (the National Synchrotron Radiation Centre SOLARIS, the UJ Nature Education Centre, and the Jagiellonian University Museum Collegium Maius) and enjoy a musical welcome reception performed by a student band from the Faculty Of Chemistry, Jagiellonian University in Krakow.

We warmly invite participants to share your feedback to help DivCEd EuChemS plan the next edition of the conference — the link to the survey has been sent by email.

Thank you once again for being part of this vibrant community — and see you at the next EuroVariety!

fot. M. Wójtowicz-Król; M. Babincakova, M. Brzostowicz, M. Krzeczkowska

🏆 Best Poster Award Winners

We are excited to announce the winners of the Best Poster Awards presented at our conference! Congratulations to all participants — and special recognition to our top three posters:

🥇 1st Place:

Pavel Svozil
BAKE YOUR OWN RUBY: WHEN CHEMISTRY MEETS THE MICROWAVE

🥈 2nd Place:

Maximilian Traub
CHEMISTRY LABS WITH RELEVANCE: CONTEXTUALIZED EXPERIMENTAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR MEANINGFUL LEARNING

🥉 3rd Place:

Laura Naumann
TEACHING NUTRITION IN CHEMISTRY: A BLENDED LEARNING APPROACH FOR FUTURE TEACHERS

We sincerely congratulate the winners and thank all authors for their contributions.

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Dear Colleagues and Friends,

Every two years, the Division of Chemical Education of EuChemS, together with local groups of chemistry lecturers, organizes the European Variety in University Chemistry Education conference. The aim of this event is to exchange ideas related to the teaching and learning of chemistry at the degree level, share good practices and innovations, and present (action) research findings on chemistry education at the tertiary level - covering both general and technical universities, as well as other higher education institutions.

The first conference of this kind was held in Kraków, Poland, in 2005, and now, 20 years later, we are thrilled to return to this beautiful city of culture and science. This is a special opportunity to bring together passionate academic educators, lecturers, and PhD students, TA, to exchange examples of best practices, inspire each other, and offer mutual support in these challenging times, where the research role of universities often overshadows teaching.

We all care deeply about the quality of higher education, but each year brings new challenges. These include the increasingly varied levels of prior knowledge and academic skills of students entering our programs, the condition and equipment of our lecture halls and laboratories, and - often - complex personal circumstances faced by both students and educators. Moreover, changing realities, such as the introduction of generative AI, the COVID-19 pandemic, conflicts in Europe and the Middle East, evolving labor market demands for our graduates, and the need to prepare students to become ambassadors of Science and evidence-based decision-making in modern society, all shape the future of our educational efforts.

We look forward to warmly welcoming you, your family, and colleagues to the 11th EuroVariety conference in Kraków. Please mark your calendars for July 2^nd - 4^th, 2025, and join us in this inspiring event!

With my best wishes,

Iwona Maciejowska
Chair of the conference
 Jagiellonian University in Krakow