The Department of Science and the Centre of Excellence for Water Research, Alliance University organized an International Conference on Science for Sustainable Development - ICSSD 2022 which was inaugurated by Dr. Anubha Singh, Vice-Chancellor, Alliance University in presence of Dr. Sabu Thomas, Vice-Chancellor, Mahatma Gandhi University, Kerala as the Guest of Honour; Dr. Vijayakumar Chakkooth, Principal Scientist, CSIR-NIIST; Dr. Siva Satya Srinivasa Murthy Chavali, Dean – Research, Alliance University; Dr. Vipin Prasad, Head of Department of Science, Alliance University; Dr. Chitrakara Hegde, Associate Professor, Department of Science, Alliance University; Dr. Jyotishkumar Parameswaranpillai, Associate Professor, Department of Science, Alliance University and other members of the University.

The conference was around sustainability, eco-friendly materials, reusability, and minimum wastage as the fundamentals of the circular economy. Climate change, population explosion, agricultural degradation, environmental pollution, and technology encroaching on privacy are the common problems that are affecting the peace and livelihood of people around the world. It is important to point out that the use of toxic chemicals, petroleum-based plastic products, etc., in one way or another makes the earth uninhabitable. Therefore, there is a quest for green or sustainable materials from renewable sources to replace toxic materials. The UN’s goals of 2030 are for inclusive sustainable development and 2022 is a year of science for sustainable development as declared by UNESCO.

Also, the Paris agreement for sustainable development emphasizes the need for zero carbon emission. To make this planet better, the need of the hour is to employ interdisciplinary research, and technological innovations, and infuse scientific temperament among every stakeholder. Recently, there is an upsurge in the use of sustainable materials in all fields such as medicine, automotive, construction and building, water treatment, fuel sector, and other industrial applications to reduce waste, pollution issues, and toxicity. However, the use of materials from renewable resources is still in small quantities compared to traditional materials. Therefore, the conference on “Science for Sustainable Development” comes across as an essential event for awareness of sustainable development. It is very important to study, learn, and discuss with researchers across the globe to formulate guidelines for a sustainable ecosystem. This conference platform will provide knowledge exchange and collaborations with scientists and researchers across the globe.

More than 150 abstracts were submitted during the registration for the conference. Abstracts were received from various countries beyond India including France, Italy, Thailand, Argentina, Brazil, and Australia. From India, scholars from NITS, CSIR Laboratories, Colleges, and Universities from different states registered for the conference and presented their papers.

Some of the topics on which papers were presented during the conference were clean water, semiconductors, magnetic material, polymer for sustainability, coronavirus impact, climate change impact, solar cells, docking analysis, pancreatic cancer, remote sensing, bioactive compound, medicinal chemistry, and nanomaterials. Select papers from the conference were also published as a book during the inaugural function of the event.

The keynote for the conference inaugural was presented by Dr. Vijayakumar Chakkooth, CSIR-NIIST. Some of invited speakers for the event included:

• Markus Gahleitner, Borealis Polyolefine GmbH, Innovation Headquarters, Linz, Austria
• Guillermo R. Castro, Nanobiomaterials Area, Max Planck Laboratory for Structural Biology, Chemistry and Molecular Biophysics of Rosario (MPLbioR, UNR-MPIbpC), CONICET SantaFe, Argentina, Nanomedicine nucleus, Universidad Federal do ABC, San Pablo, Brazil
• Mariana Buranelo Egea, Goiano Federal Institute (Rio Verde), Brazil
• Sarawut Rimdusit, Research Unit in Polymeric Materials for Medical Practice Devices, Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
• Nishar Hameed, School of Engineering, Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne, Australia
• Prasanth Raghavan, Head of Department of Polymer Science and Rubber Technology, CUSAT, Kerala, India

The conference concluded with a valedictory function where Dr. Nivedita Mishra, Registrar of Alliance University was the chief guest. The five best research papers were announced in the valedictory function by the Registrar of Alliance University. The event closed with concluding remarks from Dr. Chitrakara Hegde, Associate Professor, Department of Science at Alliance University.

The conference was knowledge based for few, research based for others and an eye-opener for many about the current situation that we live in, and an urgent need to build a very strong and sustainable network people and processes for a greener and cleaner planet.