April brought two conference appearances that placed SPECTRA in dialogue with the next generation of Greek chemists and with the broader European twinning research community.
ChemiST Con Greece 2026
The 1st Panhellenic Student Conference on Chemical Sciences and Technologies, ChemiST Con Greece 2026, provided Prof. Dimitra Lambropoulou with an opportunity to present SPECTRA’s analytical work to an audience of young scientists at the start of their research careers. Her presentation, “Determination of emerging contaminants in environmental samples using liquid chromatography-high resolution mass spectrometry”, introduced the project’s LC-HRMS approaches to an audience for whom environmental analytical chemistry is both an intellectual fascination and a potential career direction.
Prof. Lambropoulou also contributed to the AI ALCHEMY round table at the conference, discussing the role of artificial intelligence in advancing chemical sciences and environmental analysis, a theme that sits at the intersection of SPECTRA’s analytical programme and the broader digital transformation of environmental science. The combination of a research presentation and a round table contribution gave SPECTRA a substantive presence at a conference whose explicitly student-centred format made it an ideal space for connecting cutting-edge project research with the scientists who will carry the field forward.
SMART4ENV Final Conference – 17 April
On 17 April, Prof. Lambropoulou participated in the Final Conference of the SMART4ENV Horizon Europe project, contributing to a session on Strengthening Access to Excellence through Twinning: European Integration, Alignment and Future Pathways, moderated by Leonardo Piccinetti of SITES.
Her contribution drew directly on SPECTRA’s experience, sharing insights on “Strengthening the Twinning Ecosystem” and the practical realities of building research excellence, fostering international collaboration and enhancing analytical capacity in widening participation countries. The session also featured contributions from TUBITAK’s Widera NCP on strategic alignment with national priorities, and from Cem Ozturk of the GEMSTONE project on the European added value and competitiveness of twinning actions.
The SMART4ENV Final Conference was itself a significant event, bringing together partners and stakeholders to present results across water, agriculture, coastal systems and air quality, and to reflect on how twinning projects can generate durable impact beyond their funding period. SPECTRA’s participation in the twinning session contributed a perspective grounded in direct experience of what the model can achieve when research capacity building, international mobility and scientific collaboration are pursued together with genuine ambition.
