The Institute of Molecular Science of the Universitat de València (ICMol) hosted the second edition of the Early Career Symposium on Advanced Molecular Materials (ECSAMM 2026) on 16 and 17 April. Organised by early-career researchers at the institute, the symposium was designed to promote scientific exchange, encourage new collaborations and showcase ongoing research at ICMol. The event brought together 90 registered participants, most of them from ICMol, and also included attendees from ICMUV, IFIC, IMDEA, the Universitat Politècnica de València and the Universitat de València. The programme took place in the ICMol Assembly Hall and featured invited lectures, oral presentations and poster contributions. 

The opening session featured Eugenio Coronado, Director of ICMol, who welcomed participants and highlighted the value of this initiative led by young researchers at the institute. In his remarks, he underlined the importance of creating spaces that foster scientific interaction and strengthen collaboration between research groups, in a centre such as ICMol, which brings together more than 300 people from 37 countries and 20 research groups.

The programme included four invited lectures delivered by Ángela Pérez, Vice President of Health in Code; Giulia Longo, from the Universitat Politècnica de València; Celia Castillo Blas, from the Institute of Materials Science of Madrid (ICMM-CSIC); and Albert Solé Daura, from Universitat Rovira i Virgili. Alongside these invited talks, the symposium featured 21 oral presentations covering different areas of advanced molecular materials.   

The scientific contributions addressed topics such as metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), 2D materials, molecular spin science and technology, materials and processes for electronics, molecular biomaterials: structure, organization and function, materials for energy applications, and sustainability and environment. 

The first day included the lecture by Ángela Pérez, who shared her professional journey from academia to her current leadership role in a multinational company. The second day featured invited talks by Giulia Longo, Celia Castillo Blas and Albert Solé Daura, together with additional oral presentations throughout the day. 

The symposium also included a poster and networking session during the scientific cocktail reception. The programme featured 13 poster contributions on subjects such as carbon-based nanomaterials, photoelectrocatalytic water treatment, 2D materials, MOFs, spintronics, chiral recognition and the optical properties of gold nanoclusters.   

At the closing session, four awards were presented in recognition of the best scientific contributions. The Nanoscale Horizons Poster Presentation Award was awarded to Geraldine Sánchez Dueñez; the Materials Horizons Oral Presentation Award to Javier Alda Gómez; the Materials Advances Oral Presentation Award to Guillermo Gómez Tenés; and the Nanoscale and Nanoscale Advances Poster Presentation Award to Laura González Cervera.

With this second edition, ECSAMM further consolidates its role as an initiative that gives visibility to the work of researchers at early stages of their careers and strengthens scientific exchange within the Institute of Molecular Science of the Universitat de València.

Programme: https://icmol.es/login/_lib/file/doc/archivos/PROGRAMA%20ECSAMM(6).pdf