Community and networking
Opportunities for members to connect with others in our community, to suit your situation or career.
Join us
Our communities and networks are at the heart of the RSC. They advance the chemical sciences and provide you with ways to connect with others within the chemical sciences community.
On this page
Why and how to join
When you become an RSC member, whether you are based in industry, education, or academia, you can join our subject communities and interest groups to connect with others who have a similar career or shared interests.
Our eight subject communities and 71 interest groups are open to all members.
By joining these communities and groups you will receive relevant updates and information about events, developments in your field and avail of member-exclusive discounts for our scientific conferences and symposia on topics spanning the chemical sciences and its application.
You will also have the opportunity to participate in our programmes and stand for positions on our Subject Community Councils and Interest Group Committees to actively shape our agenda and support for your subject specialism.
As an RSC member you can join as many subject communities as you wish and, depending on your membership category, up to five interest groups for no additional cost. Joining additional interest groups will cost £10 per group.
As a member of a subject community or interest group, you may receive communications so you can stay informed about major developments in your field such as funding, training, events, and activities alongside calls to contribute to RSC programmes and policy work.
Already a member?
You can find out which local section you're in and select or remove subject communities and interest groups by logging into the members' area.
Our subject communities
Our eight subject communities bring together members with shared scientific and professional interests, including from our interest groups. Subject community members come from different sectors, career stages, disciplines, and locations. Being part of a subject community allows you to:
- gain an overview of activities in the subject area including relevant activities run by our interest groups
- network and collaborate with other experts from across the subject area
- contribute your expertise to RSC programmes and policy work
Our subject communities collaborate with our interest groups and other disciplines to develop and deliver activities such as early career researcher symposia, subject specific symposia and conferences, as well as to develop initiatives to address challenges in health, energy, and climate change.
Each subject community also awards prizes to individuals and teams to recognise brilliance in chemical science education, research and innovation.
Members in industry are encouraged to join the subject community or interest groups corresponding to their discipline or area of interest.
Each subject community is led and represented by a community council and chaired by a subject community president. Our subject community councils provide expertise and advice, act as advocates for their areas of science, input to our programmes and policy work and develop activities for their community.
Our subject community councils are formed of elected and appointed members representing the breadth and diversity of the subject community across sectors and countries. Council members are expert in their subject area and connect with our Interest Groups in the subject area too.
RSC members can stand for positions on our Subject Community Councils through elections each year.
The Presidents of each of our subject communities along with the RSC President, the RSC President Elect and the Chair of our Inclusion & Diversity Committee come together to discuss important topics for our subject communities. The forum is designed to foster connections between our subject communities and drawing on their insights to shape our programmes and strategy.
Explore our subject communities
Our interest groups
These are our subject specialist networks focused on a specific area or application of the chemical sciences. They are run by a committee of volunteer RSC members (elected from members of the group) who work to support, promote and connect their network.
The committees organise activities such as multi-day conferences, workshops, and training events to cater for both RSC members and the wider scientific community.
Interest groups are relevant to members across sectors and roles, with representatives included from industry, SEMSs, academia, public sector, consultancy practices and education. Their events are often multidisciplinary and cater to different career stages and roles.
With programmes designed by members for members, they are highly-adaptive to emerging needs of our community. Alongside groups that focus on the science, techniques and or applications of chemistry, we have groups to connect members in different roles including management, consultancy and marketing.
Some interest groups run prizes to recognise significant contributions to the field as well as offering financial support to help their members attend events. These groups provide excellent opportunities to network with peers in your chosen field.
To find out about the awards, events, and any funding, please visit any of the interest group pages that are relevant to you from the links below.
Explore our interest groups by subject area
Our local sections
Many of our members work with others in their local area to support our purpose through locally organised activities.
Our geographical networks are made up of 34 local sections in the UK and Ireland, and 23 local sections based outside the UK. Each of these local sections feeds into one of ten regional groups, including our steering groups for Ireland, Scotland and Wales, and our online network to connect our international committee members.
Each local section is run by a committee of volunteers who manage the annual programme of events. These events include networking opportunities, scientific lectures, public lectures, schools activities and social events. In countries where there are not enough volunteers to form a committee, we have international representatives who act as a point of contact in their country.
We also have regional networks for our Education and Analytical communities.
By joining the RSC, you are also a member represented on EuChemS, the European Chemical Society, which is an umbrella organisation for national chemical societies across Europe.
Explore our local sections by region
Supporting our members in industry
Business Elements is a new information hub for members with industry leadership responsibilities or business management interests, covering the key cross-sector topics for chemistry-enabled businesses.
Here we highlight where the chemical sciences are at the heart of the big industry issues and tell you more about the ways we are informing debate. Business Elements is accessed through your membership login.
Members in industry are encouraged to join the subject community or interest groups corresponding to their discipline or area of interest.
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