## **Phytochemical Society of Europe** 

## **Annual report 2022-23** 

**Charity number: 264348** 

Address: 

James Parsons Building Byrom Street Liverpool Merseyside L3 3AF 



## **Structure** 

_Small committee_ 

President: 

Vice-President (outgoing) Vice-President (incoming) 

Treasurer: 

General Secretary: Meetings Secretary: Membership Secretary: Web Editor: 

Prof. Francisco Macias (Cadiz) Prof. Franz Bucar (Graz) Prof Maria Ferreira (Lisbon) Dr Kenneth Ritchie (Liverpool) Dr Simon Luc (Germany) Dr Celine Riviere (Lille) Prof. Pinarosa Avato (Bari) Prof. Randolph Arroo (Leicester) 

_Regional Representatives:_ Iberia Prof. Paula Castillo (Madeira) France Prof. Christophe Hano Eastern Europe Prof. Lucie Cahlikova Middle Europe Prof. Thomas Efferth (Mainz) Scandinavia Prof. Soren Bak (Kopenhagen) SE Europe & Turkey Prof. Ilkay E. Orhan (Ankara) Romania, Bulgaria & Moldova Prof Ilina Krasteva (Sofia) Belarus, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Vacant Ukraine Italy Prof Francesco Epifano 

The  charity  is  managed  through  regular  committee  meetings  and  an annual general meeting. 

Trustees are recruited by members of the committee proposing potential trustees to the committee meetings and the annual general meeting.  All members of the small committee may be trustees. 

## **Objectives of the charity** 

To promote the advancement of the knowledge of the constituents of plants in respect of their chemistry, function, biosynthesis, effect on plant and  animal  physiology  and  pathology,  and  the  application  of  such knowledge  in agriculture  and  industry. To publish papers  delivered  at meetings of the society with a view to the dissemination of the knowledge so gained for the benefit of the public generally. 



## **Names of Trustees** 

Prof Miroslav Strnad, Prof Pinarosa Avato, Dr Angela Stafford, Prof Randolph Arroo, Dr Richard John Robins, Dr Veronique Seidel, Dr Kenneth Ritchie, Prof Simon Gibbons, Prof Franz Bucar, Prof Virgina Lanzotti,  Prof Francisco Macias. 

## **Activities 2022-2023** 

Being  postponed  in  2020  and  then  once  again  in  2021,  the _**PSE  Young  Scientists Meeting Trends in Natural Product Research**_ took place in person in **Kolymbari, Crete** , between **May 23[rd] – 26[th] , 2022** . It was the first face-to-face meeting after a long absence of onsite  meetings  due  to  COVID-19.  The  conference  was  organized  by  Prof.  Efstathia Ioannou and Prof. Vassilios Roussis from the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens on behalf of the PSE and gathered more than 160 delegates from 24 countries. There were 12 plenary lectures, 54 oral presentations, and 71 posters. During the meeting, the PSE medal was awarded to Professor Simon Gibbons for his outstanding contribution to the Phytochemical Society of Europe and the furtherance of Natural Product Sciences. Additionally, the Dra. Mariola Macias Award for the best scientific contribution in the field of natural products science carried out by a young researcher was awarded to Dr. Simon Vlad Luca. The Jeffrey Harborne Award and two more prizes supported by the Czech company OlChemIm s.r.o. were given for the best oral presentations, while four prizes were provided by the journals eFood and Food Frontiers for the best poster presentations. In addition, fourteen PSE travel bursaries were given to young researchers attending the conference to support their participation. 

The _**6[th] International Symposium on Phytochemicals in Medicine and Food (6-ISMF)**_ was organized between **August 5[th] – 13[th] , 2022 (online)** and August 7[th] – 9[th] in Hangzhou, China (onsite). The meeting was sponsored by the International Association of Dietetic Nutrition and Safety (IADNS) and supported by PSE and the Phytochemical Society of Asia  (PSA). 6-ISPMF explored the recent advances in the area of phytochemicals  in medicine and food, bringing together over 1200 scientists from 65 countries. There were 22  plenary  lectures,  59  keynote  lectures  (on  site),  72  invited  lectures,  69  oral presentations,  two  student  forums  comprising  205  short  lectures,  and  more  than  50 posters. 

A  joint  symposium  of  the  PSE  and  the HMPPA  (Herbal Medicinal  Products  Platform Austria) on _Lifestyle-related diseases: from traditional medicine to molecular targets_ was planned to take place from August 7[th] –11[th] , 2022 in the magnificent surrounding of the Tyrol  Alps  at the  University  Centre in  Obergurgl (Ötztal)  close  to  Innsbruck, Austria. However, due to the low number of registered participants, the symposium was canceled in the mid of June. The Committee Members approved that the cancellation was a good 



idea to avoid a financial loss for the organizing parties. Franz Bucar specified that there were no costs due to cancellation. 

The _**1[st] European Symposium on Phytochemicals in Medicine and Food (1-EuSPMF)**_ occurred  from **September  7[th] –  9[th] ,  2022,** in **Belgrade,  Serbia** .  The  meeting  was organized by the International Association of Dietetic Nutrition and Safety (IADNS) and the Institute of Food Technology and Biochemistry of the Faculty of Agriculture, University of Belgrade,  and supported by the Serbian  Chemical Society and PSE. The 1-EuSPMF aimed into the recent progress in the area of phytochemicals and their implementation in medicine and food. The demand for high-quality food products, which have beneficial effects on human health, encourages researchers to study natural products intensively. In light of these principles, scientists in various fields were welcome to present their latest research and provide an excellent platform for exchanging ideas, discussing challenges, and setting up new research collaborations.  There were 9 plenary lectures, 16 invited lectures, 9 oral presentations, and 53 posters. 

The _**PSE Natural Products in Drug Discovery and Development - Advances and Perspectives**_ was held in **Iasi, Romania** , from **September 19[th] – 22[nd] , 2022** . The conference was organized by Anca Miron on behalf of PSE. The event brought together renowned scientists, young researchers, and industry experts working in the field of natural products. The scientific program covered recent achievements and future trends in natural product research, mainly related to chemistry, bioactivity, biotechnology, quality control, and formulation. There were 150 delegates from 21 countries, 19 plenary lectures, 21 invited lectures, 33 oral presentations, and 100 e-posters. PSE offered three travel bursaries, MDPI offered one award for an e-poster, IADNS offered three awards for oral/e-posters, and Prof. Milen Georgiev contributed with 3 prizes for oral/e-posters for young Ph.D. scholars 

The _**PSE Natural Compounds as Regulators of Molecular Mechanisms in Health and Disease**_ **meeting** took place between **May 19[th] and 21[st] , 2023,** in **Seoul, South Korea** . Marc Diederich and Dong-Chan Oh organized it in collaboration with PSE, the Natural Products Institute of the College of Pharmacy of Seoul National University, and the support of  the  International  Association  of  Dietetic  Nutrition  and  Safety  (IADNS).  The  meeting brought together a diverse group of researchers, scientists, and experts in the field of natural products  of  terrestrial  and  marine  origins.  It  facilitated  knowledge  exchange,  fostered collaborations, and discussed recent advancements in discovering and applying natural products.  There  were  three  keynote  lectures,  eighteen  oral  presentations,  three  short presentations, and one poster session. In particular, the poster presentations provided a platform  for  young  researchers  to  share  their  findings  and  receive  feedback  from experienced scientists, fostering an atmosphere of collaboration and mentorship. Furthermore, Springer - Phytochemistry Reviews offered one award for the best poster presentation to Mrs. Haeun Yang. 

The _**PSE Young Scientists Meeting Trends in Natural Product Research**_ took place between **June 28[th] and 30[th] , 2023,** in the center of **Paris** , **France** . The meeting was 



organized by Marina Kritsanida and Raimundo G. Oliveira Junior from University of Paris City on behalf of PSE and had the support of the Franco-Brazilian Network on Natural Products (FB2NP).. More than 100 researchers from 17 different countries were present. There were 17 plenary and keynote lectures, 22 oral presentations, and 60 posters. During the meeting, the PSE Silver Medal was awarded to Prof. Giovanni Appendino; the Pierre Fabre Award was awarded to Dr. Emerson Queiroz, whereas the Dra. Mariola Macías Award was  offered  to  Dr.  Hammad  Ullah.  Distinguished  young  scientists  received  13  travel bursaries, the Jeffrey Harborne Award for the best oral presentation, and the Springer – Phytochemistry  Reviews  Award  for  the  best  poster  presentation.  In  addition,  PeerJ Chemistry offered one award for the best oral presentation and two prizes for the best posters. 

## **Achievements and performance** 

The PSE has continued to be at the forefront of providing a mechanism by which the chemistry of plants may be discussed academically and as such has provided pubic benefit by ensuring that this important natural resource continues to be investigated for potential benefit to humanity. 

## **Financial review** 

The charity remains in good financial health and has no debts.  No funds are held with a custodian trustee. 



## **Declarations** 

## **The trustees declare that they have approved the trustees’ report above.** 

**Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees** 

|**Signature(s)**<br>**Full name(s)** <br>**Position (eg**<br>**Secretary, Chair, etc)** <br>**Date**|||
|---|---|---|
||||
||Dr Kenneth Ritchie|Prof Randolph Arroo|
||||
||Treasurer and Trustee|Trustee|
||||
||10/11/23|16 Feb 2024|





## **Financial statement 16 Jan 2022 - 15 Jan 2023** 

|Current acount|||
|---|---|---|
|**Balance on 15 Jan 2023**||**79,241.43**|
|Income|||
||Subscriptions|£4,192.21|
||Interest COIF and Dividend COIF|£5,149.91|
||Journal Royalties|£18,856.14|
||**Total Income**|**£28,198.26**|
|Previous Balance on 16 Jan 2022||£62,640.48|
|Expenditure|||
|zoom||£287.76|
|Reimbursements||£5,424.81|
|Evergreen website hosting costs||£1,405.80|
|travel awards||£4,478.94|
|**Total expenditure**||**£11,597.31**|
|Balance on 16 Jan 2022||£62,640.48|
|Income||£28,198.26|
|Total of Balance on 16 Jan 2022 and Income||£90,838.74|
|Expenditure||£11,597.31|
|**Balance on 15 Jan 2023**||**£79,241.43**|
|**Savings accounts**|||
|Balance on 31 Dec 2022||£97,500.00|
|**Deposit**|||
|Total COIF Charities deposit fund as of 31 Dec 2022||£132,320.92|
|**Investment**|||
|COIF Charities Investment fund*|7290.69 units @ 1814.93p per unit||
||as of 31 Dec 2022||



*this is an investment in shares and therefore the value fluctuates with the stock market 



## **Phytochemical Society of Europe** 

# **Independent examiner’s report** 

**- 2022 2023** 

## **Charity number :  264348** 

Address: 

James Parsons Building Byrom Street Liverpool Liverpool Merseyside L3 3AF 



Independent examiner’s name: **Richard John Robins** 

Address: 18 rue de Saint Antoine, 44190 Clisson, France 

This report relates to the financial accounts of 2022-2023 

This report relates to an independent examination carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and that the examination has been conducted in accordance with the Directions given by the Commission 

No matter has come to my attention, in connection with the examination, which gives reasonable cause to believe that in any material respect: 

1.  Accounting records for non-company charities have not been kept in accordance with section 130 of the Charities Act 2011. 

2.  That the accounts do not accord with the accounting records. 

No matters of concern have come to my attention in connection with this examination to prevent a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached. 

## **Declarations** 

**I declare that I have carried-out the independent examination of the accounts according to the rule and regulations as set-out by the Charity commission of England and Wales.** 

## **Signature:** 


**Printed Name: Richard John Robins, MA(Oxon), DPhil** 

**Date: 13 November 2023** 

