Where did you get the idea for a crash course in computational chemistry?

‘We have extensive experience in teaching this subject to our students, but we also have fruitful collaborations with industrial partners. Through these projects, we realised how valuable this approach is and how nice it would be to see others benefit from this knowledge as well. We don’t want to keep it exclusively for our collaborators but want to reach more people.’

Is it actually possible to become an expert in five days?

‘Of course, you can’t compete with years of experience, but we do believe we can teach you the basics and some advanced techniques very well. If you have a bachelor’s or master’s degree in chemistry or a related field, then you should be able to learn and use these techniques for your everyday tasks. The course is only five days, but participants can use the software for thirty days in total, and we have prepared lots of material for them to explore after the course.’

What is your goal with this course?

‘We have been using our techniques to solve a variety of problems and we would like more people to benefit from these techniques. Of course, their value can be seen in our publications, but why not directly show that more companies could use this to solve problems?

Another goal is to give participants the opportunity to get to know each other, and us. After every major section of the course – that is the 1-day basics, 3-day professional, and 5-day expert – we offer drinks and bites to finish the day with socialising and networking.’

Who can apply for the course?

‘The course is mainly focused on professionals in industry, but we also offer scholarships for PhD students. It is open to people worldwide, and anyone can apply. This is only the first edition, and we have bigger plans for future editions.’