About DCS

The history of the Dutch Chemometrics Society dates back to 1972, when the discussion groups “Automation” and “Computerization” merged into the “Laboratory Optimization” group of the Royal Netherlands Chemical Society. Led by first-generation chemometricians such as A. Dijkstra, G. Kateman, and H.C. Smit, this group later became the “Working Party on Chemometrics,” which also serves as the Dutch Chapter of the International Chemometrics Society. Two important initiatives emerged from this early period: a series of short courses in chemometrics for industry, and the launch of the international conference series on chemometrics in analytical chemistry (CAC), which started in 1978 and included several editions in the Netherlands.

In 1989, three workshop series were established: the Multivariate Data Analysis Workshop (MVA), a workshop on Experimental Design and Optimization, and a workshop on Quality Assurance. While the latter two eventually ran out of new topics, the MVA Workshop remains an active part of the Society. In 2005, a new discussion group was launched focusing on the analysis of proteomics and metabolomics data: the Bio-MVA workshop.

A second generation of chemometricians initiated another important conference series: the International Chemometrics Research Meeting (ICRM). Since its start in the 1990s, ICRM has developed into a distinctive meeting format, and eight editions have been organized, most recently in 2024 in Soesterberg. The meeting complements other conference series in the field through its emphasis on extended exchange of ideas in an informal atmosphere, a limited number of lectures on selected topics, scheduled plenary discussions, ample time for informal interaction, and continuous poster display.

Today, the Dutch Chemometrics Society organizes symposia on chemometrics, workshops on focused topics, and contributes to activities of the Royal Netherlands Chemical Society, including those of other working parties. The symposia follow a more classical format, while the workshops provide a forum for advanced, in-depth discussion in an informal setting. As chemometrics became more widely established in industry and research institutes, the need for such meetings grew rapidly, since chemometricians often had few opportunities for specialist exchange within their immediate working environment.

Participants in Dutch Chemometrics Society activities come from universities (40%), industry (40%), and institutes (20%). This balance reflects the Society’s longstanding role as a meeting point for academic research, industrial practice, and methodological development in chemometrics in the Netherlands.