14 KJEMI 4 2025 The first and second editions of the Åsgard- Horizon French-Norwegian Symposia on Inorganic Chemistry and Materials Science were held over the past two summers. The first symposium was held in the historic city of Dijon in the heart of France’s wine-growing region of Burgundy over May 30-31, 2024. The second symposium was held on campus at UiT – The Arctic University of Norway during June 19-20, 2025. The symposia started with seed funding from the Institut Français de Norvège (with support from M. Frédéric Bessat as well as from Torbjørn Grønner from the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Paris) that we received under the Åsgard-Horizon exchange program (2024-2025). The symposia were also generously co-sponsored by national and local institutions (as detailed below). The key goal was to provide both senior and junior researchers a forum to discuss recent developments in inorganic chemistry and materials science, broadly defined, and thereby explore potential collaborative links between the two countries. Thanks to the intimate format (with only about 30-50 attendees), the 1½ -day symposia provided ample opportunities for detailed discussions among individuals and small groups. Many distinguished chemists attended one or both symposia including Tom Christian Holm Adamsen (University of Bergen), Abraham B. Alemayehu (UiT, Tromsø), Mohamed Amedjkou (University of Oslo), Laurie André (Université Bourgogne Europe), Frédéric Bolze (Université de Strasbourg), Gabriel Canard (Université Aix-Marseille), Stefan Chassaing (Université de Strasbourg), Sachin Maruti Chavan (University of Stavanger), Jeanet Conradie (University of the Free State, South Africa), Taye Demissie (University of Botwana), Nicolas Desbois (Université Bourgogne Europe), Odile Eisenstein (French Academy of Science), Paul Fleurat-Lessard (Université Bourgogne Europe), Per-Anders Hansen (University of Oslo and Institute for Energy Technology), Jørn H. Hansen (UiT), Valérie Heitz (Université de Strasbourg), Richard Heyn (SINTEF), Denis Jacquemin (Université de Nantes), Vidar Remi Jensen (University of Bergen), Christian Johansen (California Institute of Technology), Erwan Le Roux (University of Bergen), Michel Meyer (Université Bourgogne Europe), Nadine Millot (Université Bourgogne Europe), Julien Roger (Université Bourgogne Europe), Mali Husby Rosnes (University of Bergen), Kenneth Ruud (UiT), Jean-Marc Simon (Université Bourgogne Europe), Olivier Siri (Université Aix-Marseille), Petra Agota Szilagyi (University of Oslo). Early- career scientists also attended in significant numbers, including PhD students and postdocs. A vigorous social program allowed scientific discussions to continue late into the night. A wine-tasting reception at the Cité Internationale de la Gastronomie et du Vin in Dijon, with servings of exceptional grand cru wines, will long be remembered as a highlight of the Dijon symposium (Figure 1). Not to be outdone, Tromsø chefs wowed French visitors with halibut, reindeer, and Arctic berries (Figure 2). On the Saturday From grand cru vineyards to the Arctic: Åsgard-Horizon French-Norwegian Symposia on Inorganic Chemistry and Materials Science Claude P. Gros, Université Bourgogne Europe, Dijon, France; Claude.Gros@u-bourgogne.fr Abhik Ghosh, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø; abhik.ghosh@uit.no;
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