SFRRI Mission and History
SFRRI Mission

The Society for Free Radical Research founded in the United Kingdom in 1982 is an International Society and operates as a charitable voluntary, non-profit making institution. The aims and objectives of the International Society are to advance education in free radical processes with particular reference to those of industrial and medical importance, informing education for the benefit of the public.

Brief History of the Society

The Society promotes interest in all aspects of research into the reactions and properties of free radicals and into their physical, chemical, biological, medical and industrial roles.

Founded in 1982, and now with over 2500 members worldwide, the Society consists of five autonomous regional groups: SFRR Asia, SFRR Europe, SFRR Australasia, Society for Free Radical Biology and Medicine (SFRR Americas) and SFRR Africa. A number of regional groups have also been established within these areas.

The Inaugural Meeting of the Society was organized by Profs. Trevor Slater and Robin Willson held at The Royal Institution, London on 9 July 1982.

At the First Biennial Meeting, held at Brunel University in September 1982, the name Society for Free Radical Research was adopted, a Constitution agreed, and a President (Chairman) and Officers and Committee elected.

To accommodate the increasing size of the Society, a new Constitution was proposed and adopted in 1988 at a meeting in Kyoto, and the autonomous regional groups: SFRR (Asia), SFRR (Australasia) and SFRR (Europe), inaugurated. The Oxygen Society, founded in the USA in 1987, became a constituent member of SFRR and de facto SFRR (Americas). The Oxygen Society later changed its name to the Society for Free Radical Biology and Medicine (SFRBM).

The international society has held meetings every two years with the first of these being at Brunel University in 1982. Further meetings have been held at the following places: York, England (1984); Dusseldorf, Germany (1986); Kyoto, Japan (1988); Pasadena, USA (1990); Turin, Italy (1992); Sydney, Australia (1994); Barcelona, Spain (1996); Sao Paulo, Brazil (1998); Kyoto, Japan (2000); Paris, France (2002); Buenos Aires, Argentina (2004); Davos, Switzerland (2006); Beijing, China (2008), Orlando, Florida, USA (2010) and London, England (2012).

The next meeting (17th Biennial meeting) is planned for Kyoto, Japan in 2014.


Past and Future Biennial Meetings of the SFRRI (Since 2000 SFRRI meetings have been attended by 500-750 participants)


1982 1st Uxbridge, Great Britain
1984 2nd York, Great Britain
1986 3rd Dusseldorf, Germany
1988 4th Kyoto, Japan
1990 5th Pasadena, USA
1992 6th Turin, Italy
1994 7th Sydney, Australia
1996 8th Barcelona, Spain
1998 9th San Paulo, Brazil
2000 10th Kyoto, Japan
2002 11th Paris, France
2004 12th Buenos Aires, Argentina
2006 13th Davos, Switzerland
2008 14th Beijing, China
2010 15th Orlando, Florida, USA
2012 16th London, Great Britain
2014 17th Kyoto, Japan



SFRR International