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); and Florida, USA (2010).
The next meeting (16th Biennial meeting) is planned for London, UK (2012) respectively.
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 |
Industry & Corporate Sponsors
Support the Free Radical Society - International
Free radicals and related reactive intermediates are known to be involved in a wide range of industrial, biological and medical processes of commercial importance. These range from atmospheric chemistry, through chemical synthesis and polymer degradation, through to UV damage to plants and humans, the role of antioxidants in human and animal health, development of new drugs and therapies, and the diagnosis and treatment of a wide range of important human diseases. The Society welcomes dialogue with industrial and commercial concerns with similar interests and is always keen to hear of potential mutually beneficial opportunities for commercial and industrial interactions.
Presidential Welcome Address
Dear Members of the Society for Free Radical Research International
I am very proud to have become the President of the SFRR International. A glance at the Society’s webpages shows me that I follow past-Presidents who have been scientific greats and mentors in my own career. As a post-doctoral scientist, I was delighted to be present at the inaugural meeting of the Society organised by Professors Trevor Slater and Robin Willson at The Royal Institution in London on 9 July 1982 and indeed Robin Wilson was also the examiner of my PhD! I would like to pay particular tribute to my immediate predecessor, Professor Angelo Azzi for his careful stewardship of the Society through a very difficult and economically challenging period in our history.
This Society is entirely dependent upon the relationship it has with the regional Societies, SFRR Asia, SFRR Australasia, SFRR Africa, SFRR Europe and in the Americas , SFRBM (Society for Free Radical Biology and Medicine) and my first task as president will be to look at how we can strengthen those relationships with the aim of enhancing our biennial meetings. We have just held (November 2010) a highly successful meeting jointly with SFRBM in Orlando, Florida USA and out next biennial meeting is planned for September 2012 in London, England. We will be seeking bids from potential hosts of the 2014 meeting in the near future. Unfortunately the meeting in Orlando was the first SFRR International meeting in the USA for 20 years despite this country having the largest single national membership of SFRR International and I hope we can reach an arrangement where hosting the biennial meetings is seen as an asset to regional Societies rather than a potential drain on scarce resources. The Society also helps regional Societies to host Free Radical Schools such as the biennial SFRR Europe Summer School held on the island of Spetses, Greece. Young scientists are the lifeblood of our science and I hope to further encourage development and expansion of these Schools over the next 2 years.
Finally it is worth remembering that, as well as a fascinating and important area of science and medicine, the field of free radical research has the capacity to lead to improvements in health and medical care in all parts of the world and to industrial and agricultural processes in many fields. This is the reason why we all study this area and scientific meetings are an important part of the dissemination and promotion of this work. Our globally-orientated Society plays an important part in this and an equally important role in the ensuring that scientific excellence is maintained and rewarded. I also look forward to working with the regional Societies and membership to enhance these roles and to a highly successful future for SFRR International.
