ACS Outlines Four Goals in its New Strategic Plan

On January 1^st, 2025, from their headquarters in Washington, D.C., the American Chemical Society (ACS) released their strategic plan for 2025–2029. The ACS Strategic Plan 2025–2029 outlines several main goals that society plans of pursuing over the remainder of the 2020s to grow and strengthen their organization and the scientific community (1). The plan was approved by the ACS Board of Directors in December.

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ACS is a nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing chemistry for the benefit of society. Chartered by the U.S. Congress, ACS supports the global chemistry community through research solutions, peer-reviewed journals, scientific conferences, and education initiatives (1). Its CAS division accelerates innovation by curating and analyzing scientific knowledge. ACS journals are highly cited and trusted worldwide, though the Society itself does not conduct research (1).

ACS outlined their four main goals in their strategic plan they plan on implementing over the next several years. The first goal is to elevate the reputation of science (2). Through their initiatives, the organization hopes to communicate that chemistry has a positive effect on society (2). The overall goal of this first initiative is to improve and solidify the public trust in science, which has wavered over the past decade (2).

ACS Board of Directors Chair and Director-at-Large Wayne E. Jones Jr. released a statement following the announcement.

“ACS is a vibrant and visionary society that has been the epicenter for chemical science professionals for nearly 150 years,” Jones Jr. said in a press release (1). “Our new plan captures that energy and positions the organization to continue to play an important and impactful role moving forward.”

The second goal in this strategic plan revolves around community engagement. The organization will focus more its efforts on connecting their members with more individuals who are interested in chemistry to build a larger community (2). Another positive externality of this initiative is that it would also improve the diversity of the community, as they seek to bring in new members and scientists from different walks of life.

The third goal outlined in the strategic plan is to empower scientists (2). To accomplish this goal, the society will explore new ways to facilitate more accessible educational resources for scientists to further encourage continuous learning (2). The hope is that this will allow its members and scientists to make informed decisions about how to address the existing, pertinent global challenges through science (2).

The final goal revolves around creating and pushing forward new, innovative solutions (2). The organization aims to enhance its value and influence within the growing scientific community. To achieve this, it is launching new initiatives to expand the accessibility of its content to a broader audience (2).

The new strategic plan ACS put forth is designed to reinforce the organization’s diversity, equity, inclusion, and respect (DEIR) principles, the organization said in a press release (1). It is also designed to facilitate the organization’s long-standing commitment to lifelong learning (1). The four main pillars of their strategic plan fit into ACS’s stated core values, which include passion for science, lifelong learning, inclusion and belonging, and sustainability (2).

References

1. American Chemical Society, ACS Announces New Strategic Plan. ACS.org. Available at: https://www.acs.org/pressroom/newsreleases/2025/january/acs-announces-new-strategic-plan.html (accessed 2025-01-20).
2. American Chemical Society, ACS Strategic Plan 2025-2029. ACS.org. Available at: https://www.acs.org/about/strategicplan.html (accessed 2025-01-21).