Chemistry and Chemical Industry Section

Call for Papers
38th OTDK
Chemistry and Chemical Industry Section

1. General Information, Organizers

Organizer of the event:

Babeș-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca
Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering
Department of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering in Hungarian

Address: 11 Arany János Street, RO-400028, Cluj-Napoca
Phone: +40-264-593833
Website: https://chem.ubbcluj.ro/

Section website address: https://otdk2027Kemia.conference.ubbcluj.ro
Section e-mail address: otdk2027kemia@ubbcluj.ro
Date of the event: May 6–8, 2027

The National Association for Student Research (OTDT), the OTDT Chemistry and Chemical Industry Professional Committee, and the organizing Babeș-Bolyai University, Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Department of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering in Hungarian, hereby announce the 38th National Student Research Conference (OTDK) in the Chemistry and Chemical Industry Section, under the conditions outlined in the following call.

The conditions for participation and registration in the Chemistry and Chemical Industry Section of the 38th OTDK are set out in the General Call of the 38th OTDK and in this Call of the OTDT Chemistry and Chemical Industry Section Committee.

2. Eligibility Criteria

2.1 Who is eligible to participate

In the 38th National Student Research Conference (OTDK), TDK papers and authors (in the case of multi-author TDK papers, all authors) may participate that meet the conditions specified in the General Call for the 38th National Student Research Conference (details are provided in Supplement 2 of the General Call for the 37th OTDK.)

Study circles from cross-border universities and colleges can participate in the 38th OTDK under the same professional conditions as those in Hungary. Further details can be found in the General Call of the 38th OTDK.

The conference is also open to secondary school students in Hungary and across borders who present their research results at conferences of higher education institutions or national high school science student conferences (for details see Supplement 4 of the General Call for the 38th OTDK) and are nominated for the OTDK. A detailed description of the participation of secondary school students is available in the General Call of the 38th OTDK.

A thesis produced in the course of continuous TDK activity during BA and BSc education, can be entered to the 38th OTDK, if it meets the requirements of the Call and its Supplements and has been presented at a student research conference either during the BA/BSc or the subsequent MA/MSc training and has there been delegated to the OTDK.

The conditions for submitting bachelor’s theses, master’s theses, and theses written within integrated master’s programs are set out in Section 2.1 of Supplement 2 to the General Call of the 38th OTDK.

2.2 Mode of participation

In the Chemical and Chemical Engineering Section of the 38th OTDK, TDK papers are presented in person.

2.3. Content requirements for the TDK paper

The language of the OTDK is Hungarian, as specified in the General Call.  However, it is also possible to prepare a TDK paper in English, but in this case the presentation must be in English. TDK papers with restricted access are not eligible.

The author is responsible for the integrity and professional authenticity of the text in the TDK paper, even if artificial intelligence (AI) is used. Guidance on the rules regarding the use of AI is provided by Supplement 6 of the General Call of the 38th OTDK.

Supplement 1 to the Section Call includes the following:

• Content and format requirements for the TDK paper and the abstract
• Evaluation of the TDK paper and its presentation

3. Sessions

3.1 Planned sessions

1. Analytical chemistry: sample preparation
2. Analytical chemistry: separation techniques
3. Analytical chemistry: applied spectroscopy
4. Analytical chemistry: chemometrics
5. Organic chemistry: synthesis of biologically active molecules
6. Organic chemistry: heterogeneous catalysis
7. Organic chemistry: homogeneous catalysis
8. Organic chemistry: synthesis of sensor molecules
9. Organic chemistry: new synthesis methods and their optimization
10. Biochemistry
11. Biotechnology
12. Food Chemistry
13. Inorganic chemistry
14. Materials science
15. Coordination chemistry
16. Bioinorganic chemistry
17. Theoretical chemistry
18. Chemoinformatics
19. Chemical methodology
20. Physical chemistry: thermodynamics
21. Physical chemistry: kinetics
22. Physical chemistry: spectroscopy
23. Electrochemistry
24. Catalysis
25. Colloid and macromolecular chemistry
26. Polymer chemistry and technology
27. Chemical technology
28. Nuclear sciences
29. Environmental Chemistry and Environmental Technology

During the application process, students must indicate which session would be the most suitable for presenting their TDK paper, as well as another – additional – session that could also be appropriate.

3.2 Rules for the establishment of the final session assignment

Rules for the establishment of the final session assignment The OTD Chemistry and Chemical Industry Section may, based on the number of TDK papers received and their topic, merge some of the planned sessions or create new ones (so that the TDK paper may be assigned to a different session than the one indicated by the authors during registration).

The organizing institution, with the agreement of the Section Committee, reserves the right to redirect submissions with content that does not align with the Section’s field of study to another session of the National Student Research Conference that is more appropriate for the topic, with thanks for the application.

The final decision on the sessions and the classification of the TDK papers will be made by the OTDK Chemistry and Chemical Industry Section. Students will be informed of this decision via the OTDT online system by 19 February 2027 at the latest.

4. Application procedure

A) Steps of registration for applicants

A.1) Pre-registration of TDK papers

The deadline for uploading the TDK paper and selecting the section is 30 days from the date of the central reminder email. (As specified in Supplement 2 of the General Call for the 38th OTDK, after the email is sent from the OTDT online system).

The formal and content requirements for the TDK paper are specified in Supplement 1 to the Section Call.

Please note that uploading a TDK paper does not mean that you have applied for the 38th OTDK. Applications may be submitted during the application period, as detailed in point 4.A.2).

A.2) The application

Registration period: November 16, 2026 – January 20, 2027 (Wednesday), 16:00 (CET)

• Filling in the information related to the uploaded application.
• Uploading the summary (abstract). (The description of the abstract is included in Supplement 1 to the Section Call.)
• On the abstract upload page, providing five keywords that do not appear in the title of the paper.
• Students who qualify during the second semester of the 2024–2025 academic year and during the 2025–2026 academic year will have the opportunity to upload a document to the OTDT online system in the form of a brief summary containing only supplementary information (new literature data, new conclusions), not new experimental results, as a supplementary document, limited to a maximum of 2 A4 pages. Title of the document: TDK paper update notes.
• Students have the opportunity to suggest reviewers during the registration process.
• For students who have obtained or are expected to obtain their pre-degree certificate in an integrated master’s program/MA/MSc program in the semester of registration, please upload a document titled Supervisor’s Justification. This document should confirm that the work was largely completed outside of curricular obligations. The document’s format requirements (template) will be available and downloadable on the conference website.
• After filling in the data, uploading the abstracts and other necessary documents (for students who have obtained a pre-degree certificate: Supervisor’s justification), the application must be finalized in the online system.

A.3) Additional tasks for students who have obtained a pre-degree certificate or are expected to obtain a pre-degree certificate in the semester of registration

Students who obtained a pre-degree certificate between the qualifying institutional TDK conference and the 38th OTDK must declare the date of obtaining their pre-degree certificate in the OTDT online system during the application process (those who are expected to obtain their pre-degree certificate in the semester of application, after the application deadline, must indicate that they are expected to obtain it in the semester of application).

In the case of students who qualified at ETDK, FTDK, KTDK, or VMTDK conferences, the expected date of finalizing the application to the 38th OTDK must be indicated as the date of the pre-degree certificate, as this has already been verified upon their acceptance to the qualifying conference.

After the registration deadline for students (January 20, 2027, 16:00, CET) it will no longer be possible for students to upload application documents in the OTDT online system.

B) The tasks of the institutional (faculty) TDK referents

B.1) Within two (2) weeks following the institutional TDK conference, the conference documentation — including the official minutes of the institutional conference — must be submitted to the OTDT Office in accordance with Section 3 of Supplement 2 of the 38th OTDK General Call of the 38th OTDK.

B.2) Within five days following the student registration (25 January 2027, Monday)

B.2.1 Approval of participant registrations in the OTDT online system (all registrations are automatically approved in the system, so action is only required if the institution/faculty does not wish to delegate a submitted TDK paper to the OTDK)

B.2.2 Approval of the consolidated list of approved applications by Section in the OTDT online system and/or its generation from the online system and signature with a qualified electronic signature, or printing and signing, followed by electronic upload to the OTDT online system. By approving/signing the consolidated list, the TDT Chairs also declare that all TDK papers and their authors included therein meet the requirements set out in the General Call of the 38th OTDK.

Deadline for the institutional (faculty) TDT Chair to upload documents to the OTDT online system: January 25, 2027 (Monday) 16:00 (CET). After the deadline it will no longer be possible to upload application documents in the OTDT online system. 

We are unable to accept TDK papers that do not meet the requirements outlined in the Section Call; such applications will be rejected.

Applications submitted individually are invalid!

5. Registration fee

The registration fees for the 38th OTDK will be determined at a later stage, subject to the availability of funding.

6. Awards and special prizes of the session panel available at the OTDK

A certificate of participation in the OTDK will be awarded to all authors and supervisors of each paper presented. In addition, a maximum of one third of the papers presented may be awarded one of the first, second and third places per section, taking into account that a maximum of one entry per session may be awarded first place. The Section Panel may award a special prize to those papers that do not achieve ranking but are judged by the Session Panel to be worthy of recognition on the basis of their professional merit, and which are judged to be immediately behind the winning applications. The authors of the winning papers and those of the papers receiving the Special Prize of the Session Panel will each receive a certificate for the ranking or the Special Prize of the Session Panel.

The total number of winning papers and papers awarded the Special Prize of the Session Panel may not exceed 50% of the total number of papers presented in a section. Further rules on prizes are set out in Supplement 3 to the General Call.

7. Submission of Pro Scientia Gold Medal application

The authors of TDK papers that have been awarded first place at the national conference may apply for the Pro Scientia Gold Medal, provided they meet the additional criteria set out in the call. Details are given in Supplement 5 of the 37th OTDK General Call.

We invite and welcome all interested students and their teachers!

Budapest, 21 April 2026.

SUPPLEMENT 1 TO THE CALL FOR PAPERS
38TH OTDK
CHEMISTRY AND CHEMICAL INDUSTRY SECTION

1. The language of the TDK paper and the presentation

TDK papers can be submitted primarily in Hungarian. However, it is also possible to prepare a TDK paper in English, but in this case the presentation must be in English.

2. Content requirements for the TDK paper

In the TDK paper, the student should clearly state the objective of the work completed and the scientific/practical significance of the results achieved. They should summarize and, if possible, analyze the national and international literature relevant to their work. They should list the experimental and/or theoretical methods used and describe the exact procedure of the experiments/calculations carried out. They should present and evaluate their achievements. The TDK paper that qualified for OTDK registration at the institutional conference should be presented at the national conference with unchanged content.

All TDK papers submitted to the OTDK are subject to a plagiarism check, which is evaluated by a three-member special committee set up by the Section Committee, which reviews the results of the plagiarism check one by one. Please note that plagiarism in any form is not allowed, and that the applicants’ own works may not be quoted without a reference (prohibition of self-plagiarism). TDK papers that are proven to infringe copyright will be excluded from the OTDK by the OTDT, with simultaneous notification to the nominating institution.

3. Formal requirements for the TDK paper

General requirements:

Time for uploading: within 30 days after the acceptance of the student research conference, as described in Supplement 2, point 4 of the General Call of the 38th OTDK. Students who qualify with their TDK papers at a student research conference held within 30 days before the registration deadline for the relevant section of the 38th OTDK must upload their TDK papers to the online system by the registration deadline at the latest.

The TDK paper must be uploaded in PDF format.

The maximum file size is 10 megabytes (as described in point 4.1 of Supplement 2 of the 38th OTDK General Call).

General formal recommendations

Two templates are available on the conference and OTDT websites:

• TDK-templat-hagyományos.doc: A4 thesis/dissertation type;
• TDK-templat-pdf.doc: screen-optimized, “article-like” format.

Their use is not compulsory.

The length of your TDK paper (excluding bibliography and appendices) should not exceed 100,000 characters.

Additional documents may be uploaded in a single file up to 10 megabytes in size.

Method of referencing: As appropriate to the field.

4. Printed TDK paper is not required.

5. Rules for the abstract

Only the main text needs to be uploaded to the OTDT online system (the other data: names of authors, institution, supervisor, etc. are generated by the online system).

The content summary should be at least 500 and no more than 2,500 characters.

The content summary should include a brief overview (maximum 500 characters) of the student’s own attributed results.

The language of the content summary must be the same as the language of the TDK paper.

6. Evaluation rules for the TDK paper

The submitted TDK paper will be evaluated in writing by two reviewers, and a maximum of 50 points may be obtained based on the average of their scores. If the difference between the scores of the two reviews is 10 points or more, a third reviewer will be invited. The final score is calculated as the average of the two closest scores.

The main criteria for the evaluation of the TDK paper are:

• the structure and style of the TDK paper,
• elaboration of the literature on the subject,
• the quality of topic development,
• presentation of research findings,
• evaluation of the findings,
• significance and publishability of the findings.

The detailed evaluation criteria for the TDK paper will be available on the conference website.

The written evaluations and scores of the TDK papers will be available to the participating students after the session presentations at the conference.

7. Evaluation of the presentations

The TDK papers are presented before a Section Panel of 3 members per session, with 10 minutes allocated for the presentation and 10 minutes for the discussion, with a maximum of 50 points available.

New results obtained after the completion of the paper may be presented on a maximum of one additional slide.

The main criteria for the evaluation of the presentation are the main criteria for the evaluation of the presentation are:

• presentation style, time management
• quality of presentation, use of visual aids
• a description of the research objective, its history, results and evaluation, with a prospective perspective
• material knowledge
• debating skills

The detailed evaluation criteria for the presentation will be available on the conference website.

The oral and total scores will be available to participating students at the end of the conference (after the awards ceremony).

Supervisor’s justification

…………………………………………………………………………………………….
The name of a student who has already obtained a pre-degree certificate and is applying for the OTDK

…………………………………………………………………………………………….
The title of the TDK paper to be entered for the OTDK

…………………………………………………………………………………………….
Title of the student’s thesis

Do the two essay topics match: ……………… (Yes / Partially / No)

If (at least partially) matching:

What is the extent of the overlap between the two papers? ………………% (0-100%)

To what extent has the OTDK paper been written in the context of a compulsory university course?
……………… (0-100%)

Provide the publication(s), conference participation(s), or other document(s) that can verify that the student has been working on the given topic for an extended period, well before starting the thesis:
…………………………………………………………………………………………….

Date:

Supervisor’s signature
Supervisor name

Supplement 3

Supplement 4

• 38th OTDK Chemistry and Chemical Industry Section Call
• Supplement 1
• Supplement 2
• Supplement 3
• Supplement 4