protection, environmentally friendly technologies, concern for the purity of air, water and soil, and other related problems are nowadays not only of high-est priority in scientific research, but also very important from legislative and economic points of view. One quite often hears in the media that chemistry and chemical technology are to be blamed for pollution, environmental hazards and all disastrous environmental events. How-ever, what is missing is the fact that improvements in environmental protection, environmental monitoring, and environmentally safe industrial technologies have con-tinuously been achieved as a result of the work of chem-ists and chemical technology professionals. This medial misunderstanding of the roles of chemistry and chemical technology may stem from an oversimplified thesis that what comes from Nature is pleasant and healthy, whereas chemistry is viewed as generating nasty artificial goods. To take care of the future of our environment, it is not enough to engage managers and administrators. This work need to be done, and will be done by profes-sionally prepared and trained specialists having deep knowledge in chemistry, biology, physics, medicine, pharmacy, toxicology, etc. This line of thinking was the key point in our proposed Chemical Environmental Studies – Strengthening European Dimension (CHEN-VIR), which has been submitted to the European Com-mission. The project has been accepted, and became effective February 1st, 2003. Since that day Faculty of Chemistry of Adam Mickiewicz University has become a Centre of Excellence for Chemical Environmental Studies The Faculty of Chemistry has been a separate research and teaching unit of Adam Mickiewicz University since 1981. Faculty of Chemistry has grown to become a major centre for research, as well as undergraduate and graduate training in Poland. There are presently 67 faculty members, over 800 undergraduate students, and over 90 graduate students. The Faculty offers curricula in physi-cal, organic and inorganic chemistry, and is committed to research and training in almost all areas of modern chem-istry with strong emphasis on environmental chemistry. The Faculty comprises 29 Departments, a Technologi-cal Centre, Instrumental Analysis Facility, the Faculty Li-brary, and electronic and machine workshops. The Faculty of Chemistry with an academic staff of over 167, including 67 professors engaged in research in almost all fields of modern chemistry, has the right to confer the academic degree of doctor (Ph. D.) and doctor habilitated (D. Sc.) in organic, inorganic, physical and theoretical chemistry. Fac-ulty members co-operate with a number of research centres all over the world. This includes joint research projects and visits of research fellows and visiting professors. The research work at the Faculty is conducted in phys-ical, inorganic, organic chemistry with particular empha-sis on environmental aspects. The Faculty is devoted to both basic and applied research in a broad range of topics with a focus on micro- and macro-environmental aspects of chemistry. This ranges from theoretical and experimen-tal studies of small inorganic and organic molecules and their reactions, through studies of molecules/polymers of biological relevance, to heterogeneous catalysis and environmental biotechnology. The Instrumental Analysis Facility provides high-tech equipment supporting experi-mental studies, for instance sub-pico-second fluorescence spectroscopy, IR spectroscopy, mass spectroscopy, EPR and NMR spectroscopy, X-ray diffractometry. The faculty has access to the university computer network and to the municipal super-computer centre. *Corresponding author