Professor Luis Oro has made an important contribution to the renaissance of chemistry, not only in Spain, through his outstanding scientific contributions, but also in different positions by his selfless devotion to championing and encouragement of chemistry at European level. He has been Vice-President of the European Science Foundation, a member of the European Science and Technology Assembly, the CREST EU Committee and the OECD Science Policy Committee. He is the Immediate Past President of the Spanish Royal Society of Chemistry, having served as President during the period 2000 – 2005. 

Luis Oro is Professor of Inorganic Chemistry in Zaragoza and Director of the Instituto Universitario de Catálisis Homogénea (IUCH). His main research interests are in coordination and organometallic chemistry of platinum group metals where he has co- authored well over 500 scientific papers on synthesis, reaction mechanisms, homogeneous catalysis.