European Membrane Society takes pride in sharing updates on the celebrations of the first-ever organised Membrane Day in 2025. This EMS initiative was undertaken to reflect the role and importance of membranologists across the globe. April 14th was specifically chosen to celebrate Membrane Day in honour of one of the membrane stalwarts, Prof. Enrico Drioli, on his birth anniversary.

In this inaugural edition of the Membrane Day celebrations, it was exciting to witness 27 group participants from 18 countries spanning 4 continents. The efforts and enthusiasm of young and experienced membranologists were evident in the quality of the moments captured in videos or digital collages. The broad spectrum of the celebrations included membrane-based quizzes, membrane-based scientific presentations by renowned membranologists, mimicry, commemorative gatherings to honour the legacy of Prof. Enrico Drioli, membrane outreach programs, membrane fun facts, hands-on membrane demonstrations, treasure hunt, even a membrane symphony, and a membrane cake party, to mention a few.

The image below illustrates the outreach of this event worldwide. Looking ahead, this initiative invites membranologists to build on it and make it even better in the coming years, and to celebrate the legacies of other renowned membranologists who have dedicated their lives to humanity and the membrane community.

Thank you once again to all the participants. The evaluation was difficult owing to the high-quality entries of the participants. The winners of the #MembraneDay2025 contest, who received €750 each were:

1)    ITM-CNR, Italy
2)    Membraneers from Korea, South Korea
3)    Nanjing Tech University, China
4)    VITO, Belgium