The workshop builds on the strong relation between the Netherlands and Japan in chemical sciences, which dates from time and contributions of Dr. Koenraad Wolter Gratama (1831-1888), who founded a chemistry school and laboratory in Osaka in the period 1866-1871. This became the commemorative school that for the first time introduced modern chemistry in Japan. Gratama’s important contribution is acknowledged mutually and since 2000 several Gratama workshops have been organized. The first workshop was organized in Osaka (2000), and later on alternately in the Netherlands in Utrecht (2003) and Delft (2009) and Japan in Hyogo (2006) and in Tokyo (2013). The upcoming workshop is planned in Groningen, The Netherlands. The purpose of the workshop is to sustain the excellent relationship between Japan and the Netherlands, and to further strengthen the scientific interactions and collaborations. The focus of the next workshop is on current developments in the chemical sciences and adjoining technologal fields. The workshop aims to provide an attractive forum for researchers during which top scientists discuss the emerging trends in chemical sciences, also addressing today’s necessity to integrate cross-disciplinary approaches.