On behalf of the Finnish Institute for Verification of the Chemical Weapons Convention (VERIFIN) and the OPCW, the Director-General wishes to invite applications from representatives of laboratories in Member States to attend a two-week course on the enhancement of skills in analysing chemicals related to the Chemical Weapons Convention (hereinafter “the Convention”) using nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR), to be held at VERIFIN, the University of Helsinki, Finland, from 7 to 18 May 2012.

The course, which will be organised by VERIFIN with the support of the OPCW, is intended for laboratories that are active or planning to become active in the analysis of chemicals related to the Convention, and for those that are participating or intending to participate in OPCW proficiency testing.

The goal of the course is to improve the practical skills needed in using NMR spectroscopy to analyse chemicals related to the Convention. For this reason, participants must have previous experience using NMR. The course will most benefit those who regularly use NMR spectroscopy in their work, or who are planning to do so in the near future. Previous participation on any courses organised by VERIFIN will be considered an advantage. Participants will first be introduced to the preparation of samples and the theoretical aspects of NMR. They will then be given demonstrations of NMR techniques, and will pair up to do practical exercises.