Report on the 17 ^th European conference on liquid crystals (ECLC 2025)

<div> The saga of liquid crystal research began in 1888 when Friedrich Reinitzer, a botanist working at the Institute of Plant Physiology in Prague, lent credence to the unusual colour changes of crystals extracted from carrots that were subjected to a temperature cycle. In 2025, liquid crystals returned to their roots for the 17 th European conference, which brought together 200 senior and junior researchers from 30 countries. The conference highlighted the vitality of liquid crystal research and its growing importance in academic and practical applications. The program included four plenary lectures. Maria H. Godinho (NOVA University Lisbon, Portugal) (Figure 1(a)) opened the event with a presentation on cellulose and chitin liquid crystalline phases that emphasised sustainable and bio-derived mesophases. Ivan. I. Smalyukh (University of Colorado Boulder, USA) (Figure 1(b)) presented on nanocellulose-based aerogels for smart window applications, combining photonics with green materials science. Damian Pociecha (University of Warsaw, Poland) (Figure 1(c)) introduced novel strategies for symmetry breaking in polar and smectic phases. Kristiaan Neyts (SKL of Advanced Displays and Optoelectronic Technologies, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology) (Figure 1(d)) reviewed photoalignment techniques in liquid crystal design. The program included over 20 invited talks, numerous oral and short oral contributions, and two very well attended, large poster sessions on Monday and Tuesday. The conference paid special attention to areas such as ferroelectric nematics, which emerged as a dominant theme, as well as to photonic systems, theory and simulations, polymers, elastomers, colloids and gels, biological and bio-inspired materials, and applications. There were over 180 poster presentations, and the topics ranged from novel mesogens and synthetic routes to liquid crystal -based sensors, smart windows, and photonic devices (Figure 2). In tribute to our dear colleague who passed away earlier this year, Rebecca Walker (University of Aberdeen, UK) retraced the personal and scientific journey of Corrie T. Imrie (Figure 3). The conference was attended by a large number of early career and student researchers. Many of their outstanding contributions were recognised by the presentation of awards. </div>