The Centre of Competence in Chemical Ecology (C₃E) was created as a follow-up of the National Centre of Competence in Research Plant Survival (2001-2013), in which research in chemical ecology played a dominant role. Chemical ecology is a highly interdisciplinary field that concerns chemically mediated interactions. It involves, among others, chemists that identify and synthesize bioactive substances, physiologists that study the production and perception of these chemicals in plants and animals, but also ecologists that may study the impact of the chemically mediated interactions at the individual or ecosystem level. Chemical ecology is also all-inclusive at the organismal level and relates to all taxa, ranging from bacteria to humans, and therefore is of great importance to all of biology. Most importantly, the research has great potential for application in the context of food security, ecosystem management, as well as in human and animal healthcare.

At present, C₃E comprises ten research groups at the Faculty of Science of UniNE. It is also closely associated with the simultaneously created Neuchâtel Platform for Analytical Chemistry (NPAC), which provides analytical services to research institutions and industries worldwide. Together with partners at other Swiss universities we strive to conduct internationally recognized research and provide education in chemical ecology at the highest possible level.