A new conference for a sustainable world
May 20, 2021
In November, Koningshof in Veldhoven will host the 2021 Brightlands Polymer Days event. This new European scientific conference focuses on the world of plastics and will feature renowned speakers, dozens of presentations by young researchers, and extensive networking opportunities. A three-day platform where hundreds of scientists, researchers, students and entrepreneurs will meet to explore new circular materials and applications together.
Organized by the Belgian Polymer Group, KNCV Macromolecular Division, Polymer Technology Netherlands (PTN) and Brightlands Chemelot Campus, the conference will be combining the Dutch Polymer Days, Brightlands Rolduc Polymer Conference and Belgian Polymer Conference into a single event. “It will be a unique conference,” according to Jan van Hest, professor at TU Eindhoven and involved in the organization of the new conference on behalf of PTN. “Not only are we bringing together leading organizations in the field of polymers in the Netherlands and Belgium, but also three events which have more than earned their spurs in the past. The narrow focus of these events will give these Polymer Days more clout with a global reach. The most exciting innovations, ideas and research will come together there, resulting in a scientific conference and platform that create a direct bridge to concrete applications and society.”
Innovative plastics
Brightlands Polymer Days 2021 is structured around one main theme: innovative plastics for a sustainable future. Over 25 top speakers including Nobel Prize winner Jean-Marie Lehn and professors Ali Khademhosseini (Terasaki Institute), Brigitte Voit (Leibnitz Institute), Rolf Mülhaupt (University of Freiburg) and Michael A.R. Meier (Karlsruhe Institute of Technology) will give presentations that focus on how circularity, mobility, health and energy relate to plastics. This also applies to the select group of students who will present their own research in the polymer field.“In the European Union alone, the plastics industry accounts for 1.5 million jobs and €350 billion in sales,” says Marnix van Gurp, chairman of the 2019 Brightlands Rolduc Polymers Conference and now involved in Polymer Days 2021 on behalf of Brightlands Materials Center in Sittard-Geleen. “The use of plastics simply has to be much more sustainable. There are great opportunities in the fields of health, mobility and energy for improving quality of life, reducing CO2 emissions and making plastics part of a circular economy.”
Awards for young talent
Brightlands Polymer Days will start on Sunday evening, November 7 and will end on Tuesday afternoon, November 9. The program offers an opportunity for talented PhD students and researchers to give short presentations. At the end of the conference, four awards will be presented for the best presentations in the categories mobility, health, circularity and energy. This year, the organization expects many attendees from Europe, but also from the rest of the world. “This conference inspires a large pool of talent at universities to work with industrial scientists to explore the opportunities that lie ahead. Many concrete ideas and innovations will be considered during the conference,” according to Marnix van Gurp.
Registration open until June 1
Young, talented researchers can submit presentation proposals until June 1 which will be evaluated by the conference’s scientific committee. Visitors can also register to attend one or more lectures or networking events. For further information: www.polymerdays.brightlands.com
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An overview of the program and speakers may be found on www.polymerdays.brightlands.com
Contact:
Conference Organization
E: nadia@klinkhamergroup.com
T: +31433627008
Organised by the Belgian Polymer Group, KNCV Macromolecular Division, PTN, the former Dutch Polymer Days and Brightlands Chemelot Campus.
