Innovation and the environment will play leading roles in the up-coming UTECH Europe 2009 conference, and this is your chance to participate in this key event for the global polyurethanes industry.

The conference runs from 31 March – 2 April alongside a major three-day exhibition, where the world’s leading suppliers will be showing their latest developments to the more than three thousand visitors expected at this triennial meeting. The meeting, like the Europe 2006 event, will run in the Maastricht Exhibition and Congress Centre, in southern Holland, close to the German, French and Belgian borders.

This will be the first major European conference for the polyurethanes industry since March 2006, and will comprise presentations documenting all the latest developments in raw materials, PU systems, processing equipment and manufacturing technologies. If your company wants to take advantage of the opportunity to present its latest developments to key polyurethane specialists in the global marketplace, simply send your documentation to the UTECH Europe 2009 Conference Organiser at the address shown.

PAPER SELECTION CRITERIA

The criteria for selection of papers will include:
Novelty, is this truly a significant advance?
Relevance, does the presentation address current or developing concerns among polyurethane processors? and
Value, will the paper highlight real progress with long-term benefits?
Papers which are deemed too commercial in approach will be rejected, as will offers of papers which merely focus on minor advances in specific sectors of likely interest to only a small group of processors.

Delegates to this event will be looking for information which will open up new opportunities for their companies, either expanding their range of products, improving their production and environmental performance, or giving them new possibilities for developing more efficient processing and innovative products. We will, accordingly, only be selecting papers that offer significant developments in these respects.

Time during the three-day conference programme is limited, so authors are encouraged to register their interest in presenting a paper during this conference immediately, but certainly no later than February 23rd 2008. As has been the case in the past the selection criteria (see below) are important, but so is the date by which you register your interest.

Deadlines -	February 23rd 2008:	Register your initial interest in presenting a paper
	May 3rd 2008:	Receipt of Abstracts
	July 27th 2008:	Paper Selection Completed
	December 12th 2008:	Final Papers Required

TOPICS OF INTEREST

The following list of potential topics and comments on likely aspects of interest is only a guideline, use your knowledge of the industry to highlight the value that you consider your paper will offer to the high-level technical specialist audience expected to attend the UTECH Europe 2009 conference.

INNOVATION

● What’s new in raw materials?
● Are polyureas now set to boom in Europe?
● What are the latest developments in ancillary chemicals?
● New PU systems offer yet-greater benefits.
● Are flexible foams now only a commodity item?
● Further developments in rigid foam systems offer higher thermal performance.
● Are thermoplastic polyurethanes set to offer greater performance?
● How can you get more from processing equipment?
● Can design expertise open up new opportunities?
● Composites: Are they the next major opportunity for polyurethanes?

ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES

● Rules and regulations: How has the polyurethane industry coped with Europe’s tough new REACH (Registration, Evaluation and Authorisation of Chemicals) legislation?
● Renewable resources: Are they moving into the mainstream?
● Global warming: Can rigid foams play a major role in saving energy?
● Waste and recycling: Are scrap foams a problem or an opportunity?
● Fire performance: Can flexible and rigid foams meet tougher requirements?
● Workplace health & safety: Which technologies will supersede open-poured polyurethanes?

TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS

● Polyurethanes have long been the most dynamic and diverse segment of the polymer-manufacturing sector, thanks to the varied chemistries on offer, so the UTECH Europe 2009 conference will also have space where some of the most important recent advances will be showcased. New markets and applications are also continually emerging from laboratories around the world, so if your company has any contributions offering potential new opportunities, feel free to offer to share your expertise at this key event for the sector.