European Polysaccharide Network of Excellence (EPNOE) --------------------------

1. European Polysaccharide Network of Excellence(EPNOE) -------------------------- March 2014

2. Natural polymers such as starch, cellulose, chitin, carrageenan. Produced by plants and animals. Polysaccharides wheat tree cotton Chitin Starch Cellulose crab coconut corn bacteries hemp alga EPNOE

3. EPNOE • Full Members: • 16academic universities and research organisations in 9 EU countries. • About 20 companies embedded inside the Business and Industry Club. • A growing number of Affiliated Members. • epnoe-at-large: an informal web-based network with more than 200 members. • acommonResearch,Educationand Communicationnetwork. • A network tailored forpromotingR&D projects and boosting innovation. EPNOE

4. Full members Armines- Mines ParisTech , France UniversitätfürBodenkulturWien, Austria Friedrich-Schiller-UniversitätJena, Germany Fraunhofer-Institut fürAngewandtePolymerforschung, Golm, Germany VTT, Finland Johann Heinrich vonThünen-Institut, Hamburg, Germany ÅboAkademiUniversity, Finland "Petru Poni" Institute of MacromolecularChemistry, Iasi, Romania University of Maribor, Slovenia University of Wageningen, the Netherlands Thüringisches Institut fürTextil- undKunststoff-Forschung, Rudolstadt , Germany Institute of Biopolymers and Chemical Fibres Lodz, Poland University of Nottingham, UK UniversiteitUtrecht, the Netherlands UniversitätInnsbruck, Austria UniversitätGraz, Austria EPNOE

5. Missions of EPNOE To provide its Members with an area of trustiness and collaboration • Research • Performing the best world-class, multidisciplinary research on polysaccharides. • Innovation • Development of R&D projects. • Applied research in all sectors (new sources, materials, food, health, biofuels, etc.). • Education • Education of young scientists. • Dissemination of polysaccharide knowledge at all levels of society. EPNOE

6. EPNOE Members’ Knowledge and Skills

7. EPNOE Association : four boards The EPNOE network established in 2005 a registered non-profit organisation called “EPNOE Association”. Members are only legal bodies. It is managed by four boards: • General Assembly(votes the annual statement of accounts of previous year and the activity plan of the year). • Governing Board(decides all the details of activity plan voted by the General Assembly). • Executive Board (five persons): management body. • Finance Supervisory Board (three persons): controls finances. EPNOE

8. EPNOE Activities

9. Activities • Research • Innovation and applied research • Sharing knowledge and information • Dissemination of polysaccharide knowledge • Education and training for students, young scientists and industrial researchers • Business & Industry Club for companies members of EPNOE EPNOE

10. Research • World class research level: • EPNOE scientists among the best in their disciplines. • Output of 100+ publications per annum. • Participation in Europe-wide research. • EPNOE partner of American Chemical Society. • EPNOE scientists editors or board members of all major journals in the field. • EPNOE or EPNOE scientists organizing each year tens of conferences and symposia. • Many formal collaborations: • Comparison between 2000-2004 and 2011 EPNOE

11. 07 05 18 12 10 04 13 03 16 11 02 15 17 08 01 09 Collaborations between full members (10) Four yearsfrom 2000 to 2004 German Federal initiative EPNOE

12. 07 06 12 10 04 13 03 16 11 02 15 17 08 01 09 Collaborations between full members (60) 05 One year 2011 EPNOE

13. Innovation and applied research • R&D project generations: • New initiatives like dormant ideas. • Collective brain-storming. • Face to face meetings between • members to generate projects. • An effective methodology to ensure • total confidentiality. • A very intensive participation of members to R&D projects • more than 300 R&D projects running in the EPNOE community with a total research budget in excess of 30Meuro per annum. • Huge experience in project building (EC, national, industry) • EPNOE isassociatemember of Biobased Industries Consortium EPNOE

14. Sharing knowledge and information • Member web-site: • Description of activities and expertise of EPNOE scientists. • Tool box: equipment list of EPNOE members. • Title and summary of on-going PhD topics in EPNOE members. • Company database: detailed list of more than 1500 companies working in the polysaccharide sector. • Database of academic researchers (10000+ entries). • Other information tools: • Regular flow of news, due to the strong position of EPNOE scientists in many influent committees. • Flow of information within epnoe-at-large network. EPNOE

15. Dissemination • epnoe-at-largeinformal network. • EPNOE conferences • EPNOE 2013 in Nice, France. • 450 participants. • EPNOE 2015 in Warsaw, Poland. • EPNOE Newsletter • 3-4 issues per year. • 500 followers. EPNOE

16. Education and training • Opportunities for students and young scientists to gain experience in another member laboratory. • Development of video-lectures posted in the web. • Organisation of academic and industry-targeted training schools. Eight sessions are planned all over Europe in 2014-2015. • Strong relation with COST projects. EPNOE

17. Industrial membership of EPNOE • EPNOE Facts • Members • 16 academic institutions from 9 European countries (see web site). • 20+ industrial Members including SME’s from 4 continents. • Approx. 100 researchers directly embedded in the network as full members. • Network at large • 250 scientists across the World constitute the EPNOE network at large. • Research • High quality research with an output of 100+ publications per annum. • Participation in Europe-wide research. • Knowledge Transfer • more than 300 R&D projects running in the EPNOE community with a total research budget in excess of 30Meuro per annum. • Education • More than 70 PhD students researching in EPNOE related topics. • Academia-industry exchanges of students and post-docs • Your company is working in the field of polysaccharides or polysaccharide-related products? • EPNOE is the perfect community to: • Network with experts in this scientific field. • Keep abreast of the latest research developments in your field of interest. • Have access to scientists and engineers with the expertise to help develop your technologies, or provide scientific/technical assistance. • Collaborate with industry and academic/research organisations to develop industry-focussed R&D projects and consortia. • Have an easier access for participation  to EC-Projects. • Publicise your achievements. EPNOE

18. Business & Industry Club • BUSINESS AND INDUSTRY CLUB BENEFITS • Participation at closed annual scientific conferences where EPNOE academic and research Members describe their latest results. • Access to initiative results like the Dormant Ideas, list of 150+ ideas coming from academic EPNOE members. • Access to the description of Master, PhD and post-doctoral topics running in the 16 academic/research EPNOE institutions. Access to the full text of dissertations. • Access to EPNOE Tool Box. • Access to several databases like list of companies, list of scientists (10 000 entries), list of scientific and industrial societies. • Being involved into the new EPNOE-at-large network with 300 scientists all over the World. • Being aware of European initiatives and trends (horizon 2020, “Bio-based Industries Consortium” initiatives. • Access to major organisations involved in promoting the use of biomass-based polymers. • Receiving on a regular basis news and information. • Ensure that the R&D and education needs of industry are understood by the academic partners of EPNOE. • Share expertise and knowledge, technology development and optimisation. • Provide an efficient forum to outline collaborative projects on a fully confidential basis. • Provide a forum where parties can discuss non-confidential issues with other member colleagues. EPNOE

19. Cooperation with external bodies • Academic area: American Chemical Society (largestscientific society in the world). • Organisation since 2013 of the EPNOE-ACS meeting on polysaccharides (450 participants) • Organisation of topical meetings: next in March 2015 in Denver on Research on Renewable Materials: US and EU Perspectives • The development and implementation of bioeconomy strategies and research and innovation programs is currently seen as a promising opportunity to enhance the economy of nations and to provide new employment and business possibilities. This symposium will focus on identifying similarities, differences and synergies between US and EU initiatives and actions related to research on renewable materials in different countries. EPNOE

20. Cooperation with external bodies • Industry/ Innovation area : Polintegra(Poland) • Interregional Scientific-Industrial Centre (BIO)- Polymers - Materials – Technologies for Industry • POLINTEGRA CENTRE promotes and develops research-based innovation in scientific and technological areas where polysaccharides and polysaccharide-based products are developed. • Polintegra • 10 Academic institutions in Poland • 30 Companies in Poland • One of the threeacademic leaders is one of the vice-president of EPNOE member: • Institute of Biopolymers and Chemical Fibres, Łódź EPNOE

21. Polintegra– EPNOE agreement • ARTICLE IV - SCOPE OF THE COOPERATION • The cooperation activities and exchanges between the members of Parties may include, but are not necessarily limited to, the following: • Exchange of information; • Organization of meetings; • Brain-storming sessions; • Establishment of projects between members of EPNOE Association and members of POLINTEGRA CENTRE; • Building of R&D proposals between members of EPNOE Association and members of POLINTEGRA CENTRE; • Common participation to stakeholder’s events. EPNOE

22. www.epnoe.eu EPNOE