Explore upcoming and past events across the EPNOE community, EPNOE-led conferences and activities, co-organised partner events, and member spotlights from across the polysaccharide network.
Join our core programme of conferences, workshops, meetings, and training activities, bringing researchers and industry together to share knowledge, build collaborations, and support early-career talent.
EPNOEJunior2026 will take place from 16–18 September 2026 in Málaga, Spain. This conference brings together early-career researchers working on polysaccharides.
The meeting is co-organized by EPNOE, IHSM La Mayora (CSIC-UMA), IATA (CSIC) and BioEcoUVA (UVa).
We are thrilled to announce that the 2nd EPNOE Workshop on Analytics of Polysaccharides will be held in Naples (Italy), on July 2-3, 2026. The workshop will be hosted by the University of Naples Federico II, under the auspices of the European Polysaccharide Network of Excellence.
From Bioeconomy to Global Transformation: The Rise of Polysaccharides
The 10th edition of the EPNOE Conference will be held from September 5th, until September 9th, 2027 and is co-organized by KU Leuven.
More information to follow soon.
Events hosted by EPNOE member organisations, or featuring EPNOE members as speakers, shared here to amplify your work and keep the community connected.
At EPNOE, we work to keep our community connected and up to date—across research, industry, and education. As a member, you’re welcome to share events you’re organising, or events where you’re a speaker, and we’ll help spotlight them on our website and through our communications so the network can learn, participate, and connect.
Please include: event title, dates, location/format, organiser, link, and a short description.
Email us: happy.urbiztondo@kuleuven.be
The EPNOE International Polysaccharide Conferences are held every two years and are jointly organized with other professional societies, including the Cellulose and Renewable Materials Division of the American Chemical Society (ACS) and the Cellulose Society of Japan. The programmes consist of multiple parallel sessions, each on specific topics, and are designed for researchers from academia and industry to present and discuss their latest results.
9th EPNOE International Polysaccharides Conference
25-29 August 2025, Sundsvall (Sweden)
8th EPNOE International Polysaccharides Conference
18-22 September 2023, Graz (Austria)
7th EPNOE International Polysaccharides Conference
11-15 October 2021, Nantes (France)
6th EPNOE International Polysaccharides Conference
21-25 October 2019, Aveiro (Portugal)
5th EPNOE International Polysaccharides Conference
20-24 August 2017, Jena (Germany)
4th EPNOE International Polysaccharides Conference
19-22 October 2015, Warsaw (Poland)
3rd EPNOE International Polysaccharides Conference
21-24 October 2013, Nice (France)
2nd EPNOE International Polysaccharides Conference
29 Aug – 2 Sep 2011, Wageningen (Netherlands)
1st EPNOE International Polysaccharides Conference
21-24 September 2009, Turku/Abo (Finland)
The meetings are held once every two years, alternating with the international conference. They are designed to offer young researchers (MSc, PhD students, and early-stage postdocs) the opportunity to present their work via lectures and posters, and also network among themselves. Senior staff from academia and industry are welcome to attend and offer the benefit of their knowledge and experience. The meetings also serve as a platform for senior staff to identify potential recruits among the emerging talent.
6th EPNOE international Junior Scientist Meeting,
4-6 September, 2024, Vienna (Austria)
5th EPNOE international Junior Scientist Meeting,
8-9 September, 2022, Aveiro (Portugal)
4th EPNOE International Junior Scientists Meeting, 3-4 February 2021, Online Meeting
3rd EPNOE International Junior Scientists Meeting, 14-15 May 2018, Maribor (Slovenia)
2nd EPNOE International Junior Scientists Meeting, 13-14 October 2016, Sophia Antipolis (France). Download Book of Abstracts.
1st EPNOE International Junior Scientists Meeting, 19-20 January 2015, Wageningen (Netherlands). Download Book of Abstracts.
Early-stage postdocs are defined as those who obtained their PhD within the previous three years.
Explore previous EPNOE conferences, workshops, and community meetings, evidence of a long-standing, active network advancing polysaccharide science and collaboration.
Polysaccharides as Sweet Spot for Innovation
17-18 September 2018, KU Leuven (Belgium).
More information
Towards flame retardant biopolymers and biocomposites: current research strategies, scientific barriers and perspective applications
16-17 OCtober 2018, Centre des Matériaux d’IMT MINES Alès (France).
More information
Modern analytical approaches in biopolymer characterization
26-27 February 2020, BOKU Vienna (Austria)
More Information
Opportunities for Cellulose Nanomaterials in Packaging
This workshop took place 8–11 July 2025 in Girona, Spain, led by Joice Kaschuk (WUR), Marc Delgado-Aguilar (University of Girona), and Julian Bras (Grenoble INP-UGA), as part of the International Conference on Nanotechnology for Renewable Materials.
Challenges and opportunities to promote circular bio-economy
23-24 November 2021, online
Aerogels for Biomedical Applications
Training School – Leuven, Belgium | 7 June 2022 – 10 June 2022 | EU Cost Action
Polysaccharides In Drug Delivery – On The Road to Innovation!
27-28 October 2022, Rome
EPNOE Seminar on Computational Resources (Members-only)
On 13 June (14:00–16:00 CET), the EPNOE Working Group on Computational Resources hosted an online seminar for academia and industry, exploring how molecular modelling supports real-world applications. Access was exclusive to EPNOE members.
Agenda highlights:
Jeff Sanders (Schrödinger) — Exploring Ingredient Binding and Encapsulation by Starch Using Molecular Simulation
Yu Ogawa (Cermav CNRS) — Flexing Cellulose at the Nanoscale: A Molecular Dynamics Study
Q&A session
Summer Course Glycosciences
17th European Training Course on Carbohydrates
The Summer Course Glycosciences, 17th European Training Course on Carbohydrates took place from 11 to 15 June 2023, in Wageningen, The Netherlands.
Organised by VLAG Graduate School, Wageningen University and Research, University of Groningen and Leiden University Medical Center, this course combined general introductions in the field of carbohydrates and glycoproteins with in-depth sessions, giving participants the opportunity to focus on specific interests without losing the broad perspective. In addition, interactive elements were part of the programme (e.g. poster sessions, interviews with lecturers).
For more information, read here.
The 5th International Cellulose Conference
The International Cellulose Conference (ICC) is held by the Cellulose Society of Japan every five years since 2002.
The last one took place at the International Conference Center Hiroshima (Hiroshima, Japan), from 26 to 28 September 2023.
This face-to-face meeting was a great opportunity for scientists seeking new concepts and networking opportunities across the borders.
For more information, please visit this webpage.
XXVIII Conference of the Polish Chitin Society
The XXVIII Conference of the Polish Chitin Society “New Aspects on Chemistry and Application of Chitin and its Derivatives” was held at the Hotel Orle Centrum Konferencyjne, in Gdańsk (Poland), from 25 to 27 September, 2023.
Click here for more information.
The XXI B-MRS Meeting took place at the Ruth Cardoso Cultural and Exhibition Center in Maceió-Alagoas (Brazil), from 1 to 5 October 2023. Among the symposia, the Polysaccharide-based Materials Symposium aimed to address timely topics within the Polysaccharide-based materials area.
Click here for more information.
Bioeconomy Innovation Day: Advancing Resource Efficiency and Value Creation in Europe
The Bioeconomy Innovation Day – Advancing Resource Efficiency and Value Creation in Europe – was organised in cooperation with the Swedish research collaboration platform Treesearch, FinnCERES materials bioeconomy Flagship from Finland, and the B2BE facilitator, a matchmaker in the Flemish bioeconomy.
The event took place on 16 November, 2023, at 9:00-18:00 (CET) in Brussels, at the Marriott Hotel Grand Place.
For more information, please refer to this webpage.
The 27th Austrian Carbohydrate Workshop (ACW 2027) 15-16 February, 2024, Graz University of Technology (Austria)
The Training School on ”Technical, commercial and societal innovations on aerogels towards circular economy” took place on 29-31 May, 2024, at the University of Udine (Italy).
Organised by the ECO-AERoGELS CIG and the Food Technology groups from the University of Udine with the partnership of EPNOE, it featured a thought-provoking roundtable discussion moderated by Carmen Freire (Aveiro University/EPNOE Vice-President of Conferences and Workshops). The panel includes Anastasia Panfilova (IFF Pharma Solutions), Vincenzo De Tata (Barilla), and Carlos García-González (University of Santiago de Compostela). The titles of the presentations are available here.
APA-EPNOE-GFL International Conference on Polymers for Advanced Technology. For more information, please refer to this webpage.
EPNOE MEMBERS ONLY EVENT
We are pleased to invite you to the Kick-Off Meeting for the new EPNOE Working Group Food & Nutrition on Friday, the 7th of March, 2025 from 01:00 PM until 03:00 PM.
During this online meeting, you will get the chance to introduce yourself to your peers in the international polysaccharide community and to provide suggestions for future activities (such as webinars, conferences, workshops) in the field of food and nutrition.
There are several working groups active within the EPNOE Association, we find it important that the various fields of applications for polysaccharides are explored and that no opportunity to network and to share knowledge and expertise is lost. So please join us for the WG Food & Nutrition Kick-Off Meeting.
You can register for the Kick-Off Meeting using the following form: https://shorturl.at/ewCcv. After you have registered, we will send you the link to attend the meeting via Zoom.
TAPPI Webinar: Transitioning from Micro to Nano: Unlocking the Potential of Cellulose Nanomaterials
Dr. Marc Delgado-Aguilar, Associate Professor at the University of Girona will give a lecture for TAPPI (Technical Association of the Pulp and Paper Industry) on Wednesday, June 4th, 2025 (10 AM – 11 AM). The title of the lecture is: Transitioning from Micro to Nano: Unlocking the Potential of Cellulose Nanomaterials. Please register via the link: https://www.tappi.org/event/calendar/all-events/transitioning-from-micro-to-nano-unlocking-the-potential-of-cellulose-nanomaterials/
VTT Summer of Changemakers
Science for Sustainability 2025
The University of Helsinki and Aalto University are organizing Science for Sustainability from 30 September 2025 until 2 October 2025. The theme for the event is Bursting the Sustainability Bubble which aims to challenge sustainability myths and break down the barriers between disciplines and industries. The goal: to find solutions that pace up the sustainability transition. Please register here: https://www.helsinki.fi/en/conferences/science-sustainability-2025/registration-now-open
EPNOE Junior Week 2025
The first EPNOE Junior Week took place in the first week of November 2025, bringing together early-career researchers across the network for a week of workshops and short talk series hosted at member universities and institutes. Led by EPNOE Junior Representatives, the programme showcased current research, shared methods and ideas, and created an easy way for PhD candidates and postdocs to connect, learn, and find new collaborations.
The EPNOE Research Roadmap 2040 Launch Event took place on 31 January 2023 (13:30–17:00 CET) at the Thermotechnisch Instituut, Kasteelpark Arenberg 41, 3001 Heverlee (Leuven), Belgium.
The event marked the official launch of the EPNOE Research Roadmap 2040, bringing together representatives from academia, industry, and policy to share the roadmap’s vision and priorities. Roadmap Chairs and Co-Chairs presented the thematic directions across Materials & Engineering, Food & Nutrition, Biomedical Applications, Basic Sciences (Chemistry, Biology & Physics), and Skills. The programme also included a round-table discussion on the future of the circular bioeconomy in Europe, followed by networking among attendees.
From conferences to focused workshops, EPNOE creates spaces where ideas turn into collaborations. Members make this possible and benefit from being part of a trusted network across academia and industry.
