Nov 2 2009
The Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR)'s Institute of Chemical and Engineering Sciences (ICES), German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), Unifying Concepts in Catalysis (UniCat) and Nanyang Technological University (NTU) are pleased to present a first of its kind joint symposium dedicated to the advancement of catalysis on 2 November 2009 at Biopolis, Singapore.
The programme will include lectures by invited speakers from ICES, NTU, Technical University Berlin, Humboldt University Berlin, Fritz-Haber-Institut der Max Planck Gesellschaft and BASF. The speakers will cover the technological advances and discoveries in catalysis in catalytic applications of advanced materials, electro-catalysis, fuels and energy storage.
Catalysis underpins the development of sustainable processes for producing fuels, chemicals and energy. Together with its partners, ICES is pleased to promote awareness of research opportunities in catalysis and to stimulate interactions between local and international researchers in the field. The symposium also provides a platform for DAAD, UniCat, NTU and ICES to collaborate on catalysis research to develop next generation catalysts and environmentally benign catalytic processes.
“This is a unique opportunity for the catalysis research community to come together to share knowledge and to benefit from each other's experience. This symposium will provide a platform for further collaborations, bringing together experts from Germany and Singapore, from research in industry and academia to share ideas,” said Dr Keith Carpenter, Executive Director of ICES.
H.E. Mr. Joerg Ranau, Ambassador of Federal Republic of Germany commented, "You will read a lot about Berlin during the next few days in the newspapers. We celebrate, after all, the 20th anniversary of the breaching of the wall, that infamous symbol of the Cold War.
But Berlin is not only about politics and contemporary history. It is also one of Germany's most important research hubs. As such, it is home, among others, to several research entities which have been awarded the title "Clusters of Excellence" by the German Federal Government. One of them, the cluster "Unifying Concepts in Catalysis" or "UniCat", in short, will present its research findings during today's workshop.
I am grateful to A*STAR and the Institute of Chemical and Engineering Sciences for hosting the workshop and for providing a state-of-the-art venue. I am sure that the proceedings and the collateral networking activities will provide ample scope for a sustained cooperation between "UniCat" and its Singaporean partners”.
“The Cluster of Excellence ‘UniCat' is funded under the German Excellence Initiative which promotes top-level science and research at our universities. Singapore, too, has an excellent reputation in research and innovation. This joint symposium brings together experts from both countries and lays the foundation for fruitful closer cooperation in the field of catalysis,” explained Dr Susanne Rentzow-Vasu, Director of the DAAD Information Centre Singapore.
“We are delighted to be the university partner for this German-Singaporean Research Symposium on Catalysis,” says Professor Bertil Andersson, NTU Provost. “At NTU, catalysis research is multidisciplinary – it is carried out by researchers from our School of Biological Sciences, School of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering, and School of Physical and Mathematical Sciences. This is a good opportunity for NTU academics to interact with their German counterparts, exchange ideas and explore future collaboration in catalysis research, as well as build on the strong bonds between NTU and German research centres.”