28th GCCCD^® Annual Conference Successfully Held
By Dr. Lijiang Niu

The 28th Annual Conference of Association of Chinese Chemists and Chemical Engineers in Germany (GCCCD^®) was held on October 28th-30th, 2016 in Munich, Germany. With the theme “Chemistry and Chemical Engineering for Sustainable Development”, the conference attracted nearly 150 participants, including invited keynote speakers; cooperation partners; members of GCCCD^® and interested professionals.

28th GCCCD^® Annual Conference (Photographer: Dr. Dongxing Li)

The conference was opened with the welcoming speeches given by the organizing committee chair, Mr. Guoju Yang and the president of GCCCD^®, Dr. Rongbiao Wang. In the keynote session, Prof. Dr. Herbert Mayr (LMU Munich), Dr. Si Wu (MPI for Polymer Research), Prof. Dr. Ulli Englert (RWTH Aachen), Prof. Dr. Karsten Reuter (TU Munich) and Prof. Dr. Harald Horn (KIT) gave the presentations in their research areas. The engaging and thoughts intriguing talks were well received by the audience.

The conference was then divided into four sessions: organic synthesis and green chemistry, environmental protection and water treatment, catalysis and electrochemistry, and novel materials and intellectual property. The presentations were delivered by speakers from universities, research institutes, and chemical companies, etc. These presentations and active discussions promoted the interests in the frontier fields and especially cross-field researches. They also inspired new ideas and new cooperative opportunities.

In addition to the oral presentations, the conference also hosted a poster session. GCCCD^® Best Poster Awards were voted by all the participants of the conference.
During the conference, “GCCCD^® Excellent PhD Supervisor Annual Award” was granted. This award was set up by GCCCD^® on the effort of encouraging and appreciating the PhD supervisors from universities or research institutes in Germany who are active in guiding Chinese students and promoting research cooperation between Germany and China. Dr. Yutong Zhu, former president of GCCCD^®, currently the vice president of Evonik Industrial Group, presented the award certificates and trophies to the four winners: Prof. Dr. Herbert Mayr (LMU), Prof. Dr. Ulli Englert (RWTH Aachen), Prof. Dr. Harad Horn (KIT) and Prof. Dr. Karsten Reuter (TU Munich).

“GCCCD^® Excellent PhD Supervisor Award” winners and their students (Photographer: Dr. Dongxing Li)

During the conference, industrial introductory presentations were given by representatives from Chemie-Cluster Bayern (CCB), Shandong Chambroad Petrochemicals Co., Ltd and Shandong INOV Polyurethane Co. Ltd. Furthermore, Wacker Chemie and Clariant also presented their innovative approaches to the sustainability topics. Prior to the conference, GCCCD^® organized visits to Evonik Industries, Hanau Division and Höchst Industrial Park. These presentations and visits aimed to promote deeper understanding of research and development and their trend in chemical industry for GCCCD^® members and friends.
A GCCCD® Member Meeting was held after the conference. The GCCCD^® annual report and financial report were discussed, as well as the expansion of the GCCCD^® general committee. The meeting voted Ulm as the next year GCCCD^® annual conference city.
On the next day of conference, a short Munich city tour was organized by the conference as the social event. The visitors enjoyed the landscape of this historical but modern city and continued sharing interesting information.

GCCCD^® Annual Member Meeting (Photographer: Dr. Dongxing Li)

GCCCD^® is a non-profit organization registered in Germany with about three hundred members, mainly Chinese scientists, professionals and students in chemistry, chemical engineering and related areas. It was founded in 1988 in Bonn, Germany. GCCCD^® became an oversea branch of Chinese Chemical Society (CCS) in 1989 and an oversea branch of the Chemical Industry and Engineering Society of China (CIESC) in 2015. The mission of GCCCD^® is to enhance the connections among its members, and simultaneously, to promote the cooperation between China and Germany, particularly in the field of chemistry and chemical engineering. It also provides the latest job information for the members via diverse media.