Advanced Materials for a Greener World was the theme that set the tone for this edition of the ICNF, which featured more than 250 participants from 40 different countries.

3 days of very natural fiber

On June 20, ICNF participants and guests were received in the garden of the Rectory of the University of Minho, in Largo do Paço, in Braga, where they could enjoy a moment of networking, accompanied with background music.

The first day of the ICNF (June 21) was marked by the inaugural session of the conference, which was attended by the Dean of the University of Minho, António Cunha, the Mayor of Braga, Ricardo Rio, and the coordinator of Fibrenamics, Raul Fangueiro.

After this session, the conference was always organized in the same way: the first morning session was dedicated to a “keynote session”, where a guest speaker had 30 minutes to address issues of interest related to the event's theme. After these moments, the participants were divided into three different rooms, in order to attend the parallel sessions.

At the end of each day, all participants had the opportunity to enjoy a social program. On the 21st, this program consisted of a guided tour to Bom Jesus, one of the ex-libris of the city of Braga. The conference gala dinner was also held on the 22nd at Bom Jesus. At that dinner, everyone had the opportunity to enjoy a moment of relaxation where music and good cheer were the queens of the night. Finally, on the afternoon of the 23rd, the social proposal consisted of a city tour through the city of Braga, accompanied by the festivities of S. João.

Natural Fibrenamics Green Award Project

In addition to the rooms where the parallel sessions were held, the Fibrenamics Green project was entitled to a room with its own name where the prototype exhibitions were held for the Natural Fibrenamics Green Award Project.

Over the three days, companies and researchers were able to expose and publicize their projects, which were subsequently evaluated by an international jury made up of renowned experts in the field of natural fibers.

The winner of the contest was the Smart-Bed project, promoted by the company LASA. In the words of those responsible for the project, this moment was extremely important as “it was very important to realize that people perceive and recognize our work”.

An extremely positive balance

As previously mentioned, ICNF 2017 was a great success. From speakers, through exhibitors, to participants and organizers, the opinion was unanimous: ICNF was a high quality event.

One of the main points to highlight of this ICNF is related to the creation of an excellent networking group in the area of ​​natural fibers, which, according to Raul Fangueiro, will be an extremely important structure in creating synergies between researchers from all over the world in this area. and that “it will allow the transfer of knowledge from the scientific area to the market in the form of innovative products”.

Joana Curto, a professor at the University of Beira Interior, said the conference was very interesting. “The research topics are very broad and deeply analyzed by the best researchers in the field. It is very important for science and researchers to have the opportunity to exchange ideas, learn more, discuss this in person. The conference was excellent, ”he said.

For his part, Anett Kondor of Surface Measurement Systems, participant and exhibitor, mentioned that, despite being his first participation, he loved the conference. “I really liked the organization and all the sessions. I loved the social programs, ”he adds.

Claudia A. Echeverria of the University of New South Wales considered ICNF "superb". In addition to attending the various conference sessions, Claudia was one of the participants in the Natural Fibrenamics Green Award Project. “I would like the conference to last longer. One more day and it would be phenomenal ”, guarantees the researcher.

Raul Fangueiro, Fibrenamics coordinator and chair of the event, was very satisfied with the result of this third edition of the ICNF, “it was a successful conference, both from the scientific point of view, and with regard to the generated networking”.

For 2019, the organization of the fourth edition of the ICNF is expected. The location has not yet been decided, however there are already several expressions of interest from several international partners to receive the organization of ICNF2019.