Fraunhofer-Delaware Technology Summit

Two research powerhouses, Fraunhofer and the University of Delaware, are joining forces to host their first technology summit, "Energy and Life Sciences—Solutions for Sustainability," on Oct. 29-30.

The first day is a full-day conference at UD's Clayton Hall Conference Center. The second day will feature laboratory tours and follow-up discussions.

Scientists and researchers, industry executives, and government and foundation program officers and decision makers are encouraged to attend. Registration is available through the conference website. In addition to talks and panels, participants are encouraged to exhibit posters related to the topics of the conference. To submit a poster, register and provide your poster title and list of authors by Oct. 15.

The inaugural Fraunhofer-Delaware Technology Summit will focus on current challenges in product development within the life sciences and in future energy systems, with topics ranging from "Advances in Biopharmaceutical Manufacturing" to "Bio-Based Energy."

Keynote presentations will be given by Thomas M. Connelly, Jr., executive vice president and chief innovation officer at DuPont, who will focus on "Life Sciences Addressing Global Challenges," and by Lee Davis, senior vice president at NRG Energy, and president of NRG Energy Northeast, who will address "From Fossil to Photons: An Energy Company's Transformation."

"These leaders will set the stage by highlighting challenges and discussing the path ahead for converting laboratory-based scientific discoveries into new applications with the potential to significantly impact our lives, our environment and our future," said Karl Steiner, senior associate provost for research development at UD.

Steiner co-organized the summit with Vidadi Yusibov, executive director of the Fraunhofer USA Center for Molecular Biotechnology (FhCMB), which is based in the Delaware Technology Park in Newark, Del. The center houses nearly 90 researchers. In July 2011, UD, FhCMB and the state of Delaware formalized a six-year partnership agreement that is providing new opportunities for researchers at Fraunhofer and UD to work together.

"Thanks to this collaboration among Fraunhofer, UD and the state of Delaware, the summit will bring together leaders in basic research, translational sciences and industrial applications from across the state and around the world," Steiner said. "We are excited to provide a unique opportunity for the scientific community to meet, network, get new ideas and move forward in solving some of our major challenges in energy and the life sciences."

Provided by University of Delaware