Held for the first time in the Scottish capital, the Forum explored a wide range of subjects that have the potential to impact the lives of all of us. This ranged from drug coatings in pharmaceutical science and 3D printing innovations, to geotechnical and environmental applications which could help us predict landslides more efficiently.
After an informal welcome reception, the forum took place at The John McIntyre Conference Centre, the University of Edinburgh’s venue built specifically to handle events of this nature.
Launching in Leeds in 2007, the event has alternated between China and the UK since, including visits to Guiyang, Shanghai and Yangzhou. It was initiated to help facilitate and foster collaboration between communities in both the UK and China in the multidisciplinary field of particle science and technology.
Dr Zeynep Karatza, a Research Associate at University of Edinburgh’s Institute for Infrastructure and Environment has been part of the team tasked with coordinating the event.
She said: “For this forum to come to Edinburgh is a real sign of our growing strength in particle technology a hugely important subject. While we have our visitors from China we also have people coming over from as far afield as Australia. That’s in part because this is a unique event in the field – and collaboration is at its heart, both between countries and between disciplines.”
Originally founded as the UK–China Particle Technology Forum, the inclusion of the word ‘International’ since 2013 acknowledges its now worldwide popularity.