Polymers-5B General Assembly Brings Partners Together in Riga | 29-30 June 2026
The Polymers-5B consortium gathered in Riga, Latvia, on 29–30 June 2026 for its General Assembly meeting, hosted by the Latvian State Institute of Wood Chemistry (LSIWC).
The two-day event brought together project partners for an intensive review of progress and a shared vision for the road ahead.
Day One: Technical Progress and Strategic Exchange
Day one opened with a presentation of LSIWC and an overview of the General Assembly activities, followed by detailed technical progress updates covering monomer synthesis, polymer formulation, characterization, and process scale-up activities carried out across the consortium. The afternoon featured a dedicated workshop on Key Exploitable Results (KERs) within Polymers-5B, giving partners the opportunity to critically assess the technical and commercial potential of project outcomes and discuss pathways for their translation into real-world applications.
The day closed with a walking tour of Riga’s historic centre and a meeting dinner, offering partners a relaxed setting to connect beyond the formal sessions.
Day Two: Material Alignment and Site Visit
On day two, discussions turned to the alignment and final definition of the monomers and polymers to be developed, optimized, and assessed through Safe and Sustainable by Design (SSbD) principles — a key milestone for the project’s scientific direction, ensuring that material design choices are grounded in rigorous safety, sustainability, and performance criteria from the earliest development stages. This was followed by in-depth technical presentations addressing life-cycle assessment methodologies, regulatory and standardization aspects, and strategies for dissemination and exploitation of project results.
The meeting concluded with an excursion to the LSIWC premises, giving partners a firsthand look at the analytical and processing facilities driving the project’s research.
Conclusion: strengthening collaboration across the consortium
Participants highlighted the quality of the organization and the value of the in-depth project discussions, with particular appreciation expressed for the hospitality received and the overall meeting experience in Riga.
The event received positive feedback from both organizers and participants. LSIWC noted that the meeting offered an opportunity to showcase Riga and Latvia as a destination worth exploring further.
The Polymers-5B team thanks LSIWC and all partners for their engagement and looks forward to the next steps in the project.
