The RWTH Aachen University (RWTH) is the largest technical university in Germany with 45,256 students enrolled in 157-degree programs. >7,000 students and >900 doctoral students graduate annually from RWTH. The number of international students (10,455 students from 125 countries) and RWTH's vast international network (of formalised cooperation) with over 100 universities worldwide highlight the university's strong international reputation. The university's annual budget amounts to approx. 948 M€, with about 360 M€ covered by external funding. The RWTH is composed of 260 institutes in nine faculties. It offers 36 graduate programs, among which are nine so-called Research Training Groups funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG). The RWTH is one of 11 German Universities of Excellence and receives additional funding for one graduate school and two clusters of excellence from the Excellence Initiative of the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) and the DFG.

The Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) is Spain's largest public research institution and ranks third among Europe's largest research organisations. Attached to the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities through the General Secretariat for Scientific Policy Coordination, the CSIC plays a crucial role in scientific and technological policy in Spain and worldwide. According to its Statute (Article 4), it has four main missions:

- to foster multidisciplinary scientific and technological research,
- knowledge transfer to industry and society,
- education and training of scientific and technical staff,
- creation of Technology-Based Companies (spin-offs).

University College Dublin (UCD) today is a leading European research-intensive university where third level undergraduate education, fourth level postgraduate masters and PhD training, research, innovation and community engagement form a continuum of activity. We strive to advance knowledge through high-quality research and scholarship, to communicate knowledge through excellence in teaching and to use new knowledge to develop the businesses, products, policies and services of tomorrow. Through innovative links in Ireland and internationally, UCD has forged exciting educational and research partnerships and collaborations with other academic, industrial and not-for-profit organisations. UCD aims to foster ideas, cultivate learning, encourage discovery and provide an enabling environment for the holistic development of students. The university is home to over 3,500 international students from over 100 countries. UCD runs overseas programmes in partnership with leading international universities and education providers in China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, Spain, and Sri Lanka. UCD students have access to a range of study abroad opportunities through the Erasmus Mundus programme and UCD’s membership of the Universitas 21 network of global research universities. Our academics operate in an environment that encourages cross-disciplinary research, thereby drawing on the academic diversity that is UCD’s great strength, and collaborate extensively both within Ireland and with leading international research institutions.

University of Greifswald (UG) was founded in 1456 and is one of the oldest academic institutions in Germany. Today, it has become a modern, moderate-sized university with approximately 220 professors, 11,000 students, 1,600 academic staff and 3,300 technical and administrative staff (including University Medicine) comprising five faculties in a town with 60,000 inhabitants.

With a history of more than 100 years, SOPREMA is a French family-owned company and one of the main building construction materials actors in Europe. Our product portfolio is mainly centred on waterproofing and insulation systems, coupled with light and water management. Our waterproofing solutions include bitumen and synthetic membranes, as well as PU and PMMA resins. The insulation activity is split into polymer foams (PU and XPS) and biobased systems (wood fibres and cellulose wadding from newspaper waste). For almost 20 years, our research activity is focused on implementing new sustainable solutions using either recycled or biobased products. This is carried out via national and international projects as well as direct internal development. In this direction, SOPREMA has operated EPS recycling units that supply our XPS insulation plants for many years and has opened a production unit aimed at recycling PET into polyols destined for the manufacture of PU insulation boards in 2019.

Forschungszentrum Jülich (FZJ) is a large-scale national research facility in the Helmholtz Association of German Research Centers. By investigating the global challenges currently faced by society, we contribute to the welfare of humankind and responsible action with respect to the Earth. The notion of utilisation inspires our basic scientific research and engineering. It is always conducted with a view to an application – be that in the near or more distant future.

Bioplastech Ltd is a SME with patented technology for the manufacture and processing of a range of biodegradable and biocompatible polymers from sustainable and waste resources.Bioplastech is also a product developer and solutions provider.

The Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (National Center for Scientific Research - CNRS) is a national public organisation under the responsibility of the French Ministry of Higher Education and Research.

TheInstitute of Chemistry and Processes for Energy, Environment and Health (ICPEES) is a joint research unit with a partnership between the CNRS and the University of Strasbourg (UNISTRA). The institute benefits from high research standards and facilities in the fields of chemistry, physics and material sciences. The institute is composed of more than a hundred scientists concerned by the development of advanced research related to energy, environment and health. ICPEES consists of several teams such as the “BioTeam” group.

The organization everwave is a social enterprise that is dedicated to protect rivers and the ocean from plastic waste and to promote a more sustainable life-style, in order to protect aquatic environments as precious habitats, food resources and economic regions. 
 

AB Enzymes (ABE) is an industrial biotech company specialising in enzymes and their applications. Since 1907, AB Enzymes has been developing, manufacturing and supplying enzymes for industrial applications worldwide.

Nanjing Tech University (NTU) is a comprehensive university with engineering as its focus, which has a history of more than one hundred years as a cradle of education. It is a key institution of higher learning constructed in Jiangsu Province, and one of the first group of institutions of higher learning approved by the Chinese Ministry of Education for the training of "Excellent Engineers". NTU boasts a good number of prominent and learned scholars. In recent years, NTU has undertaken 5,000 scientific research projects, including those of the Program 973, the Program 863, and the State Natural Science Foundation.

Beijing University of Chemical Technology (BUCT) is a high-level university that aims to develop chemical talent at the cutting-edge of science and technology. The university was established in 1958 and formerly known as the Beijing Institute of Chemical Technology. As a national key university directly affiliated to the Ministry of Education of the People’s Republic of China, and as one of the Project 211 universities and 985 Project Innovation Platforms, BUCT has responsibilities for basic and applied scientific research, original, high-tech development, and the training of high-level, innovative talent.

The history of Institute of Process Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences (IPE-CAS), can date back to Oct.1, 1958. Its research objective includes biochemical engineering, materials and green and environmental engineering. IPE strives to develop clean and efficient technologies and equipment in the conversion of substances through fundamental studies, system integration and technological innovation. There are two state key laboratories, one national engineering research centre, one CAS key laboratory and Beijing key laboratories in IPE. To achieve highly efficient clean recycling of resources, IPE has generated a series of core technology in microbial fermentation and transformation, enzyme and Nano-technology, unconventional green process and large multi-scale computing and modelling platform. IPE has won 273 awards at the international, national and CAS levels.

The campus of Tsinghua University (TU) is situated in northwest Beijing on the site of the former imperial gardens of the Qing Dynasty, and surrounded by several historical sites. Tsinghua University was established in 1911, originally under the name "Tsinghua Xuetang", and was renamed "Tsinghua School" in 1912. The university section was founded in 1925 with the title "National Tsinghua University" being adopted in 1928.Tsinghua University was forced to move to Kunming and join with Peking University and Nankai University to form the Southwest Associated University due to the Resistance War against the Japanese Invasion in 1937. In 1946 the university was moved back to its original location in Beijing. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, the university was melded into a polytechnic institute focusing on engineering in the nationwide restructuring of universities and colleges undertaken in 1952.
Since China opened up to the world in 1978, Tsinghua University has developed at a breath-taking pace into a comprehensive research university. At present, the university has 20 schools and 59 departments with faculties in science, engineering, humanities, law, medicine, history, philosophy, economics, management, education and art. Tsinghua University has13 National Key Laboratories, 11 National Engineering Laboratories, and 17 Key Laboratories of the Ministry of Education. Tsinghua University has a staff of 14,326 faculty members and 47,762 students. Tsinghua University receives more than 5 billion RMB per year for scientific research.