Keynote Presenters:

• Professor Amar Mohanty, University of Guelph, Ontario, Canada
• Professor Callum Hill, Centre for Timber Engineering, Edinburgh Napier University 
• Phil Warner, Company Founder and CEO, Ecofibre, Australia
• Dr Julie Soden, School of Art and Design, University of Ulster at Belfast
• Dr John Wolodko, Advanced Materials Business Unit, Alberta, Canada

• Michael Carus, Managing Director of nova-Institute of Ecology and Innovation, Germany

• Dr John Williams, Head of Polymers and Materials, NNFCC, UK
• Salum Shamte, Managing Director, Katani Ltd, Tanzania

The programme is now available for download from the link at the bottom of this page. (Updated 11 December)

Please be aware, however, that the programme may change before the event, and updated programmes will be released to show these changes.

Conference Themes

The conference will focus on the following areas:

Day 1
Session 1: Innovations
Session 2: Textile Fibres, Extraction and Production
Session 3: Extraction and Structural Applications
Session 4: Textile Applications
Session 5: Natural Composite Applications
Session 6: Construction Applications
Session 7: Materials Characterisation
Session 8: Construction Applications continued

Day 2
Session 9: Fibre Extraction
Session 10: Natural Fibre Composite Industrial Applications
Session 11: Fibre Properties
Session 12: Biocomposite Applications Material Characterisation
Session 13: Sisal Economics and Physical Properties (Sponsored by London Sisal Association)
Session 14: Natural Fibres in General
Session 15: Textile Applications
Session 16: Characterisation and Properties

Poster and Networking Session – 14 December

A poster and networking session for all delegates will take place at the end of the conference day on Monday 14 December. This session will give delegates the opportunity to speak to the authors of the posters on display.
Mince pies and mulled wine will be provided.

Conference Dinner – 14 December

A conference dinner will take place on the evening of 14 December, following the poster/networking session.
This will take place at the conference venue itself.

Public Lecture and Thematic Working Group Launch - 15 December 2009

A public lecture is to be held at the conference venue on 15 December 2009, at 7pm.

This will be followed by the launch of the new NNFCC Thematic Working Group on Composites materials, presented by John Williams of NNFCC at 8pm. Refreshments will follow.

Lean, Mean and Green: The World's First Environmentally Friendly Racing Car
Dr Kerry Kirwan, University of Warwick, UK

The new WorldFirst racecar is a clever piece of lateral thinking. It is the first Formula 3 racing car designed and made from sustainable and renewable materials, putting the world first by effectively managing the planet's resources.
Dr Kirwan will actively demonstrate in a lively public lecture how this joined up approach of apparently disparate arts, sciences and engineering can result in something ground breaking like the World First F3 racing car - a much more environmentally friendly vehicle than most road cars, let alone racing vehicles. Being green does not mean being boring or stepping back in time! Further details and booking information.

Visit to the BRE Innovation Park - 16 December

On Wednesday 16 December a visit has been arranged to the Innovation Parkat BRE in Watford to take a look around the park which features anumber of demonstration properties showcasing modern methods ofconstruction, near zero carbon homes, and over 200 different innovativeand emerging technologies. Of particular interest to delegates of Natural Fibres '09 are the Renewable Hemp House and the Natural House.Those interested in attending this visit should confirm their interestwhen booking their place at the conference. Places will be allocated ona first come, first served basis. Please indicate whether you would liketo attend when registering.

Coaches will leave IOM3 in London at 09.30 and return to London by 14.30.

Venue

The conference will take place at 1 Carlton House Terrace, London - thehome of the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining – theorganisers of the conference. The Institute of Materials, Minerals andMining (IOM3) is the UK engineering institution whose activitiespromote and develop all aspects of materials science and engineering,geology, mining and associated technologies, mineral and petroleumengineering and extraction metallurgy. The venue is in the heart ofLondon – close to The Mall, Buckingham Palace, Piccadilly Circus andTrafalgar Square, and can be accessed most easily using the LondonUnderground railway system from all major mainline train stations andairports in London, with Piccadilly Circus being the closest station.Full directions to the venue.

Accommodation

If you are looking for accommodation whilst at the conference, IOM3 has teamed up with Londontown.com to offer a cost effective accommodation service that is live, interactive and guaranteed to offer the lowest rates available at your chosen hotel. It is recommeded that you book your accommodation as soon as possible, as rates may well increase as we get closer to the event.

Exhibition

A small exhibition of natural fibres, composites and their applications will be on display at the conference. If you have samples of material or poducts that you would like to display at the event, please get in touch with Dawn Bonfield to discuss.

Poster Presenters

Poster presenters, who have applied and been notified that their posters have been accepted for display, should follow the preparation guidelines given at the bottom of this page. Poster abstracts will be printed in the conference programme. Unfortunately poster presenters are not eligible for the Conference Speaker delegate rate at the conference. 

Conference Proceedings

Conference proceedings will not be published at the event, but some papers will be invited for publication in a special edition of the peer reviewed Journal of Biobased Materials and Bioenergy, which will be published in the first half of 2010. Authors who have been selected to submit papers to this journal should follow the detailed guidelines available for download at the bottom of this page.

Partnership and Exhibition Opportunities

A range of partnership and exhibition opportunities exist for organisations willing to play a part in the co-branding of this high calibre event. Delegate cost reductions apply for partners of the event.
For further details contact Dawn Bonfield.

Natural Fibres '09 is on Twitter. Get all the latest conference updates by following our feed.

Event Partners:

Many thanks to our event partners for their generous support, without which this conference would not have been possible: DECC, Materials KTN, InCrops, London Sisal Association, NNFCC, ADAS, BRE, Modern Built Environment KTN.

Media Partners: