Press Briefing The Post Graduate Department of Chemistry, Karnatak University, Dharwad and Centre for Rapid and Sustainable Product Development (CDRSP), Polytechnic Institute of Leiria, Portugal are proud to announce the International conference on Direct Digital Manufacturing and Polymers (ICDDMAP – 2015) to be held from 28th to 31st October – 2015, at Karnatak University, Dharwad. As most of you are aware, polymer science has made a great beneficial impact on our quality of life. The field of polymer science is second to none in terms of economic significance and social relevance as it touches almost all the aspects of everyday life. It is of particular importance in the field of medicine and biomedical engineering. To make the fullest utilization of the potential of polymer science for practical applications, requires intensive and extensive research and development (R&D) work. In the line of this, Department of Chemistry has made a significant contribution in the form of research and development activity for the overall growth of science, which has drawn the attention of the scientific community all over the world. Direct Digital Manufacturing is an emerging technology which is set to revolutionize manufacturing. It produces complex shaped objects directly from a digital definition without the need for expensive specific tooling or moulds; this enables mass customization which is of particular importance in medical devices, aerospace and other areas of engineering. 3D printing is one of the tools within the Direct Digital Manufacturing portfolio. CDRSP is an autonomous multidisciplinary research centre of the Institute Polytechnic of Leiria in the Central Region of Portugal, with some 80 researchers working closely with industry focused on the development and implementation of emerging technologies and advanced materials to aid economic development. CDRSP is a research centre of excellence in the field of mechanical engineering. This position was earnt through its leadership in innovative interdisciplinary research. Its research is at the leading edge of mechanical engineering and focus on emerging technologies, advanced materials and sustainable manufacturing and green technologies broad strategies areas. It has a partnership with the Department of Chemistry, Karnatak University, with exchange of staff and students and joint research projects. The highest civialian Bharat Ratna awardee Dr. C.N. R. Rao is expected to be the chief guest of the Inaugural function of the conference. The first plenary lecture at ICDDMAP-2015 will be presented by Professor Seeram Ramakrishna from the National University of Singapore. Professor Ramakrishna is the Director of the Center for Nanofibers & Nanotechnology at the National University of Singapore. Thomson Reuters recognized him among the World’s Most Influential Scientific Minds. He is a highly cited researcher (www.highlycited. com). He is among the top five scientists of Singapore, and the most cited engineer in the history of Singapore. He authored 6 books and ~750 international journal papers, which attracted ~43,000 citations and ~100 H-index. His research outcomes have been translated into products and available in several countries. We are planning for ~300 foreign delegates and 200 Indian delegates to participate in this event. This international event embraces science and technology from lab to consumer. The talks will encompass new concepts in Polymer Science and Engineering, Direct Digital Manufacturing (DDM), applications of DDM in Medicine and Engineering. The speakers will touch upon recent advances, challenges and breakthroughs in the field of polymers science and direct digital manufacturing. During the four days of the conference, the participants will have a rare opportunity to listen to various lectures given by eminent scientists drawn from different part of the world. The conference will feature plenary sessions, keynote addresses, invited talks and contributed lectures including poster presentations. Additionally, the 3 best posers and 3 best contributed lectures will be selected for the honor of awards, and thus this event will be an historic international event.