2025 MacroGroup Annual Symposia and Medal Lectures

Welcome to the 2025 MacroGroup Annual Symposia and Medal Lectures! Join us at the Manchester Institute of Biotechnology for the annual gathering of the UK polymer and macromolecular community. We have a line-up of leading UK researchers and will be awarding the MacroGroups medals. There are opportunites for poster presentations with prizes.

Lead sponsor

Event programme: 8th - 9th September

Day 1: 8th September

• 10:45 – Welcome
• 11:00 - 12:30 – Aline Miller - Macro Group Medal Winner 2025 and Stephen Boothroyd
• 12:30 - 13:30 – Lunch and Poster Session
• 13:30 - 15:00 – Emily Draper, Rachel Evans, Bernhard Schmidt -Macro Group Young Researchers Medal Winner 2025
• 15:30 - 16:00 – Break. Coffee break sponsored by Magritek.
• 16:00 - 17:00 – Adèle Gapin, Paul Topham
• 17:00 - 17:20 – Group photo in the atrium
• 17:20 - 18:30 - Poster session and drinks reception. Drinks reception and poster prizes are sponsored by ACS.

• 19:00 – Dinner - North Bar, Circle Square. Dinner supported by a panel of RSC journals: RSC Applied Polymers, Polymer Chemistry and Materials Horizons.

Day 2: 9th September

• 09:00 - 10:30 – Steve Eichhorn, Hugo Bronstein, Roman Boulatov
• 10:30 – 11:00 – Break. Coffee break sponsored by European Polymer Journal.
• 11:00 - 12:30 – Annela Seddon, Stefan Bon, Chris Kay
• 12:30 - 13:30 – Lunch and Poster Session
• 13:30 - 15:30 – Rachel O’Reilly, Marloes Peeters -Macro Group Medal Winner 2024, Poster prizes, sponsored by the ACS polymer journals.

Posters

All participants are encouraged to bring a poster to display and discuss during the meeting. For submission we only require a title and list of authors, to be supplied at the point of registration.

Display boards can accomodate A0 posters in portrait orientation.

Poster prizes: 2 x £150 prizes along 1 years free membership to ACS

Poster prizes are generously sponsored by ACS polymer journals

Travel

Manchester Institute of Biotechnology is exceptionally well connected, less than 10 mins walk from Picadilly train station.

Arrival via other train stations: Frequent trains connect Oxford Road and Picadilly station directly. There are tram and bus options between Victoria Station to Picadilly Station, many stop in the city centre leaving a short walk to the conference location (<10 mins).

Taxi: We DO NOT recommend using taxis for travel around Manchester, as it is slower and more expensive than the excellent public transport.

Conference Location

Address 131 Princess Street, Manchester M1 7DN, United Kingdom: https://www.mib.manchester.ac.uk/

The main entrance to the MIB is best found using this EXACT location link: https://w3w.co/active.cubs.icon

Or via google maps: https://maps.app.goo.gl/wCtJj2RL5RSSud738

It is a < 10 minute walk from the main train station (Piccadilly) and 15 minute walk from Oxford Road train station. The nearest Tram stop is St. Peters square (15 min walk).

Hotels

The Conference organisers recommend you book accommodation soon as possible Manchester, being one of the most exciting cities in Europe, is a popular destination. Some suggestions are below but good value can be had by being further out and using the trains/tram. E.g. Stockport is 10 minute train into the city.

The following hotels are close

Good value Options

Premier Inn

This hotel is opposite the conference venue. <1 minute walk.

https://www.premierinn.com/gb/en/hotels/england/greater-manchester/manchester/manchester-city-centre-princess-street.html

(Many other Premier Inn Locations).

Pendulum Hotel

1 min from conference location. Exceptionally close.

https://www.pendulumhotel.co.uk

Ibis Hotel

3 min from conference location.

https://all.accor.com/hotel/3143/index.en.shtml

Travel Lodge.

Upper Brook Street. 20 minute walk

https://www.travelodge.co.uk/hotels/523/Manchester-Upper-Brook-Street-hotel

0r Manchester Piccadilly

IN the cite centre (so might be noisy). 15 minute walk.

https://www.travelodge.co.uk/hotels/581/Manchester-Piccadilly-hotel

Sponsors