Solvay is an international chemical and pharmaceutical group headquartered in Brussels, Belgium, with units in more than 50 countries and a strong presence in Georgia. It recently entered into a long-term partnership in the field of organic electronics with Georgia Tech and COPE. Solvay has a long tradition of organizing high-impact symposia, dating back to the prestigious "Conseils Solvay" (Solvay Conferences) of the early 20th century.

Last April, Solvay and COPE began a three-year, $3 million partnership for research into organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs). OLEDs are thin-films of organic molecules that give off light when electricity is applied. They could potentially be used in everything from television and computer monitors to household lighting to handheld computing devices, such as iPods and personal digital assistants.

Since then, the partnership has expanded to include research on organic solar cells and is valued at $5 million.

The First Solvay-COPE Symposium on Organic Electronics will feature four distinguished speakers with strong international reputations in organic electronics:

Professor Sir Richard Friend, University of Cambridge, UK;
Professor George Malliaras, Cornell University;
Professor Antoine Kahn, Princeton University; and
Professor Samson Jenekhe, University of Washington.

Four Georgia Tech faculty will also deliver invited lectures at the Symposium: Professors David Collard, Greg Durgin, Ken Sandhage, and David Sherrill.

For more information contact Ms. Olanda Bryant (404-385-6356).