The European Polymer Federation decided from 1998 onwards to organize a series of Europolymer Conferences (EUPOCs) on recent scientific and industrial interest topics. EUPOC takes place at the University Residential Center in Bertinoro (FC).
The scientific program includes invited lectures, oral communications, and poster presentations. Ample time is given to free discussions, encouraged by the residential style of the conference. The titles and topics of recent EUPOCs were:

• Biobased Polymers and Related Biomaterials (EUPOC 2011)
• Porous Polymer-based Systems (EUPOC 2012)
• Polymers and Ionic Liquids (EUPOC 2013)
• Precision Polymers: Synthesis, Folding, and Function (EUPOC 2014)
• Conducting Polymeric Materials (EUPOC 2015)
• Block Copolymers for Nanotechnology Applications (EUPOC 2016)
• Polymers and Additive Manufacturing: From Fundamentals to Applications (EUPOC 2017)
• Biomimetic Polymers by Rational Design, Imprinting, and Conjugation (EUPOC 2018)
• Electrospinning and Related Techniques: From Design to Production of Advanced Polymer Materials and Devices (EUPOC 2019)
• Block Copolymers: Building Blocks for Nanotechnology (EUPOC2022)
• Dynamic Polymer Networks (EUPOC 2023)

The development of surfaces with well-engineered properties is a significant challenge for chemists and physicists. In this context, polymer brushes, which consist of thin organic layers of polymers tethered by one end to a substrate, represent an extremely versatile tool in surface engineering. With great progress in living/controlled, or even precision, polymerization methods, organic reactions, and supramolecular strategies, excellent control over the composition, architecture, and length of tethered polymer chains can be achieved leading to an unprecedented variety of polymer brush structures.
Control of wetting properties, tuning of interaction with biological media, colloidal stabilization, and resistance to fouling are examples of successful applications of polymer brushes. In addition, surfaces, and interfaces responsive to the surrounding environment are essential in the design of devices, from electronics to medicine.
EUPOC 2024 will offer a platform to discuss the main challenges facing this important research field, bringing together worldwide scientists and students working on different aspects of polymer brushes.