Profile of the University of Applied Sciences Karlsruhe (UASK)   

The University of Applied Sciences Karlsruhe is the largest institution of its type in the German state of Baden-Württemberg. It offers a professional academic education, in contrast to the more usual purely academic courses delivered in universities. Courses are focused not only on academic learning but also aim to fulfil industry requirements.The University has a long history dating back to 1878, in those days as the Grand Duchy College of Building. In 1971 in the wave of increasing vocational education, the University attained its present status as a "Fachhochschule".
The University enrolles more than 6,000 students and has a total of more than 650 staff. In the region of Baden-Württemberg 70% of the professional engineers in employment are graduates of the Fachhochschule.

In keeping with the University's goals of teaching excellence and practical application the following aim is of the utmost importance: recruiting, retaining, and supporting a diverse faculty with extensive prior industry experience whose teaching demonstrates an ongoing interaction with their individual fields of study and active ties to local and international industry.

A Fachhochschule differs from a more traditional university in that, it has the specific objective of narrowing the gap between the theoretical world of the lecture theatre and the practical world of work. Key elements of the application-oriented curriculum are:
 courses specifically designed to meet the needs of industry
 integrated-traineeships
 application-oriented project work and final thesis; and
 industry experience of teaching staff.

Institute of Applied Research

The Institute of Applied Research is an off-shoot of the Institute of Innovation and Transfer (IIT) and is the central applied research and development institution at Karlsruhe University of Applied Sciences. The Institute provides professors from all University departments with a suitable environment in all research areas, based on a set of administrative and usage regulations. It supports project initiators in the acquisition of external funds, helps in the development and implementation of their innovative ideas and arranges co-operative partnerships with other universities and the business world. The Institute of Applied Research handles the complete management of all projects, including staff support activities.

All research activities in progress at the University are coordinated and carried out at the Institute of Applied Research. Projects address a wide range of application areas, although the current focus for research projects is in the following fields:

 Applied computer science
 Intelligent measurement systems and sensor technologies
 Construction, environmental, and process technology

The Institute of Applied Research works in conjunction with the CyberForum e. V. and KEIM in supporting graduates at the University in setting up their own businesses. The University is a founder member of KEIM, the Karlsruher Existenzgründungsimpuls (Karlsruhe New Business Initiative). At the Institute of Applied Research, this initiative has led to the founding of the KEIM Center for Company Development, which co-ordinates many University-wide further training courses on setting up a new business.

The Institute of Applied Research also co-operates with its research partners from the Karlsruher Informatik Kooperation (Karlsruhe Information Technology Co-operative) - KIK - in promoting technology transfer.

Profile of the Institute for Membrane Technology (ITM-CNR)   

The Institute for Membrane Technology (ITM-CNR) is a structure created by the National Research Council of Italy (CNR - Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche) for the development, at national and international level, of membrane science and technology. The Institute is located in the existing structure of the University of Calabria, Rende (Cosenza), with a section located at the University of Padova.

Prof. Enrico Drioli is Director of the Institute. The Institute has 26 units of permanent staff and about 40 temporary units constituted by visiting professors, associate professors, Ph.D. students, postdoctoral fellowships, high-educational fellowships from national and international Institutions. It is a multidisciplinary Institute based on backgrounds in chemical engineering; process engineering;

chemistry (organic and physical); biological science; food science; material science and physics.

RESEARCH ACTIVITY
Since 2000 more than 100 published papers on referred international scientific journals and patents on: preparation and transport phenomena in inorganic, polymeric and biological membranes; molecular membrane operations and integrated processes of productive and biomedical interest; synthesis of organic materials and their transport properties; catalytic membranes and membrane reactors; membrane contactors and integrated membrane processes.
The ITM-CNR is also partner in several projects founded by the European Community.
Recently, the ITM has become, in cooperation with the Departments of Physic and Chemistry of the University of Calabria, member of a centre of excellence on Nanotechnology of the MIUR (Ministry of Education, University and Research), located in the University of Calabria, and member of the European Network of Excellence on Nanoscale-based Membrane Technologies (NanoMemPro).

Furthermore, the Institute has collaborated and it is still collaborating with several international institutes and industrial partners:
Ausimont SpA, Renco Spa, Procter & Gamble Italia S.p.a. - Italian Research Center, Parmalat, GVS S.p.A., Istituto Mario Negri Sud, San Giorgio Flavors S.r.l., Emmegi Agroindustriale, Stazione Sperimentale Industria Conserve Alimentari, Tecnoalimenti S.C.p.A., Enel Green Power SpA, etc.

Institute on Membrane Technology (ITM-CNR)

The researchers at the ITM-CNR and particularly Prof. Enrico Drioli had a continuos collaboration in the years with chinese researchers involved in membrane science and technology. We are, therefore, particularly pleased to collaborate and to be actively involved in the INNOWA project.
The Institute for Membrane Technology (ITM-CNR) is a research structure created by the National Research Council of Italy (CNR - Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche) for the development, at national and international level, of membrane science and technology.
The Institute is located in the Campus of the University of Calabria, Rende (Cosenza), with a section located at the University of Padova. Prof. Enrico Drioli has been appointed

as Director of the Institute.
The Institute has (2005) 26 units of permanent staff and about 40 temporary units constituted by visiting professors, associate professors, Ph.D. students, postdoctoral fellowships, high-educational fellowships from national and international Institutions. It is a multidisciplinary Institute based on backgrounds in chemical engineering; process engineering; chemistry (organic and physical); biological science; food science; material science and physics.
The main research activities are:
1. Preparation and characterisation
2. Fundamental studies of transport phenomena in inorganic, polymeric and biological membranes.
3. Catalytic membranes and membrane reactors.
4. Integrated membrane operations
5. Membrane distillation and Membrane Contactors
6. Bio-artificial organs and bio-medical devices.
7. Polymeric membranes as coatings and in packaging.

The internationalization of the activities is a key-point for a complete professional development for the ITM-researcher. This strategy has been realized by means of a continuous exchange of researchers from different Countries. The Institute actively cooperates with many national and international industrial groups.

Recently, the ITM has become, in cooperation with the Departments of Physic and Chemistry of the University of Calabria, member of a centre of excellence on Nanotechnoogy of the MIUR (Ministry of Education, University and Research), located in the University of Calabria, and member of the European Network of Excellence on Nanoscale-based Membrane Technologies (NanoMemPro).

Profile of Shahjalal University of Science and Technology (SUST)   

After a long struggle and movement, the Shahjalal University of Science and Technology was established in 1987. The only university of its kind, it started its career on 14 February 1991 with three departments: Physics, Chemistry and Economics, 13 teachers and 205 students. At the end of 1996, it has expended to three faculties: School of Physical Sciences, School of Applied Science & Technology and School of Social Sciences. Now there are 15 departments under these five faculties. The number of teachers and students has grown in proportion. Besides, the university has two affiliated medical colleges under the School of Medical Sciences and one affiliated Veterinary College under the School of Life Science.
Originally situated on 211.33 acres of land, the university has a master plan of conferring graduate and post-graduate degrees to 5000 students every year under 8 different faculties.
The university introduced the integrated honours course for the first time in Bangladesh and recently it has introduced the semester system from the 1996-97 session. Every year the existing systems are improved, new departments are

opened and we hope that within a few years the Shahjalal University of Science and Technology will he one of the finest institutions of this country.

Side by side with the regular academic affairs, the students participate in different extra-curricular activities. The University Student's union and other cultural organizations arrange cultural programmes and competitions. The Debating Clubs usually arranges the inter-department debate competition, the winners of which again take part in the national and inter-university debate competition. The Photographers Association and the Film Societies hold photo exhibitions and film shows. Other organizations like the Science Club, Rovar-scout Club etc. are visible on the campus with their sociocultural activities throughout the year. The students of this university also participate in various sports for recreation and the finest athletes regularly compete in inter-university games like football, handball, volleyball, basketball etc.

Profile of Jiangsu Polytechnic University (JPU)   

Jiangsu Polytechnic University (JPU) was founded in 1978. Originally it was named Jiangsu Institute of Petrochemical Technology (1992-2002). It is a four-year comprehensive university offering courses in engineering, science and liberal arts and under the jurisdiction of the Jiangsu Provincial Government.
JPU is situated in the ancient cultural city of Changzhou in the southern part of Jiangsu Province. The city stands midway between Shanghai and Nanjing in a dynamic economically developed region of the Yangtze Delta, a region with modern industry, a booming economy and convenient transportation facilities.
Changzhou Airport, thirty kilometers northwest of the city proper, offers access to most of the major cities in China. The city is accessible by air, water, rail or highway.

JPU has two campuses with an area of almost one hundred hectares. The existing campus is five kilometers from the center of the city and currently has an enrollment of approximately 7,000 students. A new campus, now under construction, will be completed in five years. The campus is approximately eight kilometers away from the city center and fifteen kilometers from the existing campus. Two thousand students have been recruited there in 2003. The two campuses offer twenty-seven undergraduate specialties and four three-year college programs. JPU recruits students from cities, provinces and autonomous regions of China. It also has overseas students taking short-term language courses on campus. Because the university is committed to quality education, its graduates are highly praised by employers. The employment rate of JPU's graduates has reached over 96 percent five consecutive years.

JPU has almost 900 staff members, of whom 440 are full-time teachers. Fifty percent of them hold senior professional titles; two hundred have obtained masters and doctorates. Nineteen experts enjoy the Government Special Subsidiary; six have been awarded the Provincial-wide Outstanding Experts with Contribution.