Attending European Microwave Week 2008

From 27 to 31 October, the RAI Centre in Amsterdam will play host to European Microwave Week for the third time. The previous two events have been landmarks of innovation with 1998 being the very first EuMW and 2004 seeing the original three conferences and associated workshops, short courses and trade exhibition augmented by EuRAD, which has become a successful conference in its own right. Not to be outdone, this year's organisers have instigated not just one but THREE new initiatives.

Strengthening EuRAD even further, the Military Radar Conference of the International Quality and Productivity Centre (IQPC) in London will for the first time be collocated within the Week, with its own programme on the Tuesday and Wednesday. Delegates can visit the European Microwave Exhibition and participate in the EuRAD sessions as well as the conference workshops. Likewise, participants of EuMW can register for IQPC's Military Radar Conference at a reduced rate.

Figure 1 Three new initiatives will be implemented this year to extend the conferences.

The second innovation recognises the increasing role that women are playing in the RF and microwave industry with a free to attend Women in Engineering event, which takes place on Wednesday evening after the conference sessions and is sponsored by the Netherlands National Science Foundation STW. There will be presentations on gender issues and the making up of careers, followed by discussions and networking. Although the focus is on the female perspective it is hoped that the broader issue of co-working of genders will be considered and both women and men are encouraged to participate.

Last but not least, this year's event is looking to encourage and nurture the future of the industry with the introduction of the EuMW 2008 Student Challenge, where participating students are asked to present a poster during the lunch break on Thursday related to ideas and results that came up during the Week and inspired by EuMW presentations. The posters will cover topics that have been supplied by the organization. The competition is sponsored by Thales Nederland and organized by PhD students. The best presentation will receive a prize worth €1,500.

The Challenge will complement the Agilent sponsored Tutorial Seminars for Young Engineers, which was such a success when launched in 2007 that the company will also introduce the Agilent Technologies University Innovation Award this year. Showing commitment to university research and development in Europe, the Award recognises that access to instrumentation and expertise is often an obstacle for research and so will provide such access to a single person project or research group, which could enable them to take their project to the next level. The prize consists of a week of access to the RF Measurement Lab in Miplaza Eindhoven. The winner will be decided by the EuMW committees and presented during the Welcome Reception (see Social Events).

All of these new innovations serve to add to the content and reach of an event that is well established as the premier event in the RF and microwave calendar in Europe and is viewed as an essential destination for around 4,500 attendees-comprising delegates, exhibitors and visitors. The aim, as always, has been to create four focused conferences that reflect the groundbreaking and innovative work currently being undertaken in the RF, microwave, integrated circuit, wireless and radar sectors. For the fourth year running there were more than 1000 paper submissions, enabling the Technical Programme Committee to fashion a high-level programme, with 528 oral papers, 183 poster papers and 12 interactive poster presentations, complemented by a wide range of workshops and short courses.

The commercial reality of much of that research and development will be showcased during the European Microwave Exhibition, which continues to expand with more than 250 exhibitors spread over more than 6,000 m2 (gross). Over the three days visitors can see first hand the latest innovations and new product introductions, discuss specific areas of interest with development engineers and find the right products for their specific applications.

The official European Microwave Week opening ceremony on Tuesday morning is open to delegates from all conferences, while the Tuesday evening sees the EuMW Welcome Reception (see Social Events), which has become a highlight of the week. Other social events have been organised throughout the Week and although convivial interaction is essential to a successful event, of course, the main focus is to provide visitors with the opportunity to discover the latest trends and innovations and to network, exchange ideas and do business. To help you to achieve most, if not all, of these goals, the following quick reference guide is designed to complement the Conference Programme and Exhibition Catalogue, where you will find more detailed information.

Conferences

There are four separate conferences that are scheduled throughout the Week as follows:

• 3rd European Microwave Integrated Circuits Conference (EuMIC) - Monday 27 and Tuesday 28 October

• 1st European Wireless Technology Conference (EuWiT) - Monday 27 and Tuesday 28 October

• 38th European Microwave Conference (EuMC) - Tuesday 28 to Thursday 30 October

• 5th European Radar Conference (EuRAD) - Thursday 30 and Friday 31 October

Onsite registration begins on Sunday 26 October (16:00 - 19:00) and commences at 07:30 each morning from Monday 27 to Friday 31. The registration area and delegate bag collection are located in the Main Foyer of the RAI. Delegates should register for one, two, three or all four of the conferences. Registration at one conference does not allow access to other conference sessions, but those who register for two or more conferences will receive a discount.

Those wishing to participate in the Military Radar Conference should register at the IQPC registration desk in the Main Foyer near the entrance.

European Microwave Integrated Circuits Conference

This conference is the successor to the well-known GAAS symposium. Since 2007 the conference has been organized under the umbrella of both the European Microwave Association and GAAS® Association. There will be four plenary presentations and more than 130 technical papers, distributed across more than 25 sessions as well as seven workshops and one short course. A significant number of these sessions and workshops are joint sessions with the EuMC and the EuWiT conference, demonstrating the strong interaction between these conferences.

The plenary invited talks reflect the state-of-the-art in different areas. Dr. Mehmet Souyer from IBM will share the latest SiGe-development for integrated microwave circuits, while Dr. Thijs de Graauw of SRON will present the status of the European space instrument, HIFI, for space research. Professor Gabriel Rebeiz will share the recent development of SiGe and CMOS-based phased arrays up to 60 GHz at UCSD, and Dr. Bill Deal from Northrop Grumman will present the latest results from the new 1 THz fmax InP HEMT device and circuits.

This year the emphasis is for the programme to interest both industry and academia, with a large number of focussed sessions ranging from phased-array technology, millimetre-wave IC-design for commercial applications, sub mm-wave circuits, linear receiver design, advanced power amplifiers, to active device modelling.

Figure 2 The exhibition typically attractss over 250 companies.

Prizes and Awards

To acknowledge the high quality of papers presented the Best Paper Prize (€3,000) and a Young Engineer Prize (€2,000) will be awarded. The winners receive a certificate commemorating their achievements and, in addition, the GAAS Association will provide three student fellowships of €5,000 each.

European Wireless Technology Conference

Formerly known as the European Conference on Wireless Technology (ECWT), the EuWiT conference is an integral part of EuMW and is a forum for the presentation and discussion of new developments in the field of wireless communication technologies. With research and development on beyond 3G in full swing, wireless technology is a rapidly expanding field with many new challenges, products and services, in particular for systems such as WLAN, cognitive radio, UWB, wireless ad-hoc networks, 4G, RFID, local positioning, digital audio, video broadcasting, etc.

The first EuWiT conference will bring together researchers and product developers from all over the world to update and share their knowledge. The new conference topic, Quality of Life, will be addressed from the Body Area Networks point of view. In the plenary sessions, which are open to all EuMW participants, keynote speakers will address the present trends in wireless communications.

There will be the regular podium and poster paper contributions, joint sessions with EuMC and EuMIC, and three focussed sessions on cognitive radio and networks, adaptive spectrum access in cognitive radio and intelligent wireless transceivers. Workshops on safety-of-life communications, mobile communications and intelligent transportation systems, how will SDR change the future of radio communication?, and emerging technologies for hybrid terrestrial wireless and mobile satellite communications have been scheduled, while a workshop on reconfigurable RF systems has been organized jointly with EuMC and EuMIC.

Prizes and Awards

To acknowledge the high quality of papers presented the Best Paper Prize (€3,000) and a Young Engineer Prize (€2,000) will be awarded.

European Microwave Conference

The EuMC is the largest conference of the Week. It covers a broad range of technological and engineering themes in passive and active components, circuits and sub-systems. Many common topics with all of the other three conferences underline the synergy in microwaves. In the Electromagnetism and the Microwave Systems and Applications themes, attention is paid to medical and biological effects, extending to quality of life, which will be the subject of several focussed sessions and in the opening session keynote address. Homeland security is also a newcomer, with a focussed session, common with EuRAD, on the European Stand Off Surveillance and Target Acquisition Radar (SOSTAR) system.

Prizes and Awards

The EuMC Best Paper Prize of €5,000 will be awarded to the paper that best advances the state-of-the-art in radar. Two Young Engineer Prizes of €2,000 each, sponsored by EADS, will be awarded to a young engineer or researcher who has presented an outstanding paper at the conference. Also, the best innovative demonstration prize (joint with EuRAD) of €1,000 will be awarded by Thales Nederland to the best presentation at the Interactive Poster Session.

European Radar Conference

EuRAD started in Amsterdam five years ago and has developed into one of the largest radar events. This year there were over 160 abstracts submitted to the conference, not only from Europe but also from the US, Asia and Africa. They cover a wide range of radar topics, including technology, signal processing, system design and evaluation, and various applications. Also included are environmental remote sensing systems for hazard prevention and monitoring applications, homeland security and military related systems as well as radars for surveillance, transport guidance and control. The programme focuses on modern developments in radar, including active phased arrays and ultra-wideband technology as well as their applications in high-resolution and imaging radars, advanced signal processing for target tracking, and classification and radar sensor networks.

The conference programme combines oral sessions, joint sessions with the EuMC, a poster session and an interactive poster session. The programme will give a wide overview on the most recent advances in radar and radar applications. In the opening session a discussion on future radar developments in the US will be complemented with an overview of one of the most successful recent radar projects in Europe-the PAMIR active phased-array system. At the closing session the Dutch Government-Industry approach towards long-term radar innovations will be presented.

Prizes and Awards

The EuMA EuRaD Radar Prize and Young Engineer Prize, which are both sponsored by Raytheon will be presented. The Radar Prize of €3,000 is awarded to the paper that best advances the state-of-the-art in radar. The Young Engineer Prize of €2,000 is awarded to a young engineer or researcher who has presented an outstanding paper at the conference. Also, the best innovative demonstration prize (joint with EuMC) of €1,000 will be awarded by Thales Nederland to the best presentation at the Interactive Poster Session.

Figure 3 Country/regional pavilions have been successful with three to look out for in 2008.

Exhibition

Established as the premier RF and microwave tradeshow in Europe, this FREE to enter exhibition (see Figure 2) showcases the latest products and services. Over its three days it is the focus of activity, offering visitors the opportunity to discover what's new, identify trends, network and do business. The exhibition is also targeted by many companies as the place to launch new products or introduce them onto the European stage for the first time.

It is a reflection of the industry with companies large and small, established and newcomers and from all corners of the globe participating. As always, Europe and North America are well presented and the Asian presence continues to grow as companies endeavour to demonstrate their capabilities to a wider audience, penetrate new markets and build business relationships.

Each year the EuMW host country attracts local interest as smaller companies and distributors that band together in a pavilion that gives them a collective presence. Such has been their success over recent years that these pavilions are sustained year on year and travel with the exhibition to the next venue with the RAI playing host to Dutch, German and French Pavilions this year (see Figure 3).

Free exhibitor workshops offer the opportunity for visitors to gain hands-on experience of the latest products, while the Agilent Technologies Tutorial Seminars for Young Engineers that were successfully introduced in 2007 continue. Focussing on the application of test and measurement, the seminars are an investment in the RF and microwave industry's future and aim to help young engineers along their chosen career paths.

As well as being a shop window for the latest innovations, the European Microwave Exhibition embraces the EuMW 2008 Bridging Gaps theme by acting as a focal point where academia and industry can come together. The exhibition halls will host the conference session coffee breaks, provide Internet access via the popular CST sponsored Cyber Cafes, and generate debate and discussion during the Poster Sessions.

As well as the normal poster sessions, this year sees the introduction of an Interactive Poster Session on the Thursday. It is designed to enable authors to present their results interactively, which could be via a live computer demonstration, a real measurement set-up to show a newly discovered effect or via a demonstration of a newly developed device/system.

Exhibition Hours

Tuesday 28 October: 09:30 - 17:30 (followed by the Welcome Reception)
Wednesday 29 October: 09:30 - 17:30
Thursday 30 October: 09:30 - 16:30

Getting to the RAI

The conference and exhibition centre is situated next to the A10 orbital motorway, exit S109. There is a stop for Tram 4 in front of the building and Amsterdam RAI railway station is within walking distance. Amsterdam Schiphol Airport is less than 15 minutes away by car or public transport.

By Tram and Bus

From Amsterdam Central Station take the Amstelveen express Tram 51 (journey time: 12 minutes, stopping at Amsterdam RAI station) or Tram 4 (journey time: 30 minutes, stopping at the RAI Europaplein). From Amstel station take the Amstelveen express Tram 51 (journey time: five minutes) or the bus routes 15, 69 or 169 (journey time 10 minutes). From Amsterdam Sloterdijk station, take express Tram 50. Tickets for trams and buses must be purchased before the journey at stations, kiosks or ticket machines.

By Train

The Amsterdam RAI railway station is 300 m from the RAI and has regular connections to all parts of the Netherlands, including Schiphol, Rotterdam, Utrecht and The Hague, and is also linked to the international train network. Train tickets must be purchased before the journey from ticket machines, which are situated at all stations.

Hotel Reservations

If you require hotel accommodation during your stay in Amsterdam, the RAI Hotel & Travel Service booking agency makes reservations at reduced rates in various 2, 3, 4 and 5 star hotels, free of charge. For more information contact either RAI Hotel & Travel Service on +31 20 549 1927 or visit www.eumweek.com and click on the Accommodation page.

Sightseeing

The facts state that Amsterdam has 51 museums, 141 galleries, 755 restaurants, 1,402 cafes and bars, six nightclubs, six windmills, 1,281 bridges, 200 km of canals and 600,000 bicycles. It is one of the most colourful and diverse cities in the world, with its famous diamond factories, cosy pubs, fun shops and flower markets. It has all the advantages of a big city-culture, history, entertainment and good transport but is relatively small, quiet, and, thanks to its canals, has little road traffic.

Delegate bags will contain guides for shopping and sightseeing and there will be a help desk in the registration area to provide support in booking tourist trips, purchasing public transport tickets, etc. For even more sightseeing ideas, including where to eat and shop, see the Guide to Amsterdam in this issue.

Social Events

The Week begins in style on the Monday evening when all conference delegates are invited (advance registration is mandatory) for a Rembrandt Style Dinner when the world of Holland's greatest painter can be experienced. In keeping with Rembrandt being a man of very good taste, only the finest foods will be offered with meat roasters, fish mongers and cooks on hand to serve wonderful food. An authentic atmosphere will be provided by musicians and the drinks (soft and alcoholic) will flow.

The following evening (Tuesday 28) the Agilent Technologies sponsored EuMW 2008 Welcome Reception will take centre stage in the Onyx Lounge at the RAI. The reception has become more than just a social event as it offers the unique and invaluable opportunity for industry and academia to meet network and establish relationships. All registered conference delegates from all four EuMW conferences, as well as delegates from the IQPC Military Radar Conference and representatives from the companies participating in the exhibition are invited.

The evening will begin with a champagne drinks reception at 18.00 followed by an address by the Platinum sponsor Agilent Technologies and announcement of the winners of the Grand Prize Draw. The company's European general manager, Benoit Neel, will also announce the recipient of the new Agilent Technologies University Innovation Award. The reception will continue with an Italian and Indonesian buffet dinner and the chance to combine good food, drink and conversation.

Also, a lively partners and social programme has been organised throughout the Week. The first trip is the Amsterdam City Tour on Monday (27 October) followed by a round trip to typical Dutch Windmill villages the next day. On Wednesday there is the unique opportunity to tour Amsterdam Homes and Gardens, which are normally not open to the public. On Thursday the destination is the famous Rijksmuseum and on Friday there is a trip to the typical Dutch villages of Marken and Volendam.