The city of Rome is steeped in history and from 28 September to 2 October history is again being made as the Eternal City plays host to European Microwave Week for the very first time. And, when in Rome there will be plenty to do as EuMW 2009 offers four focused conferences and associated workshops and short courses, along with the premier RF and Microwave Exhibition in Europe that attracts international players, complemented by a vibrant social agenda.
The Week intends to build on the Bridging Gaps theme that epitomised last year’s event in Amsterdam, taking it a stage further and ‘extending bridges’ by strengthening intellectual, technological and geographical links. EuMW 2009 is envisaged as a meeting point and catalyst for unification and growth, not just for those with established RF and microwave industries, but also for emerging regions.
Successful initiatives have been carried forward from EuMW 2008. These include the Women in Engineering event, which takes place on Tuesday evening after the conference sessions. Titled, “Women in Engineering, Experience Teaches… What?,” the debate will centre on the way women perform within the engineering profession. For the second time PhD and Master students are invited to take up the Thales Nederland sponsored EuMW 2009 Student Challenge, where participating students aim to achieve a novel application-oriented concept from oral presentations and posters. The Challenge complements the Agilent Technologies sponsored Tutorial Seminars for Young Engineers, aimed at encouraging young engineers along their chosen career paths.
Nuova Fiera di Roma.
Additionally, the historical city of Rome warrants that EuMW 2009 recognises the microwave industry’s own history. There will be a celebration of the Nobel Prize for Physics that was awarded 100 years ago to Guglielmo Marconi and Karl Ferdinand Braun in ‘recognition of their contributions to the development of wireless telegraphy’ and a celebration of the 40th anniversary of the European Microwave Conference.
During the Week over 5,000 attendees—comprising delegates, exhibitors and visitors—are expected to descend on the Nuova Fiera di Roma, where they will discover four focused conferences that reflect the groundbreaking and innovative work currently being undertaken in the RF, microwave, integrated circuit, wireless and radar sectors. There were 1,250 paper submissions, enabling the Technical Programme Committee to fashion a high-level programme, complemented by a wide range of workshops and short courses.
The actual products borne out of research and development can be found at the European Microwave Week Exhibition in Hall 9, which for three days will be home to more than 250 exhibitors spread over more than 7,500 m2 (gross). Visitors will be able to 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 at 11.00 on Tuesday morning is open to delegates from all conferences, while later that evening academia and industry come together at the EuMW Welcome Reception (see Social Events), which has become a highlight of the week. On Wednesday the Finmeccanica sponsored EuMW Gala Dinner will be held in the historical hall of the Vatican Museums.
This and other important events, both business related and social, should not be missed. To help you plan your visit, the following quick reference guide is designed to complement the Conference Programme and Exhibition Show Guide, where you will find more detailed information.
The conferences
There are four separate conferences that are scheduled throughout the Week as follows:
- The 4th European Microwave Integrated Circuits Conference (EuMIC) takes place on Monday 28 and Tuesday 29 September
- The 2nd European Wireless Technology Conference (EuWiT) runs on Monday 28 and Tuesday 29 September
- The 39th European Microwave Conference (EuMC) extends from Tuesday 29 September to Thursday 1 October
- The 6th European Radar Conference (EuRAD) ends the Week and runs from Wednesday 30 September to Friday 2 October
The registration area is located in Conference Hall 10 (Centro Convegni), where delegate bag collection will also be available. On-site registration begins on Sunday 27 September (16:00 to 19:00) and commences at 07:30 each morning from Monday 28 September to Friday 2 October. Delegates can 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.
The European Microwave Integrated Circuits Conference
The EuMIC is the successor of the GAAS application symposium, which was first held in Rome in 1990. Since 2007 the conference has been organised under the umbrella of both the European Microwave Association and GAAS® Association. This year the conference programme offers more than 100 technical papers. A significant number of sessions and workshops are joint sessions with EuMC and EuWiT, emphasising the strong interaction between these conferences.
In line with conference tradition, the programme is aimed at both industry and academia, with a large number of sessions ranging from basic process and device physics to integrated circuit theory based on different compounds in a number of different applications.
The opening and closing sessions feature renowned speakers. Dr. Saggese, Commissaire of the Italian Space Agency, and Admiral Flagiello will open the conference with a discussion on how microwave technologies are crucial for today’s space systems and dual use applications. Prof. Mishra from UCSB will conclude the opening session with an overview of the recent progress in AlGaN/GaN HEMTs as well as the potential in alternate planes of GaN over the conventional Ga-plane.
The closing session will feature speeches on the GaN HEMT reliability physics-based approach from Prof. Zanoni and Prof. Meneghesso from the University of Padova and from Dr. Barnes of ESA-ESTEC, concerning current reliability and the path ahead for space applications.
The traditional Foundry Round Table Discussions, organised by the GAAS Association, will enable selected European and non-European foundries to address the new trends in microwave and mm-wave integrated circuits from their individual perspectives.
Prizes and Awards
To acknowledge the high quality of papers presented, the Best Paper Prize of €3,000 and a Young Engineer Prize of €2,000 will be awarded. The winners receive a plaque commemorating their achievements. In addition, the GAAS Association will provide three Student Fellowships of €2,000 each, to recognise the valuable work of students and to support them in the early stages of their technical and scientific career.
European Wireless Technology Conference
The EuWiT conference (formerly known as the European Conference on Wireless Technology (ECWT)) is a forum for the presentation and discussion of new developments in the field of wireless communication technologies. The focus is on the interdisciplinary competence that is needed to meet the challenges of the emerging generation of wireless communications. This conference brings together researchers and product developers from all over the world to update and share their knowledge.
The session will open with a presentation on: “Convergence: A Step towards an Unpredictable Future,” which will discuss the convergence of networks and access technology, followed by “SDR Technology for High Capacity and Interoperable BMS Systems.” There are various podium sessions, including one addressing the creation of ‘Information Cities’. EuWiT will close with two invited speeches: “Satellite’s Role in Emergency Services” and “Spectrum Management for Future Generation Wireless Based Technology.”
Prizes and Awards
To acknowledge the high quality of papers presented, the Best Paper Prize of €3,000 and a Young Engineer Prize of €2,000 will be awarded.
The European Microwave Conference
Forty years ago, in September 1969, the opening ceremony of the 1st European Microwave Conference (EuMC) took place in London. Following the third conference in Bruxelles in 1973, the EuMC became an annual event and will celebrate its 39th edition in Rome in 2009. The most important and authoritative RF and microwave conference in Europe became part of European Microwave Week in 1998. A special historical session devoted to the 40th anniversary of the EuMC will take place on Wednesday.
This year a record 843 papers from 56 different countries were received. There are also 73 technical sessions (13 of which are common to other EuMW conferences) and 14 workshops, covering the entire range of topics related to microwave technology, including antennas.
During the opening session on Tuesday the two major European Microwave Association awards—the EuMA Distinguished Service Award and the EuMA Outstanding Career Award—will be presented.
To reflect the fact that the Asia Pacific region now contributes almost 15 per cent of the paper submissions to the EuMC, a special session devoted to the region has been organised for Wednesday. Three distinguished invited speakers from Korea, Japan and Singapore will elaborate on the most advanced achievements in their respective fields of activity.
Closer to home the European Radio and Microwave Interest Group (EuRaMIG) Workshop entitled “Microwave for European Growth,” aimed at providing an overview of the European microwave technology roadmap, its application scenario and its relevance to European society will run on Monday.
Prizes and Awards
The EuMC Microwave Prize, valued at €5,000, will be awarded to the best paper contributed to the European Microwave Conference. In addition, two EuMC Young Engineer Prizes of €2,000 each, sponsored by EADS, will be awarded to young engineers or researchers who present the most outstanding papers at the conference.
The European Radar Conference
Over the six years that the European Radar Conference has been in existence it has grown into one of the largest European and worldwide recognised radar events, both in terms of quality and quantity. In fact, this year there were 189 submissions to the conference, which is an 18 percent increase on 2008. EuRAD paper submissions now make up about 15 percent of the whole of EuMW. This makes the conference the second largest and has led to its duration being extended to more than two full days.
The papers are organised into 12 oral sessions plus four focused sessions and one common EuMC/EuRAD session, adding up to 83 podium presentations, complemented by a poster session. The programme covers a wide range of radar topics including Radar Subsystems and Technology, Signal Processing, Design and Evaluation, Systems and Applications. Two focused sessions are dedicated to Space Radars and their Environmental Remote Sensing Applications, one to Space-Time Adaptive Processing and another to Passive Radar. The common session with EuMC is dedicated to through-the-wall radar imaging.
The programme also includes ‘hot’ topics such as ultra-wideband (UWB) radar, multi-lateration, interception/analysis of radar signals, new radar waveforms and OFDM radar, sea and OTH radar, phased arrays and more, with a wide and updated overview of the most recent advances in radar technology and applications.
In the opening session there will be a discussion on the Compatibility of Frequencies in the Italian Defence and Civilian Environments, complemented by a presentation on the Advances in Radar Systems by SELEX Sistemi Integrati and the analysis of recent advances in radar waveforms, including those with communication capability.
At the closing session the presentations will focus on future radar procurement for the Italian Ministry of Defence, and on the status, results and perspectives of the Italian Earth Observation SAR COSMO-SkyMed.
The conference programme is completed with four workshops: Advances in UWB Localisation and Sensing (joint EuMC/EuRAD); Understanding High Resolution SAR Images; Imaging Radars in Earth Observation: Techniques and Applications; and Advanced Radar Techniques (joint EuRAD/EuMC).
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.
The Exhibition
The European Microwave Week Exhibition has become the focus of leading companies from around the globe that want to reach the international audience that EuMW attracts. Of course, western European companies are to the fore, but the US and Asia are well represented, with eastern Europe also making its presence felt at this sold out exhibition.
This year the choice of Rome as the host city has added a new dimension with all of the leading Italian players in the defence sector signing up to take part, alongside a variety of other local companies. The presence of these key defence leaders and associated companies strengthens EuMW’s commitment to comprehensively cover all major sectors of the RF and microwave industry. Italian industry is well represented and its close neighbour is too, by way of the French Pavilion, which has maintained its presence since EuMW last visited Paris in 2005. It brings together the country’s large and small companies and distributors, all under one defined roof.
Irrespective of origin, numerous companies have come to recognise the exhibition as an essential platform for them to launch new products. This year is no exception as leading manufacturers are specifically targeting the show to make important product announcements. For many it is also important to get hands-on experience and guidance direct from the experts, which the exhibitor workshops and short courses on various subjects provide.
For the three days, Hall 9 will also be where academia and industry come together, interact and do business. As well as being a showcase for the latest products, it will also be the home of the coffee breaks and the conference Poster Sessions, feature a Publisher’s Corner and provide that all important Internet access via the popular CST sponsored Cyber Cafés.
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 Nuova Fiera Di Roma
The site of European Microwave Week is less than five kilometres from the Leonardo da Vinci (Fiumicino) Airport with rail connections by Trenitalia from the Rome Tiburtina, Tuscolana, Ostiense and Trastevere Stations.
By Shuttle Bus
D.G.M.P. Travel is the Officially Appointed Travel Agency for EuMW 2009. As part of its service they have organised shuttle buses from a selection of hotels to the venue each day; this service is sponsored by Finmeccanica. Please see their website at www.dgmp.eu/eumw2009 to book accommodation and for information on which hotels include free courtesy transfers.
By Bus
Atac is the Rome bus company—take line 808 to Fiera Roma or from Fiumicino airport take Cotral Line W0001.
By Car
From the Grande Raccordo Anulare (GRA)—the Rome ring road—take exit 30 to Fiumicino and then follow directions for Fiera Roma.
By Train
From the Tuscolana, Tiburtina and Ostiense Stations that are connected to the A and B lines, take the Metro train FR1, in the direction of Fiumicino Airport and get off at the Fiera di Roma stop. The cost is €1.
By Air
From Fiumicino Airport, connections to Fiera Roma are by the FR1 train, getting off at the Fiera di Roma stop, taxi and Cotral bus.
Hotel Reservations
D.G.M.P. Travel has carefully selected hotels near the Nuova Fiera di Roma and in the city centre at the ‘Best Available Rate’ during EuMW. Demand for hotel rooms in Rome will be high during the Week, so booking well in advance is advisable. Visit www.dgmp.eu/eumw2009 for more information on hotels and accommodation, air fares, car rental, excursions and airport transfers.
Sightseeing & Shopping
Rome is a beautiful and exciting city, known for its history, cuisine and fashion, and whether you are looking to relax or sightsee, it has so much to offer. Popular sites include The Vatican, the Trevi Fountain, St Peter’s Square, Spanish Steps and the Colosseum as well as many museums and galleries.
Rome is also a great place for shopping, with designer outlets and department stores all over the city. The most popular shopping areas include:
- Piazza di Spagna (Spanish Steps, Via dei Condotti)
- Via del Corso
- Trastevere (located just over the River Tiber)
- Viale Marconi and Porta Portese
- Piazza Navona (Via del Governo Vecchio)
For even more sightseeing ideas, including what to do and where to eat, see “When in Rome...”.
Social Events
Established as one of the social highlights of the Week, the EuMW 2009 Welcome Reception will take centre stage in Exhibition Hall 7 of the Nuova Fiera di Roma on Tuesday evening. All registered conference delegates from all four EuMW conferences, as well as representatives from the companies participating in the exhibition are invited, making it a forum where academia and industry can meet, interact and network, while enjoying good food and drink. The reception will feature a brief address by Platinum Co-Sponsor Elettronica S.p.A, while Platinum Co-Sponsor, Agilent Technologies will host the Delegate Prize Award Ceremony.
The following evening (Wednesday) the highlight is the EuMW Gala Dinner sponsored by Finmeccanica/Selex in the Complesso Monumentale Santo Spirito in Saxia, which was a refuge for pilgrims arriving in Rome to visit the Apostle Peter’s tomb.
The EuRAD 2009 Chamber Music Concert in the Sacrestia del Borromini takes the spotlight on Thursday evening. Jointly sponsored by Rheinmetall-Italy, the Associazione Vito Volterra and Centro Vito Volterra of the University of Rome, the concert will feature Alessandro Carbonare Gabriele Geminiani and Linda di Carlo playing music by Beethoven and Brahms.
Also, an extensive Partner Programme has been organised throughout the Week, offering the opportunity to visit historical and cultural sites both in Rome and the surrounding area, including the area of Fori Romani, the Vatican City and the Catacombs.
General Information
In advance, take time to familiarise yourself with the event and plan your visit by logging onto the show website: www.eumweek.com and visit www.mwjournal.com for exclusive show coverage by Microwave Journal.
