We are proud to have reached the 7th edition of the Milan Polymer Days congress and we believe that our annual meeting has become an important and topical event for the polymer scientific community. Even this year we have welcomed a good representation of delegates from different countries, including India. More than 100 attendees from different nations participated in the event, including, in addition to Italy, France, Germany, India, Poland, Portugal and Spain. We are pleased to have hosted many outstanding scientists and smart young scientists who have joined the MIPOL2023 congress from such distant regions to share experiences and ideas and work together in our three-day meeting on the exciting field of polymers. As every year, the quality of the scientific communications has been excellent.

In line with previous editions, our approach has been to share the current knowledge in all fields of polymer science and technology. This year we have received contributions in the following areas:

• Bioactive polymers, nanomedicine
• Crystallization of polymers
• Nanocomposites
• green chemistry, synthesis of polymers from renewable sources; eco-compatibility assessment of polymers;
• water purification
• Polymeric biomaterials
• Polymeric flame retardants
• Polymer processing
• Synthesis of complex macromolecular architectures

As can be seen from the titles of the topics mentioned, the sustainability of polymers has been a hot topic. On the other hand, we are aware that nowadays polymer scientists must face the challenge of continuing to improve the functional properties of polymers while addressing the issue of sustainability.

The congress, organized in a single section, lasted three days, totaling 40 oral scientific presentations, of which 3 plenary conferences, 23 invited lectures, 14 short oral communications, as well as 25 poster presentations. This rich communications program testifies the interest aroused by topics relating to the science of polymers and the liveliness of research in this discipline. The keynote lectures were held by leading personalities in the international panorama of polymer science:

• “Polymer based biomaterials for health: a long journey from research to market”, by Luigi Ambrosio, from the Italian National Research Council, Pozzuoli, Italy.
• “Bio-based polymer resins for coatings applications”, by Tobias Robert, from the Fraunhofer Institut WKI, Germany.
• “Nanostructured polysaccharide materials for water”, by Sabu Thomas, from the Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam, India

As far as the congress structure is concerned, we have finally returned to a face-to-face edition, while in the previous edition, MIPOL2022, the poster session took place virtually. This year, to facilitate scientific discussion and networking, we have decided to conduct the poster session on the first two days and to extend the time allocated for discussing poster communications to 1-2 hours during the lunchtime. Moreover, after three years, we felt confident enough to organize an informal social event, an Apericena, that is, aperitif and buffet, which was held on 8th June. We reached the location of the event, located in Milano downtown, walking together. 
We believe that one of the most important objectives of the activities of the Milan Polymer Days group, including this congress, is to valorize the participation of young scientists, to help boost their careers. Therefore, we organize annually a Best Poster Award competition for Young Scientists. This year our international award committee was made up of three distinguished scientists who kindly accepted to interview the award nominees.

Professor Paweł Chmielarz, Rzeszow University of Technology, Poland. Doctor Monika Dobrzynska-Mizera, Poznan University of Technology, Poland Professor Anaïs Pitto-Barry, Paris-Saclay University, France

The three best poster communications were announced on the third day of the congress, June 9th, just before the concluding remarks:

• “Effect of crosslinking density on the elastocaloric properties of Natural Rubber”, by Marica Bianchi, PhD student at the University of Trento, Italy;
• “Development of a nano/micro-composite injectable hydrogel with antimicrobial activity” by Giuseppina Biscari, PhD student at the University of Palermo, Italy;
• “Increasing bio-based and circular content of a thermosetting polyurethane for encapsulation of optoelectronic devices: a multivariate investigation”, by Gabriele Viada, PhD student at the University of Turin, Italy.

In that occasion, we also prized the winner of the Mario Malinconico award for the best master’s degree thesis in polymer science, who presented the results of his research as the last oral communication:

Andrea Odoardo, from the University of Ferrara, Italy, whose a communication was entitled: “Organocatalytic synthesis and properties study of poly(hydroxymethylfuroate), bio-based polyester derived by 5-hydroxymethylfurfural”.

As in previous editions, several sponsors that helped to make MIPOL2020 a reality. Among them, the Department of Chemistry and the Italian Society of Chemistry provides annually a substantial economic contribution.

At the end of the congress, the congress chair, Professor Elisabetta Ranucci, announced that next congress edition, MIPOL2024, will be held on 5-7 June 2024 at the Auditorium of the University of Milan. We are confident that that experience will also be a success and we look forward to hosting many brilliant scientists next year in Milan.