GNB (Gruppo Nazionale di Bioingegneria) is a non-profit association with scientific, cultural, informative, and social goals, such as promoting, sponsoring and coordinating studies, research and debates on Biomedical engineering. GNB organizes scientific events and summer schools for PhD students since 1981. Natural interlocutors of GNB include stakeholders such as ministries, universities and research institutes, the national health system, the industrial and entrepreneurial partners and the international scientific community. Today, GNB has about 500 members.
The GNB Congress, held on biannual base since 2008, is the melting pot of biomedical research and clinical end-users fully inserted in the framework of the most advanced international research in Biomedical engineering, which combines the engineering background with the clinical one. The GNB Congress provides an overview of recent activities and breakthrough research in the field and aims at involving all members of the scientific and industrial communities.
The 8th GNB Congress will take place from 21 to 23 June 2023, in Padova. Padova not only hosts one of the oldest and most renowned universities in Europe (founded in 1222, celebration of the 800th anniversary is ongoing), but is also a historical site for Bioengineering in Italy (first university bioengineering course given, first CNR bioengineering lab established, both in 1968). Nowadays, formal Bioengineering research groups are present in the CNR and in 4 university departments (Department of Information Engineering - DEI, Department of Industrial Engineering - DII, Department of Neuroscience - DNS, Department of Civil Architectural and Environmental Engineering - ICEA). More than 1500 BSc and MSc students and 30 PhD students are presently enrolled in Bioengineering educational programs at the University of Padova.