Working Party on
Computer-Aided Process Engineering
(CAPE-WP)

Welcome to the EFCE CAPE-Working Party

This homepage has been designed to become a link between everybody who is interested in Computer Aided Process Engineering (CAPE) in Europe or who wants to get the latest information on the topic. It offers useful information related to the efforts of the working party.

Upcoming Activities
ESCAPE 36, 21–24 June 2026, Sheffield, UK CAPE FORUM 2026, 16–18 September 2026, Salamanca, Spain EURECHA Student Design Contest
Bachelor and Master level, until April 15, 2026, 23:59 CET
CAPE-WP is a working party of the European Federation of Chemical Engineers on the topic “Computer Aided Process Engineering”.

The Working Party was originally established in 1966, under the chairmanship of professor H. Brusset and with the title “Programmes de Calculs de Routines et Emploi des Ordinateurs Electroniques”.

After >50 years, computers are now routinely applied throughout the entire spectrum of process and product engineering activities covering chemical, petrochemical, bio-chemical, pharmaceutical industries and thereby, reflecting the success of the energy and success of the Working Party’s activities.

The above mentioned activities focuses on the application of a systems approach to the study of processes and products from the viewpoints of development, synthesis/design, control/operation and integration of processes, methods and tools.

The CAPE Working Party aims to:

Discussion Forums

Act as a focal point for discussion forums, in education for interaction within CAPE and related fields with other EFCE Working Parties and with national and international bodies, e.g. IChemE, IFAC and AIChE.

Experience Sharing​

Promote good industrial practice by encouraging the development and use of CAPE methods and tools, by sharing of experience in the application of existing CAPE methods and tools, by providing strategic reviews of the ongoing needs of the profession and by identifying the potential opportunities for beneficial CAPE developments.

CAPE Research

Encourage and promote CAPE research by providing a European forum for the presentation and debate of new ideas and developments, by preparing state-of-the-art reviews of CAPE methods and tools, by stimulating new projects to meet identified needs and opportunities, both present and future. 

System Approach

Activities focus on the application of a systems approach to the study of processes and products from the viewpoints of development, synthesis/design, control/operation and integration of processes, methods and tools.

Conferences and Forums

CAPE-WP organizes the well-known yearly European Symposium of Computer Aided Process Engineering, attended by several hundred participants and where the latest developments within CAPE and CAPE-related fields are presented. The CAPE-WP also promotes smaller meetings, CAPE-Forum and workshops such as those organized through EURECHA. More info

Awarding of Prizes

CAPE-WP established various awards to recognise outstanding achievements to the CAPE community, CAPE methods, tools and/or applications, such as CAPE Award for Long Term Achievements (LTA), RIC – Recent Innovation Contribution Award, Outstanding PhD thesis on CAPE and George Stephanopoulos Award. More info