Abstract: Disclosed herein is a polymerization process involving the steps of generating monomer micro-volumes in a microfluidic device, feeding the monomer micro-volumes through the at least one first microfluidic channel towards a monomer feed point at which the monomer micro-volumes enter into or onto a volume of a non-aqueous liquid and form aqueous monomer droplets, allowing the aqueous monomer droplets to flow towards a polymer bead discharge point, initiating polymerisation of the aqueous monomer droplets to form polymerising beads, removing a suspension of the polymer beads in the non-aqueous liquid from the vessel at the polymer bead discharge point, and recovering water soluble or water swellable polymer beads from the suspension. The present disclosure also includes an apparatus for performing the polymerization process and water soluble or water swellable polymer beads obtained by the polymerization process.