Composite polyvinyl amine/SBA-15 (PVAm/SBA-15) in various amounts of SBA-15 were prepared and characterized. The physical and chemical properties of PVAm/SBA-15 were investigated using FT-IR, XRD, BET, SEM and TGA techniques. The catalytic performance of each material was determined for the Knoevenagel condensation reaction between carbonyl compounds and ethyl cyanoacetate in the presence of ethanol as solvent. The effects of reaction temperature, solvent and the amounts of catalyst as well as recyclability of the catalyst were investigated. The catalyst used for this synthetically useful transformation showed a considerable degree of reusability besides being very active. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.