29th International Dresden Lightweight Engineering Symposium highlights the importance of cross-sector collaboration in lightweight engineering

With around 200 participants and more than 50 technical presentations, the 29th International Dresden Lightweight Engineering Symposium once again confirmed its role as a forum for exchange between science and industry. Researchers and industry representatives gathered in Dresden to discuss how lightweight engineering can contribute to resource efficiency, circular economy approaches, resilience, and industrial value creation.

Contributions from, among others, Rolls-Royce, Volkswagen, Airbus, and Meyer Werft illustrated the differing requirements placed on modern lightweight solutions in the automotive, aerospace, and

With around 200 participants and more than 50 technical presentations, the 29th International Dresden Lightweight Symposium once again highlighted its role as a forum for exchange between science and industry. Representatives from research and business discussed in Dresden how lightweight design can contribute to resource efficiency, circular economy, resilience, and industrial value creation.

Contributions from, among others, Rolls-Royce, Volkswagen, Airbus, and the Meyer Werft shipyard illustrated the wide range of requirements for modern lightweight solutions across the automotive, aerospace, and shipbuilding industries. At the same time, it became clear that many challenges arise across sectors. Topics discussed included circular material systems, resource-efficient manufacturing processes, digitally supported development and production methods, as well as new approaches to functionally integrated multi-material structures. It became evident that sustainable and economically viable solutions can only emerge through close collaboration along the entire value chain.

Against this background, this year’s symposium was held under the guiding theme of the “Technology Hanse”. Inspired by the historical trading networks of the Baltic Sea region and its partner region, the Baltic Sea Region, it describes the development of specialized value creation networks between companies, research institutions, and development partners in Europe. The focus is not on the exchange of products, but on the joint development and production of complex technological solutions.

“The Lightweight Symposium has shown what such forms of collaboration can look like in practice. Through the close integration of materials development, design, manufacturing, digitalisation, and circular economy approaches, solutions are created that individual actors cannot achieve alone. At the same time, it becomes clear that engineering excellence remains the foundation for this type of cooperation,” explained Prof. Dr.-Ing. habil. Maik Gude, Director of the Institute of Lightweight Engineering and Polymer Technology (ILK) at TU Dresden.

The symposium was accompanied by a technical exhibition, where companies, research institutions, and project consortia presented current developments and engaged in direct dialogue with participants. This led to numerous starting points for new collaborations as well as impulses for future research projects.

This exchange continued at the evening event at LEIV, the National Lightweight Validation Centre of the ILK. There, research institutions and companies work closely together to test new technologies under real-world conditions and to accelerate their transfer into application. The demonstrators and facilities attracted strong interest from guests and served as a source of inspiration for both industry and science. In this way, the evening event reflected the symposium’s ambition to combine scientific findings with practical application and joint development.

© F. Lehmann

A particular focus was also placed on early-career researchers. As part of the Young Talent Award of the Academic Club Lightweight Engineering (Akademischer Club Leichtbau e. V., ACL), twelve young graduates presented their research work to the specialist audience. The award ceremony concluded the competition and recognised outstanding contributions with monetary prizes.

The award winners of the Young Talent Award 2026:

• 1st place: Dipl.-Ing. Alina Volkmann
• 2nd place: Dipl.-Ing. Kristi Nani
• 3rd place: Dipl.-Ing. Aaron Reuter

With a focus on early-career researchers and the symposium as a platform for innovation and exchange, it became clear that the future of lightweight engineering is being actively shaped here. This development will continue to be strengthened in the coming years. The 30th anniversary edition of the International Dresden Lightweight Symposium will take place on 24 and 25 June 2027 in Dresden.