MAPEX Symposium 2026

“Cross-disciplinary Pathways to Circular Materials” have been further investigated on September 22 and 23 at ECOMAT in Bremen. 

The symposium brought together researchers from different disciplines to explore how circularity can be advanced across materials, technologies, and application fields.

The symposium featured talks by leading researchers working across a broad spectrum of material classes and applications, ranging from polymers, textiles, batteries, and electronics to metals and advanced structural materials. Contributions addressed new material concepts, sustainable processing and recycling technologies, digital approaches, and strategies for retaining materials and their value in circular systems.

Beyond individual technological solutions, the symposium aimed to identify common challenges, transferable concepts, and cross-disciplinary research opportunities. Interactive World Café sessions provided a forum to discuss future perspectives for circularity as an overarching MAPEX research field.

The symposium took place at ECOMAT – the Bremen Center for Eco-efficient Materials & Technologies, a research and technology hub bringing together science and industry with a particular focus on materials and manufacturing technologies. Participants also had the opportunity to visit world-class materials testing facilities, including the ECOMAT Cryogenic Laboratory.

We would like to thank everyone for their interest and active participation. Every year, it’s a pleasure to see the community grow and engage with one another.