Credit: LIST

On Thursday 12 November 2026, the Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST) reported that more than 200 participants from over fifteen countries attended the Sustainable Composite Materials & Manufacturing (SCMM) Industry Day 2026 at the European Convention Center Luxembourg (ECCL).

The event marked the completion of the SCMM Innovation Centre's first phase and showcased technologies that have progressed from material development towards manufacturing, testing and component-scale demonstrators.

Stéphanie Obertin, Luxembourg’s Minister for Research and Higher Education, alongside LIST CEO Olivier Guillon, opened the event, which brought together representatives from industry, research and public institutions to discuss the next generation of composite materials and their industrial deployment. The Ministry of the Economy also participated in the programme, including through Christian Tock, Deputy Director General Industry, who delivered the closing remarks.

Luxembourg's Ministry of Research and Higher Education and Ministry of the Economy, as well as the European Regional Development Fund and Luxinnovation, support the SCMM Innovation Centre.

Olivier Guillon, CEO of LIST, said: "SCMM was created to address a very practical challenge: how to take promising research far enough for companies to assess it against their own industrial requirements." He added: "Over the past four years and in collaboration with our industry partners, we have developed several demonstrators based on top-notch materials science expertise, manufacturing facilities and testing capabilities. This is an important part of LIST's role: helping research progress towards applications that industry can realistically evaluate and adopt."

Minister Obertin said: "Today, as the first phase of the SCMM Innovation Centre reaches completion, we can already see tangible results and new opportunities for collaboration. This is a powerful reminder that investing in research also means investing in competitiveness, sustainability and future prosperity."

Seven technologies on display

Launched in December 2022, the SCMM Innovation Centre aims to bridge the gap between research and industrial applications. Over the past four years, more than 50 researchers and engineers have contributed to its projects, working with industrial partners including Airbus, Toyota, Iveco and Thales Alenia Space, as well as Luxembourg-based companies.

During the event, LIST presented seven technology demonstrators in its Tech Village, covering applications in the automotive, aerospace, space and transport sectors. These included bamboo- and flax-fibre composites for automotive applications, recyclable high-pressure hydrogen tanks, more circular composite panels for aircraft cabin interiors, a lighter aircraft hinge combining aluminium and carbon fibre, a repairable and recyclable composite sandwich panel for space applications, and the reuse of composite production leftovers in transport and logistics.

According to LIST, these developments aim to reduce material weight, improve recyclability and repairability, and make new composite technologies more suitable for industrial manufacturing.

The event also featured a dedicated Composites Quarter, bringing together manufacturers, suppliers and innovators from Luxembourg's wider composites ecosystem across automotive, aerospace, space and other sectors. Business-to-business meetings and networking opportunities complemented the technical programme, with further matchmaking sessions scheduled from Friday 13 to Friday 27 November 2026.

Industry perspectives and panel discussions

The programme also brought together representatives from across the European composites industry. Marc Fette, CEO of Composite Technology Center – CTC GmbH, addressed sustainable aviation; Christian Maugy of OPmobility focused on scaling sustainable composites for mobility applications; and Raphael Pleynet, Managing Director of the European Composites Industry Association (EuCIA), examined the role of composites in Europe's industrial transformation.

Representatives from Gradel Light Weight, Arkema, Latécoère and Thales Alenia Space also participated in the presentation of technologies alongside LIST researchers.

Two panel discussions explored the challenges of bringing composite technologies into wider industrial use. "Partners in Motion: Why Industry Stays with SCMM?" brought together industry representatives, while "Policy in Motion: Shaping the Future of Composites Manufacturing", chaired by LIST Deputy CEO Jurgen Joossens, included representatives from FEDIL, Luxinnovation and the Luxembourg National Research Fund (FNR).

The discussions highlighted SCMM's role in strengthening Luxembourg's composites sector, connecting local companies with international industrial partners and supporting the transfer of public research into industrial applications.

Next phase of development

Following the completion of the first phase, SCMM will focus on transferring promising technologies into industrial applications and strengthening the network of companies active in Luxembourg's composites sector.

According to LIST, the next phase will place greater emphasis on industrial transfer and extend mobility-related technologies towards other sectors, including wind energy, construction and industrial manufacturing.

Levent Kirkayak, Head of the Structural Composites Unit at LIST, said: "These seven demonstrators are more than research results. They demonstrate that sustainable composites can meet the demanding requirements of industries such as automotive, aerospace and space."

For further information, visit www.list.lu.