Toulouse Wins the 26th International Conference on Composite Materials
Toulouse has secured the right to host the 26th International Conference on Composite Materials (ICCM) in July 2029, bringing the world’s leading event dedicated to composite materials back to Europe and reinforcing the city’s position at the forefront of aerospace innovation, advanced manufacturing and materials research.
The announcement was made during ICCM 2025 in Baltimore, where members of the international scientific community selected Toulouse as the host destination for the next European edition of the congress. The event is expected to attract nearly 1,600 researchers, engineers, industry leaders and policymakers to the MEETT – Toulouse Exhibition, Convention and Congress Centre.
The successful bid was led by a consortium comprising the University of Toulouse, IMT Mines Albi, the CNRS-affiliated Institut Clément Ader, IRT Saint Exupéry, Toulouse Team and Toulouse Events, operator of the MEETT. Their proposal highlighted the region’s internationally recognised research capabilities, the strength of its aerospace ecosystem and the quality of its event infrastructure.
The selection represents a major achievement for Toulouse’s scientific community and reflects years of collaboration between researchers, industry partners, institutional stakeholders and destination experts. Support from Toulouse Métropole, the Occitanie Region and regional industry leaders also played a key role in securing the congress.
A Global Gathering for a Strategic Industry
Held every two years, ICCM is regarded as the leading international conference for advances in composite materials, bringing together the scientific and industrial communities working on next-generation materials and manufacturing processes.
Its arrival in Toulouse is particularly significant given the city’s central role in one of Europe's most advanced composite materials ecosystems. The technology is now fundamental to aerospace, automotive and energy applications, helping reduce weight, improve performance and support decarbonisation objectives. The Airbus A350, for example, incorporates more than 50% composite materials in its airframe.
As home to Airbus headquarters and a dense network of suppliers, engineering firms, SMEs and research institutions, Toulouse offers a unique environment where academic excellence and industrial application intersect. Organisations such as the Aerospace Valley cluster, the Institut Clément Ader and IRT Saint Exupéry continue to drive innovation in manufacturing processes, materials performance, automation, sustainability and technology transfer.
Current priorities across the sector include increased process automation, scalable production methods and the development of recyclable thermoplastic composites and bio-based materials, all aligned with Europe's wider sustainability and competitiveness objectives.
The MEETT: A Venue Designed for International Scale
The choice of the MEETT (right side) as host venue further reinforces Toulouse’s attractiveness for large-scale international events. Located near Toulouse-Blagnac Airport and connected directly to the city centre, the venue combines a modular auditorium, conference facilities, exhibition halls and integrated hospitality services capable of meeting the complex requirements of a global scientific congress.
For Toulouse Events and the wider destination ecosystem, hosting ICCM 2029 represents more than a congress win; it is a recognition of the city's ability to convene international knowledge communities around sectors that will shape the future of industry and innovation.
Toulouse: Where Research Meets Industry
Few European cities can match Toulouse’s concentration of expertise across aerospace, space, engineering, health sciences, digital technologies and artificial intelligence. Alongside global organisations such as Airbus, CNES and ONERA, the city hosts a thriving innovation ecosystem that continues to attract talent, investment and international collaboration.
Beyond its economic strengths, Toulouse combines scientific excellence with a distinctive quality of life, offering delegates a destination that blends cutting-edge innovation with rich cultural heritage, gastronomy and a vibrant urban environment.
As local stakeholders emphasise, the success of the ICCM bid was ultimately driven by a shared vision. By bringing together researchers, institutions, industry leaders and event professionals around a common objective, Toulouse demonstrated the collaborative strength that continues to distinguish the destination on the international stage.
The Clément Ader Institute
The Clément Ader Institute (ICA – UMR CNRS 5312) is a research laboratory established in 2009, bringing together 260 researchers and staff working across materials, structures, systems, manufacturing processes, measurement, control and monitoring. While aerospace remains its principal area of application, its research also supports advances in transport, energy and mechanical engineering.
Its activities focus on modelling material and structural behaviour, understanding durability and developing both numerical and experimental approaches to engineering challenges. Composite materials form a major part of its research portfolio.
Its five supervisory institutions are INSA Toulouse, ISAE-SUPAERO, the University of Toulouse, IMT Mines Albi and CNRS.
In the field of composites, ICA brings together 30 permanent researchers, approximately 45 PhD candidates and 10 postdoctoral researchers and project engineers. The Composite Materials and Structures group focuses on the full lifecycle of composite materials, from development and manufacturing to repair, reuse and recycling, combining advanced simulation tools with experimental research.
IRT Saint Exupéry
IRT Saint Exupéry is a technology research institute that brings together academic and industrial partners around collaborative projects to boost competitiveness and innovation in the aeronautics, space and embedded systems sectors. In the field of composites, its teams contribute to the development of lighter, stronger and multi-functional structures by designing and manufacturing innovative composite materials with controlled architecture, up to a semi-industrial scale.
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