The Higher Technical School of Engineering of the University of Seville hosts from June 21 to 23, 2022 the XIV Edition of the National Congress of Composite Materials, MATCOMP21, organized by the Spanish Association of Composite Materials (AEMAC) and the Elasticity and Strength of Materials Group of the Higher Technical School of Engineering.

The opening ceremony was presided over by Miguel Ángel Castro Arroyo, Rector of the University of Seville, and was attended by Francisco Rodríguez Rubio, Director of the Higher Technical School of Engineering of the University

The Congress will have more than 200 attendees, 134 oral presentations and 28 posters that have been organized into 8 thematic areas with 4 parallel rooms available for oral presentations.

At the end of the last century, composite materials (the best known being carbon fiber) revolutionized many areas of engineering where high performance combined with light weight was required. Their great versatility explains their use in numerous sectors, including the aerospace, automotive (with a special emphasis on motorsports), shipbuilding, and wind energy industries, not to mention the sporting goods industry.

The role of industry in the development of composite materials has been highlighted in this edition. Thus, in addition to numerous oral presentations, two of the three plenary conferences have focused on industrial issues, and the Congress will close with a

An industry-focused roundtable discussion will take place, where representatives from key sectors within the composites industry will debate the future of the sector and the technical challenges where universities can play an indispensable role as generators of knowledge and facilitators of technology transfer. This focus will be complemented by significant company participation through exhibition stands and a visit to the A400M Final Assembly Line on the closing day of the Congress.

The first MATCOMP congress was held in Seville in 1995. Celebrating its 25th anniversary in the same venue where this biennial event began was one of the driving forces behind the Elasticity and Strength of Materials Group at the Higher Technical School of Engineering (ETSI) of the University of Seville's proposal to the Spanish Association of Composite Materials (AEMAC) to organize it. The global pandemic forced its postponement from its initial date in 2021 to June 2022.

Of particular importance in the context of industry's integration into these MATCOMPs Congresses and the anniversary being commemorated is the organization of an exhibition of components from different industrial sectors to highlight the significant role of Spanish industry in this field. Thus, there will be components from sectors such as aeronautics, aerospace, rail transport, automotive, and sporting goods, among others.

Special effort has been made to ensure that Congress attendees feel a warm welcome from the city of Seville, for which purpose an organ concert will be held and receptions will take place in the historic Rectorate building of the University of Seville and in the unparalleled monumental complex of the Royal Alcázar.