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 Resistance Group of Materials of the Higher Technical School of Engineering.

The opening ceremony was chaired 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 Univ

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 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, accompanied by light weight, was required. Its great versatility explains its use in numerous sectors, covering the aeronautical, space, automotive (with special emphasis on competition), naval and wind industries, not to mention the sporting goods industry.

The role of the industry in the development of composite materials has been highlighted in this edition. Thus, in addition to multiple oral presentations, 2 of the 3 plenary conferences have been oriented to industrial problems and the Congress will close with a

industrial round table where industrial representatives of the most relevant sectors in the field of composite materials will debate the future of the sector and the technical challenges in which the university can be an indispensable agent as a generator of knowledge and an asset for technological transfer . This emphasis is complemented with a significant participation of companies through stands, and with 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, the celebration of the 25th anniversary in the same place where this biannual meeting began to take shape was one of the impulses that led to the Elasticity and Strength of Materials Group of the ETSI of the University of Seville to propose to the Spanish Association of Composite Materials (AEMAC) its organization. The pandemic situation that has been experienced globally forced it to be moved from its initial date in 2021 to June 2022.

Of particular importance in the context of the incorporation of the industry into these MATCOMPs Congresses and the anniversary that is commemorated, is the organization of an Exhibition of components from different industrial sectors to highlight the relevant role of Spanish Industry in this area. Thus, there will be components from sectors such as aeronautics, aerospace, rail transport, automotive or sports applications, among others.

A special effort has been made to ensure that those attending the Congress feel a close welcome from the city of Seville, for which purpose an organ concert will be held and there will be receptions in the historic building of the Rectorate of the University of Seville and in the unrivaled monumental complex of the Reales Alcázares.