Conference Programme
34. Leoben-Conference on Polymer Engineering and Science 2026 | November, 5th and 6th 2026 | Montanuniversität Leoben
November 5th 2026
| 08:30 | Registration Reception Desk Erzherzog Johann Trakt GF |
Plenary Session
Erzherzog Johann Auditorium
Kerstin Sochor & Michaela Plank will be chairing the Plenary Session
| 09:30 | Welcome & Introduction to VLK |
| 10:00 | Plenary Talk Eva-Maria Kern Defending the Future: Research and Innovation for Security and Resilience |
| 10:35 | Break, Exhibition and Postersession Erzherzog Johann Tract First Floor |
Sports - ALUMNI INDUSTRY SESSION
Erzherzog Johann Auditorium | Session Chair: Michaela Plank
| Topic & Speaker |
|---|
11:10 Herfried Lammer, HEAD Sport GmbH Performance vs. Recycling in Composite base Sporting Goods like Skis and Rackets at the Intersection of Life Cycle Assessment and Product Quality |
11:25 Klaus Krenn / Simone Radl, ISOSPORT Verbundbauteile The Ski and its Components: A High-Tech Composite Disguised as Sports Equipment: |
11:40 Dominik Brandstetter, Mubea Carbo Tech GmbH Road. Mountain. Sky. How Polymers Are Reinventing What's Possible in Sport and Adventure |
11:55 Umut Çakmak, Plastic Innovation GmbH / Institute of Polymer Product Engineering at Johannes Kepler University A Route Map towards Sustainable Bicycle Components produced by Fluid-Assisted Injection Molding |
12:10 Discussion and Q&A session |
Mobility - RESEARCH & PITCH SESSION
HS Raiffaisen | Session Chair: Kerstin Sochor
| Topic & Speaker |
|---|
11:10 Keynote Michael Fischlschweiger, Institute of Technical Thermodynamics, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology Thermodynamics-Driven Design of Polymers and Processes: New Perspectives and Opportunities |
11:30 Markus Wolfahrt, Polymer Competence Center Leoben GmbH Vitrimer-Based Polymers for Advanced Mobility Applications: Prospects and Challenges |
11:45 Steffen Stelzer, Department Polymer Engineering and Science, Montanuniversität Leoben Composite materials – emerging applications and mass markets |
12:00 Discussion and Q&A session |
12:10 Poster & Start-up Pitch Session Ilaria Cicco , Department Polymer Engineering and Science:: Epoxy–Thiol Thermosets Under the Microscope: Morphology, Phase Separation, and ToughnessMaria Gfrerrer, Department Polymer Engineering and Science:: Fatigue damage monitoring of GF- and CF-epoxy laminates Van-Kien Hoang, PCCL: Thermo-Responsive Additives for Early Overheating Detection in Lithium-Ion Batteries Startup Pitch: royos joining solutions GmbH Startup Pitch: Plastic Innovation GmbH |
| 12:30 | Lunch break Erzherzog Johann Trakt FF |
Plenary Session
Erzherzog Johann Auditorium
Kerstin Sochor & Michaela Plank will be chairing the Plenary Session
| 14:00 | Plenary Talk Stefan W. Zangerle The Transformation of the Automotive Industry: The Case of BMW and the Associated Technological Challenges |
Mobility - ALUMNI INDUSTRY SESSION
Erzherzog Johann Auditorium | Session Chair: Kerstin Sochor
| Topic & Speaker |
|---|
14:40 Reinhard Hafellner, Christian Gösweiner, 4a technology GmbH From Material to Battery Pack: Testing and Simulation for Safer Electric Vehicles |
14:55 Bernd Mlekusch, Audi AG BEVs: How Battery Protection Changed Body-in-White Design – and Why It Led to One of the Largest FRP Components in Automotive Mass Production. |
15:10 Bernhard Graf, FACC AG Challenges in High-Rate Composite Manufacturing in Civil Aviation |
15:25 Thomas Schwarz, SKF Sealing Solutions Austria GmbH Fluoropolymeric Seals in Mobility |
15:40 Discussion and Q&A session |
Sports - RESEARCH & PITCH SESSION
HS Raiffeisen | Session Chair: Michaela Plank
| Topic & Speaker |
|---|
14:40 Keynote Jörg Fischer, Institute of Polymeric Materials and Testing, Johannes Kepler University Linz Fit-for-Purpose Plastics: A Journey from Material Development to Circular Solutions |
15:00 David Zidar, Department Polymer Engineering and Science, Montanuniversität Leoben From Bulky Waste to Valuable Resources: Winter Sports Equipment as Driver of a Circular Economy – From Research to Industrial Implementation |
15:15 Milena Gleirscher, Polymer Competence Center Leoben GmbH Smart Bonding Solutions for Next-Generation Sports Gear |
15:30 Discussion and Q&A session |
15:40 Poster & Start-up Pitch Session Philip Beier, Department Polymer Engineering and Science:: Inline Melt Pressure and Temperature Monitoring in a Pellet-based Material Extrusion Printhead for Patient-Specific ImplantsHannah Rabe, Department Polymer Engineering and Science:: Process Development for the Pultrusion of Hemp Fiber Bundles Paul Domberger, Department Polymer Engineering and Science:: After the Last Run - Technical and Non-Technical Challeng-es in Ski Recycling Margit Lang, PCCL: Lighter by Design: Simulation-Driven Optimization and Validation of Additively Manufactured Hand Orthoses Startup Pitch: Lungstream AG |
Plenary Session
Erzherzog Johann Auditorium
| 16:00 | Award Ceremony POLYMER SCIENCE SCHOOL AWARD Erzherzog Johann Auditorium |
Evening Event / ALUMNI NIGHT at Live Congress Leoben
Live Congress Leoben, Hauptplatz 1, 8700 Leoben
| 17:30 | Get together & registration |
| 18:00 | Alumni Pitch Sessions Future Materials |
| 19:00 | Dinner |
Sponsor of the Evening Event / ALUMNI NIGHT
Friday, November 6th, 2026
| 08:30 | Registration Reception Desk Erzherzog Johann Trakt GF |
Plenary Session
Erzherzog Johann Auditorium
Kerstin Sochor & Michaela Plank will be chairing the Plenary Session
| 09:20 | Plenary Talk Dagmar Glatz The Circular Economy of Polymers—From a Luxury to a Necessity |
Digitalisation - ALUMNI INDUSTRY SESSION
Erzherzog Johann Auditorium | Session Chair: Kerstin Sochor
| Topic & Speaker |
|---|
10:00 Georg Steinbichler, Johannes Kepler Universität Linz, LIT Factory – Linz Institute of Technology Polymer Processing in Transition – Digitalisation and AI as Value Creators |
10:15 Thomas Krivec / Julia Zündel, AT&S Austria Technologie & Systemtechnik Beyond Moore’s Law: how polymers enable the next industrial revolution |
10:30 Markus Haager, AGRU Kunststofftechnik GmbH Ultra-High Purity Piping Systems for Semicon Industry |
11:00 Discussion and Q&A session |
Sustainability - RESEARCH & PITCH SESSION
HS Raiffeisen | Session Chair: Michaela Plank
| Topic & Speaker |
|---|
10:00 Keynote Vasiliki-Maria Archodoulaki, Institute of Materials Science and Technology, Technical University Wien Preserving Polymer Value: Enhancing Efficiency in Mechanical Recycling |
10:20 Katharina Resch-Fauster, Department Polymer Engineering and Science, Montanuniversität Leoben Green High-Performance Plastics: Myth or Reality |
10:35 Gernot Oreski, Polymer Competence Center Leoben GmbH Process-Integrated NIR Spectroscopy for Monitoring Material Properties Along the Polymer Value Chain |
10:50 Discussion and Q&A session |
11:00 Poster & Start-up Pitch Session Szymon Gaca, PCCL: Thermoset meets Thermoplastic: Upcycling PLA in Digital Light Processing 3D Printing of DynamicThiol-Ene Composites Maria Gfrerrer, Department Polymer Engineering and Science: PulBas – Determining Mechanical Properties of Basalt Fibers Based on Pultrusion Technology Stephan Schuschnigg, Department Polymer Engineering and Science: Bio-fibre reinforced bio-PE Weiyu Zhao, Department Polymer Engineering and Science: Melt-State Separation of Thermoplastic Mixtures for Me-chanical Recycling Startup Pitch: SCIOFLEX GmbH Startup Pitch: Luxinergy GmbH MeltPrep: Reinventing Preparation and Analysis - 3 Minutes, 3 Highlights |
| 11:20 | Break, Exhibition and Postersession Erzherzog Johann Tract first Floor |
Plenary Session
Erzherzog Johann Auditorium
Kerstin Sochor & Michaela Plank will be chairing the Plenary Session
| 12:00 | Plenary Talk Reinhold W. Lang Institut of Polymeric Materials and Testing, Johannes Kepler Universität Linz (JKU) PLASTICs and Sustainable Development – The BIG Picture |
Sustainability - ALUMNI INDUSTRY SESSION
Erzherzog Johann Auditorium | Session Chair: Michaela Plank
| Topic & Speaker |
|---|
12:40 Simon Stadelmann & Karina Wachter, ALPLAindustrial Austria GmbH From Waste to Value – How Design for Recycling Preserves the Value of Plastics in a Circular Economy |
12:55 Johann Zimmermann, NaKu e.U Pioneering Biopolymers |
13:10 Thomas Unger, KraussMaffei Group GmbH Challenges and chances in the post-consumer packaging industry | 13:25 Verena Pardametz & Franz Rittmannsberger, PreZero Polymers Austria GmbH How Artifical Intelligence Will Shape the Future of Plastics Recycling |
13:40 Discussion and Q&A session |
Digitalisation - RESEARCH & PITCH SESSION
HS Raiffeisen | Session Chair: Kerstin Sochor
| Topic & Speaker |
|---|
12:40 Keynote Gerald Berger- Weber, Institute of Polymer Processing and Digital Transformation, Johannes Kepler Universität Linz Machine Learning and Deep Learning in Polymer Processing |
13:00 Alice Lassnig, Department Polymer Engineering and Science, Montanuniversität Leoben Mechanical behavior of printed ink materials for strain sensing applications |
13:15 Dieter P. Gruber, Polymer Competence Center Leoben GmbH Machine learning enables solutions in plastics engineering that were previously unimaginable |
13:30 Discussion and Q&A session |
13:40 Poster & Start-up Pitch Session Horst Petschenig, PCCL: Reusable generative models and calibration transfer for NIR analysis of recycled polypropyleneAlexander Graf, PCCL: From Foil to Stack: A Bottom-Up FE Model of a Lithium-Ion Battery Cells Jelly Stack Guenther Maier, PCCL: Austrian Chips Competence Center AT-C³ Startup Pitch: PolyDecypher FlexCo Startup Pitch: AMPlify Expertise FlexKapG |
| 14:00 | Cold snacks and a round-up Erzherzog Johann Auditorium |
| 14:30 | Labtour Meetingpoint Reception Desk Erzherzog Johann Tract Groundfloor |
Subject to change