Katherina Reiche, the Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Energy, and Dr. Jochen Köckler, Chairman of the Board of Management of Deutsche Messe AG, will open the Summit on April 21, 2026.

Dr. Markus Steilemann, CEO of Covestro AG and President of the German Chemical Industry Association (VCI), will kick off the specialist program. In his keynote speech, he will discuss how companies can use technological innovation and strategic transformation to strengthen their resilience while enabling sustainable growth at the same time.

Three innovative research projects in the field of lightweight construction will then be presented; in particular, they are concerned with boosting energy efficiency and husbanding resources.

First, there will be the METEOR project, in which technologies are being developed to optimize the resource efficiency of process networks in the production of hybrid metal-plastic lightweight structures. This will be followed by the ATREA project, which is concerned with the efficient production of light and fast-spinning electric motors while combining innovative processes such as copper die casting and 3D printing. Finally, the KeraSchaum project will be presented. The aim is to develop ceramic foam materials that enable increased component functionalities while simultaneously supporting the efficient employment of resources in production processes.

This will be followed by a keynote speech by Dr. Thomas Kuhn, Head of Innovation, Technology and Product Conformity at Diehl Defence GmbH & Co. KG. In his presentation, he explains why lightweight construction is the key to modern high-performance guided missiles – while at the same time satisfying extreme requirements in terms of load capacity.

Following this, there will be a panel discussion entitled "Lightweight construction as a multi-tool between green efficiency and new resilience" in which the high-profile participants will discuss the strategic importance of lightweight construction technologies for various industries.

International greetings from South Korea, Sweden, and Poland will underline the global dimension of lightweight construction development.

Grant Hendrik Tonne, Lower Saxony's Minister for Economic Affairs, Transport and Construction, will give the closing address.