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Germany's Ministry of Economics and Climate Protection (BMWK) stages the third Lightweighting Summit on 31 May 2022 with a focus on climate protection, resource efficiency and resilience – issues that are more relevant than ever given the global political situation. The theme, "Lightweight construction and hydrogen – game changer meets game changer", brings together at HANNOVER MESSE experts from business, science and politics to discuss how the two cross-sectional technologies complement each other to maximum effect. Dr. Robert Habeck, Germany's Minister of Economics, is patron.

Hannover. Germany's Ministry of Economics and Climate Protection (BMWK) and Deutsche Messe are staging the Lightweighting Summit, a conference about lightweight construction, for the third time. The 2022 edition examines the interplay between lightweight construction and hydrogen – two technologies that drive resource and energy efficiency and enable climate protection and resilience.

Simultaneously securing the supply of regenerative energies and protecting natural resources requires a combination of strong cross-sectional technologies.

"The constant development of innovative lightweight construction solutions ensures Germany's competitiveness as an industrial location and creates new jobs," said Habeck regarding the new LightCon event, which runs 1–2 June after the Lightweighting Summit. Combining lightweight construction's emphasis on resource efficiency and innovative lightweight materials with hydrogen's contribution to climate neutrality paves the way for Germany to become a leading green market that benefits the economy, the environment and society.

Dr. Franziska Brantner, Parliamentary State Secretary in Germany's Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection, kicks off the event with a keynote speech.

Two panel discussions, two additional keynotes and a discussion with the lightweight construction community follow the opening keynote. Experts at these sessions talk about using hydrogen in such areas as sustainable mobility, steel production, production of climate-neutral lightweight materials, and the climate-protection potential of combining lightweight construction and hydrogen.

The speakers are Dr. Jan Meyer, General Manager, MEYER WERFT GmbH & Co. KG; Dr. Karsten Lemmer, Chairman of Innovation, Technology Transfer and Scientific Infrastructure, German Aerospace Center(DLR), and member of the National Hydrogen Council; Christian Bartsch, Managing Director, cotesa GmbH; Gunnar Groebler, Chairman of the Board, Salzgitter AG; Julia Repenning, Deputy Head of Energy & Climate Protection, Institute for Applied Technology; Silke Frank, Vice President, German Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Association (DWV); Bernhard von Vacano, Global Head Scouting and Incubation, Advanced Materials & Systems Research, BASF SE; Dr. Reimund Neugebauer, President, Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft; and Dr. Holger Hanselka, President, Karlsruhe Institute for Technology (KIT).

Olaf Lies, Lower Saxony Minister for Environment, Energy, Building and Climate Protection, gives the closing remarks.

A networking get-together rounds out the program. The event is free for holders of a HANNOVER MESSE ticket.