For this edition, 154 applications were submitted, of which 33 finalists were selected and a winner will be chosen in each of the 11 following categories:

Aerospace – Parts
Aerospace – Process
Automotive & Road Transportation – Parts
Automotive & Road Transportation – Process
Circularity & Recycling
Digital, AI & Data
Maritime Transportation & Shipbuilding
Pipes, Tanks & Hydrogen
Railway Vehicles & Infrastructure
Renewable Energies
Sports, Leisure & Recreation

Projects will be evaluated by an international jury composed of:

• Mr. Michel COGNET, Chairman of the Board, JEC
• Dr. Klaus DRECHSLER, Professor, Chair of Carbon Composites, Technical University of Munich
• Pr. Bronwyn FOX, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research & Enterprise), UNSW Sydney
• Dr. Roberto FRASSINE, Full Professor, Polymeric and Composite Materials, Politecnico di Milano
• Pr. Sung HA, Professor, Mechanical Engineering, Hanyang University
• Prof. Dr. Patricia KRAWCZAK, Full Professor, Centre for Materials & Processes, IMT Nord Europe / Institut Mines-Télécom
• Pr. Gilles LUBINEAU, Professor of Mechanical Engineering & Director of MCEM and ENERCOMP, KAUST
• Dr. Antonio NANNI, Professor, Dept. of Civil & Architecture Engineering, University of Miami
• Pr. Veronique MICHAUD, Head of Laboratory for Processing of Advanced Composites (LPAC), Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale
  de Lausanne (EPFL)
• Pr. Kiyoshi UZAWA, Director, Innovative Composite Center, Kanazawa Institute of Technology
• Mrs. Müge YENMEZ, CTO & Composite EMEA General Manager, Kordsa

The winners of the JEC Composites Innovation Awards 2026 will be announced at the JEC World Premiere 2026 on January 12, in Paris. This event will also present the highlights of JEC World 2026 and announce the 20 startups selected for the JEC Startup Booster competition.

Aerospace – Parts

Highly Loaded TP Wing Rib
Daher (France)
https://daher.com
Partners:
Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (Luxembourg)
Victrex PLC (UK)
Cetim (France)
AniForm Engineering B.V. (The Netherlands)

Highly loaded thermoplastic composite wing rib for future aircraft programs. Daher and its partners Worked on an innovative design thanks to patented innovative processes to meet actual decarbonization and competitiveness challenges compared to current aluminium solutions.
Daher launched the Welded Rib project in 2021 to evaluate carbon fibre-reinforced thermoplastic (CFRTP) composites for next-generation, high-rate aircraft wing rib production. Using VICTREX LMPAEK™ UD tape, Daher and partners optimized manufacturing processes, simulation datacards, and innovative rib designs featuring ply drop-offs, wave contouring, and stiffener-free geometry.
Thick CFRTP parts (up to 10 mm) were manufactured via Automated Fiber Placement and Direct Stamping®. LIST developed patented IR welding for structural assembly, while CETIM designed a test bench and ANIFORM advanced distortion-simulation capabilities.

Key benefits:

• Weight saving V.S aluminum & bolted assembly
• Assembly cost saving V.S bolted assembly
• Answer to high rate production for future aircrafts
• Lower fuel consumption & CO2 emission VS aluminum
• TP part recycling V.S thermoset composite parts

 

High-rate composite process for airship structure
Flying Whales (France)
www.flying-whales.com
Partners:
Exel Composites (Finland)
Hexcel (France)
DUQUEINE Group (France)
A cost-effective and high-rate process to manufacture composite beams for light airships structures. It meets stringent aeronautical certification standards while enabling efficient, repeatable, and scalable production of large aerospace components.
This innovation combines the strengths of four partners to industrialise structural beam production for the LCA60T airship at unprecedented rates. Hexcel supplies rapid-cure advanced fiber materials, while Exel Composites converts them into high-volume pull-wound tubes forming the airship’s backbone. DUQUEINE Group uses robotic layup, automated winding, and prepreg overmolding to create 7-meter beams with 20-second cycle times part within high quality control standards. Flying Whales leads beam design, testing, and EASA qualification, ensuring performance, safety, and scalability for mass-production of certified composite aerostructures.
Key benefits:

• Aerospace-grade resin for pultruded tubes
• Fast-curing resin & prepregs for structural aeros
• Cost efficient primary composite structural beam

 

Wichita Welded Thermoplastic Composite Fuselage
Spirit AeroSystems (USA)
www.spiritaero.com
Partners:
Corebon AB (Sweden)
Toray Advanced Composites (USA)
Syensqo (Belgium)
To demonstrate a high-rate manufacturing processes in anticipation of the next single aisle
composite airliner, Spirit has combined automated fiber placement and several patented
welding technologies to assemble stamp formed frames and stringers with a realistic skin for
a fastener free assembly.
The WICHITA (Weld Integrated Composite High-rate Innovative Thermoplastic Assembly) panel is Spirit’s latest fastener-less, out-of-autoclave thermoplastic composite aerostructure. Its low-melt PAEK skin with high-performance fiber delivers strength, toughness, and processability suited for welded assembly, removing the weight, cost, and thickness penalties of countersunk fasteners.
Eliminating holes also avoids structural degradation and drilling defects. The panel integrates Syensqo PAEK Ultra stiffeners with Toray TC1225/T1100 skins through the patented CoFusion process, which consolidates the AFP skin and welds stringers under a vacuum bag, preventing fit-up issues and removing shimming—the second leading cause of rework and labor.
Key benefits:

• No autoclave or oven for consolidation and welding
• Laborious steps of fastening and shimming reduced
• Rapid processing enables future composite airliner
• CoFusion consumes only 11KW hours per square metre
• Improved efficiency of future aircraft lowers cost

 

Aerospace – Process

Automated Ply Placement for A350 RTM Preforms
Airborne (The Netherlands)
www.airborne.com
Partner:
Airbus (Spain)
Automated Ply Placement has been developed, qualified, and implemented at Airbus to produce structural RTM carbon fibre preforms for the cut-out beams and the maintenance door frame in Section 19 of the A350 fuselage, marking the first use of this innovation at Airbus and a major step for automated production.
Automated Ply Placement (APP), developed by Airborne, eliminates manual layup by enabling fast, precise production of composite laminates using dry fibre, prepregs, or thermoplastics. In this project, APP converts dry fibre rolls into accurate preforms for RTM. Airbus has implemented the technology in Getafe, the first APP deployment in any Airbus plant. The system combines automated cutting, robotic ply handling, machine vision, and spot-welded ply joining, with dynamic storage to optimise nesting and reduce material waste. The Automated Recipe Generation lowers preparation time, and the new control platform, with automated programming, manages thousands of ply shapes, hundreds of preforms and several material variants, producing 13 shipsets per month with minimal operator involvement.
Key benefits:

• Fully automated, from roll to tailored blanks
• Automated Programming and Recipe Generation
• Reduced material consumption, better nesting
• Automated adaptation to material defects
• Reduced operator supervision and interventions

SAUBER 4.0 – SMART & SUSTAINABLE RTM 4.0
CTC GmbH – An AIRBUS Company (Germany)
www.ctc-composites.com
Partners:
AIRBUS Operations GmbH (Germany)
Faserinstitut Bremen e.V. (Germany)
DLR (Germany)
Fraunhofer IFAM and IWU (Germany)
FRIMO Innovative Technologies GmbH (Germany)
Helmut Schmidt University / University of the Federal Armed Forces Hamburg (Germany)
KraussMaffei (Germany)
NAEXT Engineering GmbH (Germany)
NETZSCH Process Intelligence GmbH (Germany)
Testia GmbH (Germany)
SIEMENS (Germany)
Stadler + Schaaf (Germany)
Teijin Carbon Europe GmbH (Germany)
SAUBER4.0 is a holistically networked manufacturing technology approach for complex large components which takes equal account of ecological and economic criteria. The key element is the use of RTM technology with the possibilities of digitization, innovative preforming and tool technologies.
As aviation seeks lower emissions, manufacturing impacts gain importance. At Airbus Stade, RTM has been used since 1994 to produce nearly 10,000 small CFRP parts annually for A320 and A330 aircraft. SAUBER4.0, a funded project by the state of lower saxony, enables RTM’s transition to large, complex, high-volume structural components for next-generation single-aisle wings. The project delivered key technologies, including inductively heated invar RTM tooling, TFP/DFP preform production with 3D-printed molds, and a knowledge model linking process data and energy use. A holistic material- and energy-flow methodology was validated through five fully reproducible Wing Tip demonstrators.
Key benefits:

• RTM Technology for large, complex integral parts
• Energy savings compared to today’s a/c production
• Fully digitalized E2E CFRP production
• Successful validation of multi physic simulation
• Enabling AIRBUS next generation single aisle A/C

 

First-Time-Right Topology-Optimised Fuselage Panel
Leibniz University Hannover (Germany)
www.ifw.uni-hannover.de
Partners:
MD Aircraft GmbH (Germany)
Technische Universität Braunschweig (Germany)
Kasaero GmbH (Germany)
The integral-stiffened fuselage panel achieves first-time-right manufacturing of topology-optimised aircraft structures at aerospace scale. Formalized manufacturing knowledge pushes Automated Fiber Placement technology to its limits, eliminating iteration cycles and achieving 15% weight reduction.
This CFRP grid-stiffened fuselage panel showcases how advanced composites benefit electric aircraft, where weight directly affects range and payload. A bionic, topology-optimized layout reduces weight by 15% and material cost by 13% versus a conventional sandwich panel while meeting all structural, tolerance, and buckling requirements. Manufacturing constraints were embedded as digital rules, enabling AFP-ready geometries without redesigns or trials. The integral AFP-manufactured grid reduces part count, bonding, and assembly effort. For MD Aircraft’s MDA1 eViator, it could save 2–5% airframe weight and scale to larger platforms.
Key benefits:

• First-time-right: design to part without iteration
• Topology-optimised, bionic-inspired layout
• 15 % lighter than conventional CFRP design
• Automated manufacturing through integrated design
• Enabling electric regional aircraft mobility

Automotive & Road Transportation – Parts

Thermoplastic Battery Enclosure
ENGEL Austria GmbH (Austria)
www.engelglobal.com
Partners:
SABIC (USA)
Forward Engineering (Germany)
Siebenwurst GmbH Co.KG (Germany)
Advanced, lightweight thermoplastic composite hybrid EV battery enclosure with integrated cooling and fastening features. This innovative solution offers exceptional flame retardancy high stiffness, and cost-efficient sustainability for next-generation electric vehicles.
This innovation presents a high-voltage EV battery enclosure made from flame-retardant
thermoplastic composites, featuring a hybrid sandwich cover and thermoplastic tray in LGF-PP. The 1.3 × 1.8 m cover is produced through fully automated sandwich injection molding, where two organosheets are overmolded using a 19-gate cascade system that ensures uniform flow, strong adhesion, and a 44% reduction in clamping force. Tests showed cohesive laminate failure, confirming excellent bonding. Integrated functions—cooling channels, spacers, fastening points, vents—reduce parts and cost. Dimensional accuracy below 0.02% validates large-scale manufacturability.
Key benefits:

• Superior flame protection by continuous fibers
• Lower total cost and simplified assembly
• One-shot molding – no post-processing
• 46% CO? reduction by thermoplastic composites
• 44% lower clamping force via cascade injection

BMW M NATURAL FIBRE COMPOSITES
BMW Group, M GMBH (Germany)
www.bmw-m.com
Partners:
Bcomp Ltd (Switzerland)
SGL Technologies GmbH (Germany)
Cobra Advanced Composites CO., LTD (Thailand)
PPG Wörwag Coatings GmbH & Co. KG (Germany)
The BMW Group harnesses natural fiber composites for series production models through
cross-industry collaboration with partners, thereby reducing CO2e footprint and overall
weight.
The BMW Group introduces series-ready natural fiber composites from renewable flax-based raw materials. Developed through cross-industry collaboration, a new resin and prepreg system improves durability, visual quality, and processing by overcoming moisture sensitivity. Extensive testing confirms UV, climate, and mechanical performance, supported by diffusion barriers and coatings. This material reduces CO?e emissions by about 40% during production and addresses end-of-life impacts. Meeting strict automotive standards, the components have proven performance in BMW M Motorsport cars, demonstrating BMW’s commitment to sustainable, lightweight solutions for future models.

Key benefits:

• 40% CO?e cut in production plus end-of-life vs. carbon
• Highly suitable for visible exterior and interior parts
• Several years of development and in-depth research
• Natural fiber composites confirmed for future series cars
• Applied in BMW M Motorsport racing cars

Sustainable Paper-based Automotive Composites
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (USA)
www.volkswagengroupofamerica.com
Partners:
University of Tennessee Knoxville (USA)
Endeavour Composites (USA)
Bentley Motors Limited (UK)
WEAV3D Inc. (USA)
Our composites are made from paper fibre-reinforced polypropylene, combining major
advantages from the plastics and paper industries. Our composites are stronger, lighter, and
more sustainable than conventional automotive interior materials, like talc-filled PP.
This innovation introduces a natural fiber-reinforced polypropylene (NFPP) made from 50% paper pulp and 50% PP, enhanced with localized WEAV3D lattice reinforcement. Nonwoven paper-PP sheets are wet-laid, then compression-molded with optional back-injection to integrate ribs or attachments. Paper fibers—finer and more uniform than flax or kenaf—enable smooth surfaces, precise details, and wide aesthetic flexibility at lower cost. The composite offers superior mechanical performance and lightweighting potential, while the PP matrix supports mechanical recycling, aligning with Volkswagen’s circular strategy for sustainable, high-volume automotive components.
Key benefits:

• Higher mechanical properties than incumbent NFPP
• Improved strength enables vehicle lightweighting
• Lower CO2 footprint than incumbent materials
• Efficient processes adapted from paper industry
• Recyclable with conventional plastics processing

 

Automotive & Road Transportation – Process

Plastic EV battery housing for mass production
University of Technology Chemnitz (Germany)
www.leichtbau.tu-chemnitz.de
Partners:
Mahle Filtersysteme GmbH (Germany)
Formenbau GF GmbH (Germany)
In2p GmbH (Germany)
Gerlinger Industries GmbH (Germany)
Wickert Maschinenbau GmbH (Germany)
Fraunhofer ICT (Germany)
A thermoplastic, glass-fibre-reinforced traction-battery housing was developed. Using commercially available long- and continuous-fiber semi-finished products and fewer semi-finished variants enables automated large-scale compression molding. Lifecycle emissions are ≈25% lower than aluminum diecast.
A load-bearing battery housing made from long and continuous fibre-reinforced thermoplastic was developed to reduce weight and increase structural rigidity. Commercial semi-finished materials were combined into a multilayer system and processed via compression molding, enabling manufacture of a flawless component from a single organo sheet. New lightweight grippers were engineered to handle lofted, preheated blanks. Waste-free production was achieved using rectangular blanks and a controlled pre-draping mechanism. With cycle times under two minutes, the process supports large-scale manufacturing and delivers about 25% lower lifecycle emissions compared to an aluminum reference design.
Key benefits:

• Large-scale FRP production of a EV battery housing
• Less than 2 minutes cycle time
• Around 25% CO2 reduction over the life cycle
• 15% weight reduction of the equipped battery box

 

Carbon Fibre SMC Automotive Control Arm
Gestamp Autotech Engineering Deutschland GmbH (Germany)
www.gestamp.com
Partners:
Fraunhofer Institute for Chemical Technology (Germany)
Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (Germany)
DG Aviation GmbH (Germany)
Koller Formenbau GmbH (Germany)
Toray Industries Europe GmbH (Germany)
Vibracoustic SE & Co. KG (Germany)
We developed a carbon fiber reinforced sheet molding compound control arm for automotive
applications. Through the combined use of high-performance materials, design innovation,
functional integration and efficient processing, our control arm offers excellent structural
performance at a low weight.
A high-performance lightweight control arm was developed using a novel carbon fiber SMC based on proprietary fiber-cutting technology that spreads and diamond-cuts heavy-tow fibers for superior mechanics and flow at competitive cost. The part was redesigned specifically for SMC, enabling complex geometries, functional integration, and a 56% weight reduction versus metal. Advanced charge placement, tailored inserts, and tool cams ensured flawless molding and overmolding without defects. A meso-scale digital-twin simulation accurately predicted mold filling and fiber-bundle behavior, supporting reliable performance and efficient composite development.
Key benefits:

• Weight saving through lightweighting
• Functional integration and resource efficiency
• Reduced emissions and optimal carbon footprint
• High performance and cost efficiency
• Consistent virtual process chain for SMC

 

ART high-rate fibre deposition solution
Cygnet Texkimp (UK)
www.cygnet-texkimp.com
Partner:
McLaren Automotive (UK)
ART (Automated Rapid Tape) is a high-rate fibre deposition solution conceived by supercar manufacturer McLaren Automotive and designed and built by composites technology expert
Cygnet Texkimp to manufacture high performance ultra-lightweight composite parts
sustainably at rate and with minimal scrap.
ART is a disruptive, high-rate manufacturing technology developed by McLaren Automotive and Cygnet Texkimp to produce lightweight, complex composite parts sustainably and at viable speed. Now fully production-ready, it supports McLaren’s composites-intensive supercar programs. Using a static head and moving bed, ART deposits dry-fibre tapes at up to 2.5 m/s with extreme accuracy, minimising waste and maximizing stiffness—achieving 8–10% gains over traditional prepreg in parts like the W1’s front wing. Already operating at McLaren’s MCTC, a second ART system will be installed in 2025 to expand capacity.
Key benefits:

• Produces ultra-lightweight optimised parts at rate
• Aerospace-grade solution for multiple markets
• Delivers accuracy & consistency from part to part
• Cuts manufacturing time, cost and material waste
• Automation enhances efficiency and monitoring

Circularity & Recycling

Circular recycling of thermoset liftgates
IDI Composites International (France)
www.idicomposites.fr
Partner:
Flex-N-Gate (France)
IDI Composites International Europe’s innovation is the Circular recycling of SMC parts at a
pre-serial production level (TRL-7) with a minimum of 20% and an average of 25%
mechanically recycled composite content.
IDI Composites International Europe has developed a scalable circular recycling process for thermoset SMC, long used in automotive parts such as bumpers, body panels, and tailgates. End-of-life tailgates are mechanically ground into powder and reintegrated into new SMC as a 25% recycled filler replacement. This maintains required mechanical properties while improving environmental performance. Unlike prior lab-scale recycling attempts, the method is industrially viable, closing the loop for thermoset composites and strengthening their value in sustainability-driven markets, positioning IDI Europe as a leader in circular composite solutions.
Key benefits:

• Circular recycling composites
• Sustainable solution for composite waste
• Lower exploitation of natural resources
• Lightweighting
• Positive impact on carbon footprint
  Recycling A380 secondary structure for A320 NEO
  Toray Advanced Composites (The Netherlands)www.toraytac.comPartners:Airbus (France)Daher (France)Tarmac Aerosave (France)Airbus, Daher, Toray, and Tarmac Aerosave are collaborating to demonstrate the reuse of end-of-life A380 pylon covers made of Cetex® TC1100, repurposing them into new structuralparts. The initiative supports sustainability by reusing materials from one aircraft componentto another.The aerospace industry has significantly increased its use of thermoplastic composites due to their lightweight properties, high mechanical performance, and recyclability. For example, carbon fibre-reinforced polyphenylene sulphide (C/PPS) has become widely adopted in large structural components. Each A380 contains hundreds of C/PPS parts—such as pylon covers, wing ribs, and leading edges—that are now reaching end-of-life as these aircraft retire.This project, in collaboration with Airbus, Daher, Tarmac Aerosave, and Toray, addresses the challenge of creating a circular reuse strategy for these components, and advancing recycling technology practices in aerospace manufacturing. Instead of landfilling high-performance materials, the project aims to repropose A380 pylon covers into smaller A320 components, extending material lifecycle.Key benefits:
• Circular reuse of aerospace composites
• Reduction of end-of-life waste
• Industrial feasibility of thermoplastic recycling
• Collaboration across OEM and Tier 1 partners
• Scalable model for other aircraft components
  Recovery and Reintroduction of Carbon Fibre
  Angeloni Group (Italy)www.angelonigroup.comPartners:Sparco (Italy)Herambiente (Italy)Carbon Task (Italy)The main innovation of the project “Recovery and Reintroduction of Carbon Fiber” byAngeloni Group and its partners Sparco, Herambiente and Carbon Task consists ofdeveloping a completely circular industrial model for the recovery and reintroduction ofcarbon fiber composites from the production waste from the OEMs.This project creates a true closed-loop recycling system for composite waste by integrating pyrolysis, needle punching, and impregnation to convert expired prepregs, offcuts, and end-of-life composites into high-quality secondary raw materials. Waste is collected, digitally tracked, and processed in FIB3R’s energy-efficient pyro-gasification plant, which cleanly separates resin from fibers while preserving carbon-fiber properties. Carbon Task performs needle punching, and Angeloni Group handles impregnation, producing regenerated nonwovens and semi-finished products suitable for new automotive, aerospace, and marine applications—far beyond traditional disposal or downcycling approaches.Key benefits:
• Carbon footprint, measured through LCA reduction
• Reduction in CO2 emissions
• Waste management and recovery
• Infinite recycling potential
• Recycled material offering performance comparable to virgin carbon fibre
  Digital, AI & DataCompositesAI
  Purdue University (USA)www.purdue.edu/cmscPartners:AnalySwift LLC (USA)Applied Research Institute, Inc (USA)IACMI (USA)CompositesAI is an AI-powered expert system that consolidates certified compositesknowledge and simulation tools via LLMs, combining the authority of leading experts withthe precision of simulation software, and enabling domain experts to build custom AI agentswithout needing AI expertise.Advanced composites enable lighter, high-performance aerospace structures, but decades of accumulated knowledge remain fragmented across documents, software tools, and experts’ tacit experience. Purdue University’s CompositesAI addresses this by creating an AI-powered expert system that unifies static data (papers, standards, reports), dynamic data (simulation tools and surrogate models), and tacit engineering insight. CompositesAI provides sourced, explainable, traceable answers to natural-language queries, while linking prompts directly to physics-based or machine-learning simulations. The growing corpus will support a composites-specific foundational model.Key benefits:
• Consolidate all composites expert knowledge
• Democratise expert knowledge using chat interface
• Enable simulation tools for entire supply chain
• Leverage all public composites knowledge and tools
• Intelligentise proprietary knowledge via AI
  Digital Thread Innovations for Aerospace & Defence
  The University of Southern Queensland (Australia)www.unisq.edu.au/research/institutes-centres/iaess/centre-for-future-materialsPartners:MEMKO (Australia)Dassault Systèmes (Australia)Boeing Australia (Australia)A full end-to-end digital thread of composite aerospace structures to accelerate and improverepair (and manufacturing), providing a continuous connection of data from inspection,through design, manufacturing, scarfing, patch application, and finally quality checks priorto entry back into service.This innovation demonstrates a full digital thread for composite repair, linking inspection, data interpretation, CAD-based damage mapping, automated patch design, scarfing, patch manufacture, application, and certification. It advances three critical capabilities: interpreting inspection data and embedding it in the Digital Twin; rapidly generating optimized, damage-specific patch designs; and using in-situ monitoring for the patch adhesion process. Additional work digitizes manufacturing, including AI-enhanced filament-winding monitoring, enabled through Dassault Systèmes’ 3DEXPERIENCE tools. By capturing in-process manufacturing data, the Digital Thread updates throughout the lifecycle, supporting as manufactured design analysis and future repair & end-of-life decisions.Key benefits:
• Complete digital thread of components life cycle
• Automated damage characterization after inspection
• Rapid design & analysis of repair patch definition
• In-process monitoring of manufacturing processes
• Rapid return-to-service for aerospace assets
  Composite outlet guide vane by AFP and RTM
  AIMEN Technology Centre (Spain)www.aimen.esPartners:RTDS Group (Austria)IRT Jules Verne (France)eBOS (Cyprus)Barcelona Supercomputing Center (Spain)GKN Aerospace (Sweden)AMADe – Universitat de Girona (Spain)Instituto Tecnológico de Aragón (Spain)Addcomposites Oy (Finland)Technical University of Delft (Netherlands)ESI Group | Keysight (France)The CAELESTIS Fan Outlet Guide Vane (OGV) has been manufactured using automated fiberplacement (AFP) for the dry carbon fiber preform and Resin Transfer Moulding (RTM) for theinjection of the aeronautic grade epoxy. During both processes quality control was integratedto avoid defects generation.Improving thrust-to-weight ratio in turbofan engines requires replacing metal parts with lighter, high-stiffness CFRP components. CAELESTIS targets composite fan outlet guide vanes (FOGVs), which straighten fan airflow and structurally connect the bypass and core sections. The low-temperature environment and directional properties of composites make them ideal for structural FOGVs. To reduce cost, the design uses dry textile reinforcements and out-of-autoclave processing. A layup dominated by 0° plies provides spanwise stiffness. The initial 8552/AS4 prepreg design was adapted for AFP constraints, with RTM6 resin used for RTM manufacturing.Key benefits:
• -30% design and manufacturing optimization time
• -35% of weight
• -80% of defects (AFP, PBF and RTM)
  
  Maritime Transportation & ShipbuildingComposite T-Boom for Ampelmann Offshore Gangway
  Ampelmann Operations (The Netherlands)www.ampelmann.nlPartners:Solico Engineering B.V. (The Netherlands)Vuyk Engineering Rotterdam B.V. (The Netherlands)Rondal B.V. (The Netherlands)Gurit AG (Switzerland)Lloyd’s Register Maritiem Nederland B.V. (The Netherlands)SINTEG Systems (The Netherlands)The Composite Telescoping Boom is the offshore access industry’s first compositegangway component, reducing mass by 30% and lowering system energy use by up to 7%.As a key part of Ampelmann’s motion-compensated gangway, it enables safe, reliabletransfer of personnel and cargo offshore.The 12.4-meter Composite T-Boom is produced in a one-shot, out-of-autoclave process as a U-shaped carbon-epoxy sandwich structure with PET foam cores and UD reinforcements for stiffness. Its stainless-steel interfaces are bonded using a dedicated surface preparation procedure to ensure long-term reliability. Additional developments, such as a composite sacrificial layer, tailored ultrasonic guided-wave inspection techniques, and Lloyd’s Register Approval in Principle, enable safe, reliable and certifiable use of composite components in demanding offshore environments.Key benefits:
• 30% mass reduction compared to the steel T-Boom
• Up to 7% reduction in system energy consumption
• Lower operational costs due to corrosion resistance
• Improved system specifications, including higher hoisting capacity
• Enables longer gangway reach due to reduced structural weight
  CoPropel – How to Minimise Fuel Consumption
  Loiretech Ingénierie (France)www.loiretech.comPartners:University of Ioannina (Greece)Danaos Systems (Cyprus)Bureau Veritas Marine & Offshore (France)MECA (France)BHSC (Bulgaria)Glafcos Marine (Greece)TWI (UK)Brunel University London (UK)Major innovations of CoPropel were linked to hydrodynamic & mechanical coupling tooptimiser pitch under several conditions at low computation cost, embedding SHM systemin a rotating part and building a net shape RTM component with impact protection at leadingand trailing edges.This innovation presents a composite propeller designed to exploit the flexibility and tunable mechanical response of fibre-reinforced structures. By optimising fibre orientation, the blade pitch adapts to varying hydrodynamic loads, unlike rigid metallic propellers. Manufactured by RTM to net shape, each blade integrates SHM systems (optical fibres and strain gauges) for real-time condition monitoring and easier maintenance. A lightweight joining design enables underwater blade replacement. Advanced NDI methods were developed for blades with large thickness variations and internal cores, while a continuous composite shield protects leading and trailing edges from impacts.Key benefits:
• Fuel saving of 4% with a potential of 15%
• Reduction of 25% of needed propulsion power
• Real time control of the propeller with SHM
  
  Carbo-link Spars – Mast Ventilation System
  Carbo-link AG (Switzerland)www.carbo-link.comPartner:Foundation? (The Netherlands)A world-first carbon mast integrating natural stack ventilation to reduce yacht energyconsumption. Using solar heating and airflow physics, the mast becomes an activeventilation system, lowering reliance on mechanical air-conditioning in the yacht, whilemaintaining the complete structural integrity of the mast.Carbo-link has created the first one-piece carbon mast for superyachts, using adapted aerospace co-curing techniques to merge longitudinal and fore-aft sections into a single autoclave-cured structure with no secondary bonding. An internal hollow channel enables a passive ventilation system: sunlight heats the mast, driving upward airflow that extracts warm interior air and reduces AC demand. A redesigned internal architecture with proprietary carbon stringers preserves stiffness while allowing unobstructed airflow. Over 70 m long, the mast delivers high structural integrity, lower energy consumption, and meaningful sustainability gains.Key benefits:
• Natural ventilation reduces energy use
• Dual-purpose mast: structure + airflow system
• One-piece structural continuity optimised weight
• Extended system lifespan with minimal maintenance
• Scalable sustainability for all vessel sizes
  Pipes, Tanks & HydrogenMaking the Next Generation of RTR Joints a Reality
  TWI Ltd (UK)www.twi-global.comPartners:Aramco (Saudi Arabia)Future Pipe Limited (UK)Utilisation of ‘welding’ to join thermoset composite pipes. Modification of a traditional metallic welding technique to coat each thermoset composite part with a layer of thermoplastic polymer allowing these two polymer-coated parts to be joined using a conventional polymer welding approach.This innovation combines induction welding and a novel adaptation of rotary friction welding to join thermoplastic and thermoset composites without altering either material. By optimising RFW parameters, the team achieved a robust interface with reinforcing fibre crossover while avoiding thermal damage to the epoxy matrix despite thermoplastic reaching up to ~450 °C. A second step, in the field, uses induction welding with a carbon-fibre thermoplastic tape acting as a susceptor to fuse the friction-welded layers of two pipes. The process overcomes stringent temperature-control challenges, enabling a reliable hybrid composite joint.Key benefits:
• Improved joint reliability (fewer leaks)
• De-skilled installation
• Increased joint performance
• Reduced carbon footprint vs metallic pipes
• Versatility / repairability
  
  Thermoplastic Tank Type 5 for High Pressure
  COVESS (Belgium)www.covess.comPartners:Air Liquide (France)Arkema (France)Gas tanks today are type 1–4: steel or thermoplastic liners wrapped with fiber and thermoset.Each type has clear drawbacks. The industry now awaits the true type 5, fully thermoplasticwithout liner and designed to eliminate all limitations of previous generations.This innovation combines several breakthroughs to create a true Type 5, fully thermoplastic, linerless pressure vessel. A reusable mandrel enables winding with biobased Rilsan® Nylon tapes in a heated, robot-controlled oven, producing a fully consolidated monolithic tank far stronger and lighter than thermoset types. The linerless design prevents vacuum collapse. A novel “inside-out” Boss ensures tighter sealing under pressure, while a replaceable threaded insert avoids scrapping the tank. Fire behaviour is inherently safe: the thin inner layer melts to vent gas in a controlled, non-explosive manner.Key benefits:
• Weight: Gravimatrix index + 10% economical
• No end-of-life limit (within the pressure limits)
• Safety: no risk of explosion when in fire
• Vacuum resistant: important by emptying – cleaning
• 100% recyclable
  LeiWaCo – Lightweight tank for liquid hydrogen
  CTC GmbH – An AIRBUS Company (Germany)www.ctc-composites.dePartners:AFPT GmbH (Germany)Argo-Anleg GmbH (Germany)CompriseTec GmbH (Germany)The German Aerospace Center (DLR) (Germany)E-Cap Marine GmbH (Germany)Faserinstitut Bremen e.V. (Germany)IDVA GmbH (Germany)Institute of Polymer Engineering of the Fachhochschule Nordwestschweiz (Switzerland)Schunk Kohlenstofftechnik GmbH (Germany)Suprem SA (Switzerland)Teijin Carbon Europe GmbH (Germany)The first composite LH2 tank solution to eliminate cryogenic microcracking using asynergistic combination of tailored thermoplastic matrix laminates, design solutions andmanufacturing processes. Validated by a functional subscale demonstrator.Liquid hydrogen offers highly efficient energy storage, but CFRP tanks have been limited by cryogenic microcracking at −253 °C. LeiWaCo overcomes this through a holistic solution: a tough thermoplastic matrix with higher cryogenic strain capacity, thinner materials to reduce internal stresses, optimized layups balancing mechanical loads and thermal contraction, and an all- composite liner eliminating CTE mismatch. Implementing these innovations required advances in materials, testing, design, and manufacturing. The project delivers a cryogenically tested subscale demonstrator and a conceptual LH2 logistics container to be presented at JEC World 2026.Key benefits:
• Significant weight and cost savings
• Automated manufacturing
• High resistance to microcracks
• Cross-sector synergies
• Enabling green hydrogen mobility
  Railway Vehicles & InfrastructureEcoTrain Self-supporting Composite Cab Body
  Stratiforme Industries (France)www.stratiforme.comPartner:EcoTrain SAS (France)A 100% composite, eco-designed, self-supporting cab body. By combining flax fiber withhigh-performance materials, its ultra-lightweight and durable structure drastically reducesthe weight, energy consumption, and carbon footprint of passenger rail transport.This innovation delivers a fully composite train body replacing metal structures through an eco-designed, lightweight and durable architecture. Using locally grown flax fibres combined with glass fibres, the structure meets strict railway mechanical and fire-safety standards while optimising weight and axle load. Manufactured by vacuum infusion, it enables complex shapes and integrates a major breakthrough: metal inserts embedded directly within the fibre stack, eliminating drilling and secondary bonding. This ensures superior cohesion, durability, and structural integrity. All design and production steps are performed in Bersée, Hauts-de-France.Key benefits:
• A structure that is 70% lighter, yet robust and durable
• Reduced energy consumption and CO? emissions
• Optimized operating costs for small lines
• Bio-based flax fiber, railway performance
• Increased integrity and durability (embedded inserts)
  Composite Twin-Track Cantilever
  Composite Braiding Ltd (UK)www.compositebraiding.comPartners:Amey UK Ltd (UK)Connected Places Catapult (UK)BCIMO (UK)The prototype composite twin-track cantilever (CTTC) engineered and manufactured by Composite Braiding Ltd (CBL) not only demonstrates the viability of using sustainable composite materials in the production of high-volume railway infrastructure but shows clear environmental and economic benefits.This innovation introduces a composite twin-track cantilever (CTTC) built from non-conductive glass-fibre reinforced thermoplastic (PA6) to replace heavy, carbon-intensive steel structures used for railway electrification. Nearly 8m tall and 4.5m wide, it uses adaptable truss components manufactured through a highly-scalable process with braiding and high-speed consolidation at its centre. The semi-automated process yields <2% waste, low energy use, high throughput and future compatibility with recycled materials. The prototype proves that thermoplastic braided composites offer a viable, economical, and sustainable step-change for large-scale rail infrastructure.Key benefits:
• A reduction in mass per unit of over 80%
• Reduced embodied CO2 emissions by up to 90%
• Improved worker safety and possession efficiency
• Doubling installation productivity
• Lower taxpayer cost for railway electrification
  Simple and Triangular Connecting Rods for Trains
  G12 Innovation (Brazil)www.g12innovation.com.brPartner:Patentes Talgo (Spain)Connecting rods for high-speed trains, made from three-fiber-reinforced thermoset composites (ACG), are replacing the current metal parts.This innovation introduces composite connecting rods made from aramid, carbon, and glass (ACG) fibres combined with a bio-based resin. Produced through two processes—skin-coat infusion with intumescent gel coat for fire resistance and vacuum-assisted RTM for mechanical performance due to high loaded conditions—the rods achieve R7 HL2 fire classification. Using polymers derived from post-use vegetable oils, the solution reduces petrochemical dependence and CO? emissions. Lower energy use, efficient logistics, and bio-polyols up to 70% cheaper than virgin materials deliver a durable, economical, and environmentally responsible alternative.Key benefits:
• Sustainability (proven via LCA)
• High fire and mechanical resistance
• Weight reduction of over 50%
  Renewable EnergiesFaster and reliable wind turbine blade production
  Synthesites (Greece)www.synthesites.comPartner:Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy – SGRE (Denmark)A sensorised mould for a 100+ m long offshore wind blade that can follow and control the moulding process in an optimal and automated way. Sensors embedded in the mould can check the resin flow while accurate online estimation of viscosity and Tg, reducing cycle time and energy, ensuring quality.The project delivers a real-time dielectric sensing suite for monitoring resin flow and curing during Siemens Gamesa’s one-shot casting of 115 m offshore wind blades. Embedded sensors detect resin arrival in critical zones and, thanks to proprietary calibration, provide online viscosity, degree of cure and Tg. Combined with Cure Simulators, the system offers accurate, continuous tracking of filling and curing. An additional inline Cure Simulator measures resin viscosity in pipelines and predicts curing in real time, greatly improving process transparency and control. The project is part of the Turbo project which has been partially funded by the Horizon EC programme.Key benefits:
• online quality control
• Reduce curing time
• Ensure part quality
• The Tg online eliminates DSC in production
• Reduce filling time
  FOCUS-Deployment
  CSSI New Composite Products Development (USA)www.intellifirewall.comPartners:USC – McGill Composites Center (USA)Alpha Star (USA)AEP – American Electric Power (USA)Saint-Gobain Group – Vetrotex (USA)FOCUS (Fastener-Free Optimized Composites for Utility-Scale Solar) – Deployment revolutionises solar mounting by replacing metal frames with advanced, fastener-free composite profiles produced through a proprietary 3D pultrusion process. This breakthrough delivers lighter, stronger, modular structures that enable rapid, robot-assisted installation while boosting durability and storm resistance.As solar deployment accelerates, FOCUS-Deployment tackles cost, speed, and reliability limits imposed by steel and aluminum mounting systems. Its glass-fiber/modified-epoxy composites, manufactured as 20–50 m defect-free profiles with folded fiber architectures, engineered flanges, and grooved edges, optimize load paths and allow snap-fit assembly without hardware. The design reduces material use, supports robotised construction, and improves supply-chain resilience. With superior strength-to-weight performance and secure panel nesting, FOCUS-Deployment enhances protection during storms and enables scalable, high-performance solar infrastructure.Key benefits:
• Fastener-free, rapid assembly
• Scalability and modularity
• Supply chain resilience
• Enhanced sustainability
• Superior structural performance
  Composite PV Module for Vehicles
  METYX (Türkiye)www.metyx.comPartners:Itech Solar (Türkiye)Center for Solar Energy Research and Applications of Middle East Technical University (Türkiye)Lightweight, highly transparent, and impact-resistant composite PV modules combining GFRP front sheets and CFRP sandwich back sheets, achieving >50% weight reduction, excellent light transmittance, and flexibility for curved vehicle surface integration.This innovation delivers a lightweight composite PV module for vehicle integration, replacing glass with a transparent GFRP front sheet and a rigid CFRP sandwich back sheet. Manufactured in a single-step infusion process, it offers high optical clarity (~90%), strong impact resistance, efficient heat dissipation, and major weight reduction (4–6 kg/m²). PV cells are embedded between composite layers, enabling curved geometries and enhanced durability. Tests confirmed IEC-level hail resistance with no cell damage, making this a cost-efficient step toward next-generation VIPV systems.Key benefits:
• 50–80% lighter than conventional glass panels
• Impact and hail resistant
• Curved vehicle integration possible
• Thermal regulation via CFRP
• Enhanced durability and safety- more affordable
  Sports, Leisure & RecreationModular Synthetic Track for Sustainable Sport
  bespline (Canada)www.bespline.caPartners:Gurit (Canada)X-Track (Canada)Arkema (France)Red Bull (Austria)The Quebec Composite Development Center &– CDCQ (Canada)X-Track is a modular synthetic track for electric motocross, BMX, and mountain biking, usingbio-composite materials and adaptive moulding. The project also explores panel recyclabilityfor cradle-to-cradle design, enabling sustainable, low-impact, and locally sourcedproduction.X-Track combines advanced sustainable materials with bespline’s adaptive moulding process.Panels use recycled PET foam, elium® resin, local flax fibres, and a rolling surface made fromrecycled rubber. The reconfigurable digital mould enables complex shapes without dedicated tooling, cutting waste and energy use. Vacuum infusion yields lightweight, strong panels with minimal resin loss. The process supports rapid prototyping, large formats, bio-based materials, and recyclability, aiming for cradle-to-cradle design and setting new standards for eco-design and manufacturing flexibility.Key benefits:
• Rapid installation & modularity
• Sustainability
• Versatility
• High performance & safety
• Market appeal
  HEAD’s Racquets Go Circular with Toray’s CFRP
  Toray Carbon Fibers Europe (France)www.toray-cfe.comPartners:HEAD Sports GmbH (Austria)Delta Preg S.p.A. (Italy)HEAD continues to innovate with the launch of the BOOM RAW and the BOOM NEON tennis racquets adopting Toray’s new bio-circular carbon fibers. This new range is an encouragingdevelopment in the search for a more environmentally responsible future for racquet sports.HEAD turned to Toray to develop lower-carbon tennis racquets without compromising performance.Toray supplies 100% bio-circular carbon fibers and prepregs produced via the mass balance approach. These fibers originate from biological origin waste-based resources—such as forestry residues, tall oil, and used cooking oils—converted into bio-circular acrylonitrile. Toray’s ISCC PLUS certification guarantees responsible sourcing and full traceability. By blending and tracking bio- circular inputs, Toray assigns sustainability attributes to the final CFRP, helping manufacturers lower emissions and advance more environmentally responsible composites.Key benefits:
• Reduced greenhouse gas emission
• No compromise on performance
• Market differentiation and European sourcing
  Lifecycle: A repairable road bike
  fenix composites (Germany)https://fenix-composites.comPartners:Alformet GmbH (Germany)herone GmbH (Germany)hyJOIN GmbH (Germany)The innovation is a bike frame made of thermoplastic CFRP profiles and titanium lugs. It isjoined by induction without additional adhesives or fastener elements. Through thereversibility of the process defective components can be removed and replaced in order tomaximise the frame’s life cycle.The bike frame combines 3D-printed Ti6Al4V lugs with thermoplastic composite tubes. Titanium lugs are produced by DMLS, machined for bearing seats, and laser-structured for joining. The front triangle uses braided preforms of recycled carbon fibre/PA6 consolidated by herone, while the rear triangle uses Alformet’s LATW-manufactured CF/PA6 tubes. Assembly relies on thermal direct joining: induction heating melts the polymer, which flows into the lug’s micro-structure, creating a strong (50+ MPa) adhesive-free joint. Tubes and lugs can be repeatedly separated and replaced, enabling full recyclability and repairability.Key benefits:
• Highly resilient and reversible joint connection
• Low cycle times for joining
• Manufacturing process can be fully automated
• 3D-printing allows the use of generative design
• Material, energy and cost effective
  The major players across the entire composites value chain will be at JEC World 2026, which will take place on March 10 – 12 2026 in Paris-Nord Villepinte, France.