The 18th International Symposium on Functionally Graded Materials (ISFGMs2026) was held in Wuhan from October 22 to 25. Hosted by the State Key Laboratory of Advanced Technology For Materials Synthesis and Processing of Wuhan University of Technology, the symposium brought together more than 200 experts and scholars from 18 countries and regions including China, the United States, Germany, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Australia, Mexico and Singapore. Among the participants were five Members of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, five Members of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and six foreign academicians.

Professor Zhang Lianmeng, Member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and Honorary Chair of the Symposium; Professor Wei Bingbo, Member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and President of the Chinese Materials Research Society; Professor Mai Liqiang, Vice President of Wuhan University of Technology; Professor Takashi Goto, Academician of the Asia-Pacific Academy of Materials from Tohoku University, Japan; and Professor Yoshikazu Shinohara, Secretary-General of the International Advisory Committee for Functionally Graded Materials (IACFGMs), delivered speeches at the opening ceremony. Professor Fu Zhengyi, Member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, served as Symposium Chair; Professor Chen Fei from Wuhan University of Technology as Executive Chair; and Professor Hansang Kwon from Pukyong National University, the Republic of Korea, as Co-Executive Chair. Other attending experts and scholars included Professor Jiang Desheng, Professor Zhang Qingjie, Professor Li Hejun and Professor Yang Zhongmin, all Members of the Chinese Academy of Engineering.

Award ceremonies for the Best Oral Award and the Best Poster Award were held during the symposium. Professor Fu Zhengyi and Professor Takashi Goto jointly presented awards to nine winning scholars.

Launched in 1990, the ISFGMs series is held biennially in rotation across America, Europe and Asia. Over more than 30 years of development, it has grown into the longest-standing and most influential international academic platform in the field of functionally graded materials. It plays a vital role in facilitating cutting-edge academic exchanges, guiding disciplinary development and advancing international research collaboration. Following previous editions hosted in Beijing in 2002 and 2012, the symposium returned to China after a 14-year interval and was held in Wuhan for the first time. Wuhan University of Technology took an active part in organising the two prior Beijing conferences. Its successful hosting of this prestigious international academic event fully demonstrates its solid research foundation, prominent disciplinary strengths and substantial international academic influence in functionally graded materials. It will further boost international academic exchanges and cooperation, and drive innovative progress in this research field.

Written by: Huang Zhifeng, Shui Jingjing

Rewritten by: Lin Qiaochu

Edited by: Mei Mengqi, Yu Bingjie

Source: International Office, Institute of New Materials