On 22 October 2026, ATIMA participated in the IMAGINE 2026 conference in Vienna, the flagship event for digital key technologies organised by the Federal Ministry for Innovation, Mobility and Infrastructure (BMIMI) and the Austrian Research Promotion Agency (FFG). The event brought together representatives from research, industry, public administration and the wider innovation community to explore how key technologies can work together to strengthen Austria’s innovation ecosystems.
ATIMA was prominently represented throughout the event, at the journey to the venue with a platforms and project presentation, an interactive exhibition booth and a contribution to the Networking Workshop on Key Technologies. A highlight of the day was the hand-over of
the recently published “Advanced Materials Roadmap for Austria”, to Anna Bellomo and Michael Wiesmüller (BMIMI). The Roadmap is a public available document, accessible under:
- Falk, A., Wolf, C., Resch, S., Parfy, A., Losert, B., Steinwender, A., Miron, V., Bohmayr, W., Hackl, G., Heer, R., Poredos, B., Grabher, G. (2026). Advanced Materials Roadmap für Österreich.
The day began with the “On Track for IMAGINE26” session, where participants travelled to the event venue by tram, with each carriage dedicated to a key technology. ATIMA was presented in the tram departing from Schwedenplatz by Andreas Falk (BioNanoNet), Veronika Miron (BIZ-UP), Agnes Parfy (AM-Austria) and Rudy Heer (nanoNET-Austria). Furthermore, experts from the Wiener Linien and the AIT gave short pitch presentations . The session offered an opportunity to introduce ATIMA and highlight the diversity of Austria’s advanced materials ecosystem.
During the “Networking Workshop on Key Technologies”, Andreas Falk (BioNanoNet) and Alexander Pogany (BMIMI) presented the ATIMA project and Austria’s newly released Advanced Materials Roadmap. Their contribution highlighted the importance of advanced materials and the opportunities for collaboration across key technology areas, including artificial intelligence, quantum technologies, photonics, microchips, production technologies and robotics.
The workshop brought together participants and representatives of networking platforms for short presentations and moderated small-group discussions, encouraging dialogue and identifying potential synergies between different technology ecosystems.
Throughout the day, ATIMA welcomed visitors at its exhibition booth, showcasing materials and products that illustrated partly the breadth of ATIMA’s advanced materials landscape. The exhibits covered the five technology fields addressed by ATIMA: nanotechnology, lightweight construction, additive manufacturing (3D printing), metallurgy and smart textiles.
Examples included products made from lightweight materials, such as a drone, 3D-printed components and the Austrian Advanced Materials Roadmap. The exhibits demonstrated the diversity of advanced materials applications and their potential to drive innovation across industries.
The booth attracted around 200 visitors, including representatives from research and industry, students as well as citizens. It provided a valuable opportunity to raise awareness of advanced materials, share knowledge and connect with stakeholders from different backgrounds. Lots of them showed huge interest in the Austrian Advanced Materials Roadmap, that was presented by and discussed with the ATIMA team.
Beyond ATIMA’s contributions, the IMAGINE programme featured an opening session, the panel discussion “Connections in All Directions” on synergies between technologies, interactive workshops, the “Call for Artists” project presentations, “Merging Tracks” to connect different perspectives, and the “From Station to Station” exhibition rally. The day concluded with a review of key takeaways and a look at the next steps for advancing key technologies.
IMAGINE 2026 provided ATIMA with an excellent platform to present Austria’s Advanced Materials Roadmap, showcase practical applications and strengthen connections across the Austrian innovation ecosystem.
Call to action:
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