CoBRAIN’s Final Event – COATINGS 2026 Conference
- May 4, 2026
The Coatings 2026 International Conference, held in Athens, Greece, marked a defining moment for the CoBRAIN project, serving as its flagship final event ahead of the project’s completion at the end of the year. Organised by EXELISIS IKE, CoBRAIN’s Dissemination and Communication Manager, in collaboration with MDPI, the conference brought together a vibrant community of leading experts, researchers, and industry pioneers in advanced coatings and materials science.
From the very first day, the conference created a lively and dynamic environment for scientific exchange, innovation, and collaboration. At the heart of this activity stood the CoBRAIN booth, where the consortium maintained a strong and continuous presence. Visitors were invited to explore the world of CoBRAIN through interactive discussions and live demonstrations. A key highlight was the continuous SSbD training sessions, where participants experienced the SDSS tool in action and gained first hand insight into how it supports smarter, safer, and more sustainable coating design. The booth also became a space for meaningful dialogue, collecting stakeholder needs and real world challenges, further strengthening CoBRAIN’s commitment to user driven innovation.
The conference programme was enriched by a series of high level contributions from CoBRAIN partners. On the opening day, Dr. Giulia Gigante (UMR) delivered an insightful presentation on microstructure property relationships for the design of sustainable high entropy alloys and cermet coatings. Her work showcased advanced nanomechanical mapping techniques and demonstrated how detailed material characterisation can support the development of more efficient and sustainable coating systems.
On the second day, Dr. Song Lu (VTT) presented research on the use of high entropy alloys as alternative binders within the CoBRAIN framework. His contribution highlighted the potential of these materials to enable stronger, more adaptable, and environmentally conscious coating solutions, reinforcing CoBRAIN’s role in advancing next generation materials.
The final day offered a comprehensive overview of CoBRAIN’s journey and achievements. The project coordinator, Prof. Giovanni Bolelli (UMR), presented the project’s objectives, key results, and overall impact. In parallel, the second poster session featured two CoBRAIN contributions. The first, by Prof. Bolelli, focused on the role of substrate hardness in the adhesion of DLC based coatings deposited on L PBF Al Si Mg alloys. The second, by Mr. Alvise Bianchin (MBN), addressed data collection and organisation to support decision making processes in material selection.
A dedicated CoBRAIN session on advances in thermal spraying further highlighted partner expertise. Prof. Sergi Dosta (UB), invited speaker at the conference, presented work on the deposition of high entropy alloys and reinforced coatings using cold spray. This was followed by Mr. Alvise Bianchin (MBN), who introduced a flexible manufacturing approach for high entropy and compositionally complex cermet feedstock for thermal spray applications. Dr. Lorenzo Miconi (UMR) contributed additional technical insights, enriching the discussion.
The conference concluded with an awards ceremony celebrating excellence and collaboration across the coatings community. Overall, Coatings 2026 provided a strong and inspiring platform to showcase the scientific achievements and collaborative efforts of the CoBRAIN project, reinforcing its impact and paving the way for its successful completion by the end of the year.
Check more photos in the event’s gallery here: https://sciforum.net/index.php/event/Coatings2026?subscribe§ion=#gallery
Watch the video of the conference here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aR6l7P3f4RU
CoBRAIN project has officially launched!
On 24th – 25th of January EXELISIS participated in the hybrid kick-off meeting, of the CoBRAIN project, hosted by UNIMORE in Modena of Italy. CoBRAIN is a HorizonEU project funded by the EU under the topic Advanced materials modelling and characterisation.
EXELISIS is leading activities related to IPR Management and Dissemination & Communication activities under WP7, which were presented along with some guidelines for a successful D&C strategy.
Click here to learn more about CoBRAIN project.
