EVENTS
Future events
AIM-NEXT Training 4 | 3 - 5 November 2026
AIM-NEXT training event no. 4, is going to be held in UC3M, Madrid (Spain) from 3 to 5 November 2026. We are going to have hands on training in advanced microstructural characterisation. We will keep you informed
Past events
AIM - NEXT TRAINING 3
Barcelona, Spain | 14 - 16 April 2026
AIM-NEXT ended its third training event at UPC, in Spain! These are the highlightes covered during this four dynamic days:
• Hands-on micromechanics delivered by the expert Dr. Jeff Wheeler
• Presentation on intelectual property rights held by Erik Olson, Patent attorney from Sandvik. Followed with a fruitfull debate led by Susanne Norgren from Sandvik, Steven Moseley and Sandra Gordon from Hilti.
• Invited talk on criticallity of raw materials held by Sergi Vinardell, UPC profesor.
• Networking activities and dinners — including a visit of Park Güell and a team work activity, where we prepared our own dinner with traditional spanish dishes.
MTC-MEETING
Barcelona, Spain | 29 - 30 January 2026
On January 29th and 30th, the MTC Meeting took place at EEBE-UPC.
The meeting included the visit of the project officer, allowing for an in-depth review of the project’s progress and next steps. A dedicated poster session was held in which the students presented their profiles, academic and professional backgrounds, and their individual projects within AIM-Next, fostering direct discussion and interaction with consortium members.
Two highly productive days of exchange, alignment, and collaboration among all partners.
AIM - NEXT TRAINING 2
Aachen, Germany | 10 - 13 November 2025
AIM-NEXT ended its second training event at RWTH Aachen University, in Germany! These are the highlightes covered during this four dynamic days:
• Hands-on Abaqus introduction workshop
• Midterm check meeting preparation
• Presentation on project managment held by Sandra Gordon, Hilti's project manager.
• Workshop on scientific writing held by Bengt Hallstedt, HRWTH Aachen University profesor.
• Networking activities and dinners — including a traditional german bowling game and a dinner at the traditional Postwagen Zum Rats-keller restaurant
21st Plansee Seminar
Reutte, Austria | 1 - 6 June 2025
AIM-NEXT was proudly represented at the 21st Plansee Seminar, one of the leading international conferences for the hard materials community, organized by Plansee Group in Reutte, Austria.
The project gained international visibility through several channels:
• Mentioned during the European Powder Metallurgy Association EuroHM Open Meeting, highlighting AIM-NEXT’s strategic role in advancing non-CRM hard materials in Europe.
• Reference during Prof. Luis Llanes’ keynote talk on "100 years of cemented carbide", underscoring the project’s vision and scientific impact.
• Two dedicated poster presentations:
(i) Dr. Hossein Besharatloo, AIM-NEXT Project Manager, presented the official project overview poster.
(II) Paul Okhiria, AIM-NEXT Doctoral Fellow, presented research developed within the project framework.
• Display and distribution of AIM-NEXT’s brochure and promotional materials throughout the venue. Link: https://lnkd.in/dWCBpJQY
These dissemination actions helped connect AIM-NEXT with global leaders in academia and industry, in line with our mission to support research and training in non-CRM hard materials for extreme applications.
AIM-NEXT Training 1
Stockholm, Sweden | 12 - 14 May 2025
AIM-NEXT successfully held its first training event at Kungliga Tekniska högskolan in Stockholm! Over three dynamic days, our consortium members, doctoral candidates, and industry partners came together to drive forward the development and integration of non-CRM hard materials for next-generation extreme applications.
Highlights included:
• Hands-on ICME Workshop with Thermo-Calc Software
• In-depth project discussions and student introductions
• Industry visit to Sandvik Group in Västberga
• Workshop on dissemination of best practices for our PhD Fellows
• Networking dinners — including one at the iconic Fotografiska Museum
KICK-OFF MEETING (KOM)
Virtual | 7 March 2024
The official project launch meeting took place virtually on March 7, 2024. It established the governance structure, clarified consortium responsibilities, SB members' confirmation, and set the framework for project execution.
It was immediately followed by a presential meeting (12 March 2024) of several SB members participating at the 12th International Conference on the Science of Hard Materials. This follow-up KOM was extremely fruitful for consensing AIM-NEXT's Consortium Agreement and Recruitment Strategy.