Welcome

2021 marks the first time that the International Conference on Composite Materials (ICCM) will be held on the island of Ireland, in the historic city of Belfast. It is appropriate that Belfast, with its rich pioneering and engineering heritage, should be chosen to host ICCM 23. The birthplace of Lord Kelvin and home to John Boyd Dunlop, Belfast was a global powerhouse of the Industrial Revolution, becoming Ireland’s pre-eminent industrial city, where the RMS Titanic was built in what was then the world’s largest shipyard.

It is home to the oldest production aircraft manufacturer in the world, Short Brothers, which was founded in 1908 and purchased by Bombardier in 1989. The pioneering technology for the manufacture of the highly-integrated resin-infused composite wing, used on the Airbus A220, was developed here.

Today, Belfast is a vibrant, modern and increasingly multicultural city with a solid high-value manufacturing base and an entrepreneurial spirit. I look forward to welcoming you to this exciting city!