The 24^th Symposium on Composites and Material Composites ("Verbund 2024") took place from 22 to 24 May 2024 in Freiburg and online and was a complete success. A total of 150 people took part in the symposium, including 132 on-site and 18 online. The event offered an extensive program with 58 lectures, 26 oral poster presentations and 16 posters. The highlight were the five plenary lectures, which presented the latest developments and research results in the field of composite materials.

The unique atmosphere in the Kollegiengebäude I of the University of Freiburg, especially in the Aula and the Prometheushalle, was particularly appreciated by the participants. The reception on the first day by the Mayor of the City of Freiburg, Prof. Dr. Martin Haag, in the lower hall of the town hall's “Gerichtslaube” offered the participants a warm welcome. A free and well-attended guided tour of the city in fine weather rounded off the first day.

On the second evening, the participants were able to socialize at INATECH and visit the institute. Professional and personal discussions characterized the evening until late into the night. Another highlight was the free guided tour of the Botanical Garden on Friday afternoon, led by Prof. Speck, which was very popular even before the rain set in.

An important part of the symposium was the accompanying exhibition, which offered participants additional insights into current developments and products in the field of composite materials. The Young Scientists Forum of the German Society for Materials Science (DGM) took place parallel to the Composites Symposium, giving young scientists the opportunity to get a taste of the conference and make valuable contacts.

The poster prizes, which were awarded to the following people this year, were particularly well received:

- 1^st prize: Karima Saddedine from the Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg

- 2^nd prize: Andreas Gester from TU Chemnitz

- 3^rd prize: Alex Frederick Liebau from the Fraunhofer Institute for Large Structures in Production Engineering (IGP) in Rostock

The DGM office would like to thank Prof. Balle and his team for their excellent support in preparing and running the symposium. Memories can be viewed in the photo gallery on the official website.

The next Composites and Composite Materials Symposium will take place from 11 to 13 March 2026 under the direction of Prof. Guntram Wagner in Chemnitz. Please make a note of this date. Further information will follow at a later date.

Further details on the conference can be found on the official website.