MDPI hosted the Nanomaterials 2026: Innovations and Future Perspectives conference in Barcelona, Spain, from 16 to 18 March 2026. The in-person event brought together researchers and industry professionals to share the latest developments in nanomaterials research.

This article highlights the key moments and insights about this conference.

MDPI’s Conference Team with the Event Chairs at the Nanomaterials 2026 conference stand around a branded banner.

What is the purpose of Innovations and Future Perspectives?

The Nanomaterials conference aimed to bring together researchers, industry professionals, and experts from around the globe to share the latest advancements, exchange ideas, and foster collaborations in the nanomaterials field and share insights around other smart materials.

The event programme was designed to provide an engaging platform to discuss cutting-edge research, emerging challenges and future directions in the field.

“We try to direct the input from the community by inviting keynote and invited speakers, and they bring the latest happenings in the field of nanomaterials […] the field still offers such opportunities to technology and science” – Prof. Dr. Eugenia Valsami, event chair.

Schedule overview

The conference featured sessions on:

• Nanomedicine and bionanotechnology.
• Nanomaterials for energy and catalysis.
• Nanophotonics, nanoelectronics, nanosensors and devices.
• Computational nanoscience.
• Environmental applications and implications of nanotechnology.

Speaker profiles

The above sessions were delivered by 6 invited speakers:

• Dr. Miguel A. Bañares – Instituto De Catálisis y Petroleoquímica, CSIC, Spain
• Dr. Susana Loureiro – CESAM-Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies and Biology Department, University of Aveiro, Portugal
• Dr. Andrew Nelson – School of Chemistry, University of Leeds, UK
• Anastasios Papadiamantis – Entelos Institute, NovaMechanics, France
• Nihal Engin Vrana – CEO at Spartha Medical, France
• Nuria Vázquez Mera – Autonomous University of Barcelona, Spain

Alongside the invited speakers, there were 3 keynote speakers giving talks throughout the event:

• Kostas Kostarelos – ICREA Research Professor and Severo Ochoa Distinguished Professor leading the Nanomedicine Lab at Institut Català de Nanociència i Nanotecnologia (ICN2)
• Arben Merkoci – ICREA Research Professor and Head of the Nanobioelectronics & Biosensors Group at ICN2
• Dr. Gregory V. Lowry – Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University

Participating in Nanomaterials 2026

The conference was a great success, attracting over 100 attendees from 25 different countries. The event received over 160 abstract submissions, featuring 43 posters from participating scientists while hosting 27 selected talks.

MDPI is delighted to have been able to present two awards at the conclusion of the conference, sponsored by the Nanomaterials journal, for best poster and best oral presentation.

To find out more details about the conference, you can visit the homepage on Sciforum. Keep an eye on our conferences blog page to stay up to date with any future conferences that MDPI will be involved in.

A large group of attendees at the Nanomaterials 2026 conference stand in front of a branded projector screen.