MDPI is excited to host the Coatings 2026: Safe and Sustainable by Design (SSbD) Surface Treatment and Coatings conference. Taking place in Athens, Greece, the in-person event will run from 20 to 22 April 2026, bringing together industry professionals in the field of surface finishing.

With important registration deadlines approaching, this article provides all the important details you need to know about this conference.

What is the purpose of Coatings 2026?

The Coatings conference will bring together researchers, industry professionals, and experts from around the globe to share the latest advancements, exchange ideas, and foster collaborations in the field.

The surface finishing industry is facing growing challenges, including stricter environmental regulations and the need to adopt cleaner, more sustainable technologies. Joining forces across research, policy and supply chains will help the industry to produce coatings that meet tomorrow’s standards while protecting the planet.

The event programme is designed to offer an engaging platform for discussing cutting-edge research, emerging challenges and future directions in the field.

Schedule overview

The conference will host sessions on:

• Advances in metallic and metal matrix composite coatings
• Advances in organic and hybrid coatings
• Advances in methods and equipment
• Surface finishing for additive manufacturing
• Application of the SSbD framework on the surface finishing industry
• Advances in thermal spraying
• Thin film technologies and applications
• Anodizing of light alloys
• AI tools and simulations
• Phasing out substances of concern from the surface finishing industry

The above sessions will be delivered by a mix of plenary and invited speakers:

• Dr. Nick Birbilis – Faculty of Science, Engineering and Built Environment, Deakin University, Australia
• Dr. Eugenia (Éva) Valsami-Jones – School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham, UK
• Dr. Dimitrios Bikiaris – Labotory of Polymer Chemistry and Technology, Chemistry Department, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece
• Dirk Drees – Falex Tribology, N.V., Belgium
• Magda Blosi – Institute of Science, Technology and Sustainability for Ceramics, National Research Council of Italy (ISSMC CNR) Faenza (Ra), Italy
• Emerson Coy – NanoBiomedical Centre, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poland
• Dr. Andreas G. Boudouvis – Former Rector, National Technical University of Athens, Greece
• Dr. Sergi Dosta – University of Barcelona, Spain
• Dr. Maria Pia Pedeferri – Department of Chemistry, Materials and Chemical Engineering “Giulio Natta” (CMIC), Politecnico di Milano, Italy

Additionally, there will be a conference dinner held at the Royal Olympic Hotel in the centre of Athens on 21 April. You can reserve your seat and leave information on dietary requirements during the event’s registration process.

Event awards

MDPI is pleased to offer five awards for participations of Coatings 2026: Safe and Sustainable by Design Surface Treatment and Coatings. Sponsored by the journal Coatings, the following awards will be presented at the conference:

• Best Oral Presentation Award (x1)
• Best Poster Award (x2)
• Early Career Researcher Award (x2)

Participating in Coatings 2026

Registration for the Coatings conference will be open until 13 March 2026 – please note that the number of participants is limited.

For attendees who have submitted an abstract to present at the event, the covering author must register by 16 March 2026. Abstracts without completed registration by this date will be withdrawn.

Attendees also have the exciting opportunity to contribute a full manuscript to the Joint Special Issue Coatings 2026: Safe and Sustainable by Design Surface Treatment and Coatings in the journals Coatings and Nanomaterials, with an 800 CHF discount on publication fees.

To find out more details about the upcoming conference and how to get involved, 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.