From Paris to Oslo and across the Atlantic to Indianapolis, SSUCHY-Next was on the move in 2026. Through exhibitions, scientific conferences and consortium meetings across Europe and internationally, project partners shared their latest developments in high-performance, bio-based composites.
These events brought the project into contact with industrial stakeholders, researchers and the wider bioeconomy community. Visitors discovered demonstrators combining hemp fibres and innovative resin systems for construction and wind energy, while scientific presentations offered insights into material performance, durability and characterisation.
Events
JEC World 2026 – March 10–12, Paris, France
SSUCHY-Next took part in JEC World, a leading international exhibition for composite materials, with a shared booth in the Bio-Materials Village, organised by the Alliance for European Flax-Linen & Hemp.
Participating partners included KU Leuven, Materia Nova, Université Marie et Louis Pasteur, Bitrez, CETIM, EcoTechnilin, Terre de Lin, Linificio e Canapificio Nazionale, UTTOP and Arkema.
The stand showcased developments combining European hemp fibres with innovative bio-based resins. Textile reinforcements, semi-products and demonstrators illustrated the steps connecting material development with structural applications. Visitors discussed manufacturing, material validation and opportunities for deployment in wind energy and construction directly with the consortium.
BIOKET 2026 – March 17–19, Fribourg, Switzerland
Dedicated to key enabling technologies for the bioeconomy, BIOKET provided an opportunity to present SSUCHY-Next’s materials at the Bioeconomy For Change stand.
CETIM supplied recycled composite demonstrators produced using Thermosaïc and ThermoPRIME technologies, illustrating processing and recycling pathways for Arkema’s Elium® resin combined with flax and hemp fibres.
Alongside these samples, EcoTechnilin’s HempTape showcased unidirectional hemp reinforcement designed for scalable manufacturing. Quasi-unidirectional hemp fabrics developed by Linificio e Canapificio Nazionale highlighted textile solutions for structural applications. Together, these exhibits connected reinforcement development with processing and circularity.
CBE JU Stakeholder Forum 2026 – March 24, Brussels, Belgium
The Circular Bio-based Europe Joint Undertaking Stakeholder Forum brought together bioeconomy stakeholders to exchange on the development and deployment of bio-based solutions in Europe.
SSUCHY-Next contributed to the exhibition with HempTape from EcoTechnilin, quasi-unidirectional fabrics from Linificio e Canapificio Nazionale, a bio-based wind blade prototype from Université Marie et Louis Pasteur, and a Nabasco façade panel from NPSP.
The display connected textile reinforcements with end-use applications, providing a tangible overview of the project’s approach and opportunities to discuss requirements for wind energy and construction materials.
American Coatings Show 2026 – May 5–7, Indianapolis, United States
Bitrez represented SSUCHY-Next at the American Coatings Show, bringing the project to professionals from the coatings and associated materials industries.
Within SSUCHY-Next, Bitrez is developing 100% bio-based resin solutions for high-performance hemp fibre composites, targeting applications including wind energy and construction.
Discussions involving Paul H. Jones addressed collaborative innovation, circularity and material performance. By highlighting its involvement in SSUCHY-Next alongside other European projects, Bitrez illustrated how cooperation between industry and research supports the development of new materials and manufacturing solutions.
24H of Bioeconomy For Change 2026 – July 1–2, Beauvais, France
SSUCHY-Next was showcased at the European Projects stand during the 24H of Bioeconomy For Change, which combined innovation pitches, workshops, B2B meetings and networking.
The display included a highly bio-based façade panel developed by NPSP, integrating hemp fibres, recyclable resins and circular design principles. Visitors also discovered EcoTechnilin’s HempTape®, using fibres from Terre de Lin, and quasi-unidirectional hemp fabrics from Linificio e Canapificio Nazionale.
During an Innovation Pitch, Jean-Jacques Flat presented Arkema’s activities in bio-based materials, including the contribution of its bio-based production platform in Singapore.
Foire de Châlons – August 31, Châlons-en-Champagne, France
SSUCHY-Next participated in the Village de la Bioéconomie during a day dedicated to Europe’s role in accelerating bioeconomy innovation.
Méline Carré from CETIM presented the project’s objectives and ongoing work on mechanical recycling of thermoplastic composites, covering wood-based composites for construction and hemp-based composites for wind turbine blades.
A dedicated project stand and CETIM’s stand enabled visitors to discover materials and demonstrators, discuss potential applications and learn about recycling approaches. This participation brought the project’s work to a broader audience beyond specialised composites events.
Scientific conferences and presentations
Bio-based resins webinar – May 29
Organised by Bioeconomy For Change, the webinar “Bio-based resins: sourcing, production and applications” brought together industrial and research perspectives on renewable alternatives for resin production.
Leila Bonnaud, from Materia Nova’s (BIO)Polymers department, presented an overview of bio-based reactants produced in Europe or available on the European market, prepared within SSUCHY-Next.
Her contribution addressed sourcing opportunities for polyphenols, amine compounds and aldehydes relevant to resin development. The wider programme covered epoxy, benzoxazine and Elium® systems, connecting raw material availability with chemistry and industrial applications.
EURODINAME III – June 8–11, Giens, France
Mohamed Amine Belahcen from Université Marie et Louis Pasteur represented SSUCHY-Next at EURODINAME III, an international conference dedicated to structural dynamics.
His presentation, “Simultaneous Identification of Elastic and Damping Properties in Bio-Based Composites”, explored methods for determining both material stiffness and the ability to dissipate vibration energy. This research supports the characterisation and modelling of bio-based composites for applications where dynamic behaviour matters.
SAMPE Benelux Student Competition and Spring Meeting 2026 – June 8-9, Hoogeveen, Netherlands
Sander Van de Vel from KU Leuven presented SSUCHY-Next research at the SAMPE Benelux Student Competition, held during the Spring Meeting hosted by GKN Fokker Aerospace.
His presentation examined the hygrothermal durability of flax and hemp fibre composites with epoxy and Elium® matrices. The research investigated how moisture affects stiffness and strength, showing that improved adhesion between natural fibres and Elium® enhanced mechanical performance while delaying moisture-induced degradation.
ECCM22 – June 21–25, Oslo, Norway
The 22nd European Conference on Composite Materials provided a forum for two SSUCHY-Next researchers to share findings on composite performance and durability.
Mohamed Amine Belahcen, from Institut FEMTO-ST / Université Marie et Louis Pasteur, presented research on the stiffness–damping trade-off in hemp/Elium® composites for wind turbine applications.
Ivo Liepa, from Delft University of Technology, explored fatigue–creep interaction in hemp fibre composites. These contributions addressed complementary challenges in understanding material responses to vibration, repeated loading and sustained mechanical stress.
The journey continues in 2027
Throughout 2026, SSUCHY-Next partners shared progress on fibres, resins, manufacturing and recycling, connecting research developments with industrial needs across Europe and beyond. This engagement will continue in 2027 through further exhibitions, scientific conferences and opportunities for collaboration. Among these, JEC World, taking place on March 2-4 at Paris Nord Villepinte, will offer an occasion to meet the consortium and discover the project’s latest advances. Together, these events will support continued exchanges on bio-based composites and their applications in wind energy and construction.
