25th International Colloquium Tribology
Bridging Science and Industry – Driving a Sustainable Future with Tribology
We are pleased to announce the 25th anniversary edition of the International Tribology Colloquium in 2026. You can expect cutting-edge presentations from various areas of tribology, an interesting supporting program and many opportunities to meet colleagues from all over the world. Don't miss out on this anniversary event and save the date today!
Presentation topics can be submitted from now until the end of April 2025. The final program will be published here in summer 2025.
Topics of the colloquium
Platform for intensive knowledge exchange
The 25th International Colloquium on Tribology offers an inspiring mix of presentations from industry and research and presents exciting developments in all important areas of tribology as well as new technologies that will have a strong influence on future developments.
Find out more about the main topics in our program!
Submit your paper topic now
CALL FOR PAPERS
We are looking for you as a speaker! Share your experiences, present your research work to an international audience and help shape the conference with your own presentation. Benefit from the reduced participation fee!
The submission of presentation proposals is possible until April 30, 2025 via the platform smart abstract!
Register now
Information for participants
The conference will be held in a hybrid flex format. You can choose to attend on-site or stream the presentations live online. Here you will find all relevant organisational information for your participation. Find out about booking conditions, accommodation and travel options.
Partner now
Exhibition & Sponsorship
Parallel to the conference, an exhibition in the main foyer is organized, where companies will present their products and services. Take advantage of this ideal opportunity to promote your services to a high-calibre audience of decision-makers, specialists and managers.
Venue
TAE – Technische Akademie Esslingen e.V.
An der Akademie 5
73760 Ostfildern/Stuttgart
Germany
Your Contact
Submit your paper now!
Call for Paper for the 25th International Colloquium Tribology 2026
Take the opportunity to help shape the conference with your own presentation. Submit the abstract of your presentation topic with assignment to one of the below-mentioned topics by April 30, 2025.
Submission is possible via our Smart Abstract Platform. Please register with your e-mail address and assign a password. Your old user account from the last conference may still exist.
The following information must be provided:
- main title and subtitle of the presentation
- short summary of the presentation
- details of the speaker and, if applicable, co-authors with full contact details
The duration of the presentation at the colloquium is 30 minutes, including 5 to 10 minutes of discussion.
The program committee will review and select the submitted papers by the end of June 2025.
Main topics of the event
Lubricants and additives
- Novel additive technologies
- Oils and greases for enhanced performance of machine elements
- Alternative fuels and lubricants in combustion engines
- Lubricants and coolants for electric and hybrid vehicles
- Hydraulic, turbine, and compressor fluids
- Food-safe lubricants
- Superlubricity enabled by lubricating components
- Rheological behavior and design of fluid systems
- Directions in standards and specifications
Tribology in machine elements and engineering applications
- Innovations in gear and transmission technologies
- Performance and longevity improvements in bearings
- Advances in seal technologies
- Tribological optimization of clutches and brakes
- Fuel economy through tribological advancements in engines
- Friction and wear in electric drivetrains
- Aerospace tribology: meeting extreme operational demands
- Tribological solutions in wind turbines and renewable power systems
- Efficiency and precision in machining and cutting processes
- Filtration systems for enhanced equipment life
Testing and measurement techniques
- Methodologies for tribological testing
- Real-time condition monitoring of lubricants and machinery
- Oil condition monitoring
- Experimental design for tribological research & development
- Surface characterization technologies
- Detection and analysis of particles and contaminants
- Radioisotope tracing in wear studies
- Reliability testing under realistic conditions
- Tribological studies under extreme conditions such as temperature
Surface engineering, coatings, and tribochemistry
- New insights in friction, lubrication, and wear mechanisms
- Developments in micro- and nanotribology
- New 2D materials for friction and wear reduction
- Strategies for wear reduction and protection
- Ultra-thin lubricating films
- Tribochemical reactions and their industrial use
- Mixed and boundary friction
- Hydro- and elastohydrodynamic lubrication
- Extremely low friction in dry contacts
- Tribology of polymers and composite systems
- Embedded lubrication for high-performance materials
Digital transformation and computational tools in tribology
- Artificial intelligence and machine learning for tribological applications
- Predictive models for lifecycle and failure analysis
- Bridging lab-scale studies to real-world applications
- Digital twin technology for tribological systems
- Predictive maintenance through condition monitoring
- IoT-enabled solutions in tribology
- Contact mechanics and FEM modeling
- Molecular dynamics simulations in lubrication
- Software tools for tribological research & development
Sustainable practices and resource efficiency in tribology
- Applications of lubricants with bio-based components
- Water-based lubrication for sustainable operations
- Comprehensive life-cycle assessments
- Circular economy approaches in tribology
- Energy efficiency through friction reduction
- Minimizing CO₂ emissions in combustion engines
- Zero emissions and emission reduction
- Non-exhaust particulate emissions - tire and brake wear
- Tribological solutions for hydrogen-powered systems
Conference proceedings
The program committee will review and select the submitted papers by the end of July 2025.
As soon as your presentation has been accepted for the conference, you will receive a corresponding message from us in a timely manner.
We will ask you to submit further documents by 31.10.2025:
- 2-page extended abstract for publication in the conference proceedings. The submission of a complete manuscript is not required.
- graphics used separately in high resolution (400 dpi)
- short biography and photo to introduce yourself
Please note: By submitting your manuscript, you release the Technische Akademie Esslingen from any copyright claims of third parties and grant us permission to reproduce and distribute your complete contribution in digital and printed form as a conference document for participants of the conference and for third parties as well as in excerpts for advertising and sales promotion purposes for the conference.
Following the conference, the conference documentation will be distributed in digital and printed form by Narr Francke Attempto Verlag, Tübingen.
Participation fee for speakers
For speakers whose contribution is included in the conference programme, participation in the event, including conference documentation and catering, costs 270.00 EUR (VAT free).
Please register as a speaker after you have received your conformation of acceptance and use our registration form.
If required, we will be happy to make room reservations for you in one of our partner hotels in the surrounding area.
Co-speakers and co-authors who would like to attend the event, please register as a regular participant.
Your contact persons
27 to 29 January 2026
Registration for the 25th International Colloquium on Tribology
The conference will be held in a hybrid flex format. Decide for yourself whether you want to participate on-site or simultaneously online from your workplace.
The registration will be activated here shortly.
Participation fee
On-site participation
1.195,00 EUR (VAT free) for presence participants
270,00 EUR (VAT free) for speakers on site
The fee includes the conference documents, refreshments during breaks and lunch on all three days of the event, as well as the evening events on 27.01.26 and 28.01.2026. You will receive the access data for the digital conference documents by e-mail approximately one week before the start of the event.
Online participation
690,00 EUR (VAT free) for online participants
The fee includes the digital version of the conference documentation.
If you choose to participate online, you will be connected live via a web conference tool to the event on site on the regular attendance date. You will receive the access data for the digital conference platform and conference documents by e-mail approximately one week before the start of the event.
The tools used are easy to use and the technical requirements are minimal.
If you have any questions about the conference platform, please contact us at +49 (0) 711 34008 - 70 or online-team@tae.de.
Your venue - on site at TAE or online!
The conference will be held in a hybrid flex format. Decide for yourself whether you would like to participate on-site or online from your home or workplace.
If you choose online participation, you will be connected live to the event on site via a web conference tool at the regular attendance date.
TAE – Technische Akademie Esslingen e.V.
An der Akademie 5
73760 Ostfildern/Stuttgart
Germany
Hotel reservation
We will gladly take care of your room reservation at one of our partner hotels in the area.
In the online booking process you have the possibility to enter the room reservation.
Depending on the date, price category and your mode of arrival, we will book you a suitable room.
Your reasons to attend the 25th International Colloquium Tribology
Three intense conference days with about 130 presentations in 5 parallel sessions await you. Your unique opportunity to
-> get to know all the recent developments in research and industry
-> take advantage of future opportunities and be aware of risks
-> meet all major experts at just one conference
-> expand your network and benefit from personal exchange
-> enjoy our evening reception and social events
Recognised experts
Program Committee 2026
The programme committee for the International Colloquium Tribology is composed of recognised experts from research and development, industry and practice. Its tasks include formulating the objectives and determining the main topics of the conference, reviewing and selecting the submitted lecture proposals for the conference programme and providing expert advice to the organiser.
Steering Committee 2026
Priv.-Doz. Dipl.-Ing. Dr. techn. Nicole Dörr
Scientific Head at AC2T research GmbH, Wiener Neustadt, Austria
venia docendi in the field of tribology at TU Wien, Vienna, Austria
President of the Austrian Tribology Society (Österreichische Tribologische Gesellschaft, ÖTG)
Her research work is focused on lubricants and lubrication comprising formulation, assessment and condition monitoring of lubricants and other operating fluids. Long-term behaviour of lubricants is of particular interest providing correlations between lubrication performance (friction, wear) and lubricant chemistry (condition). Bringing together analytical methods (mass spectrometry), molecular dynamics and statistical methods in lubricant chemistry.
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Max Marian
Executive Director at Institute for Machine Design and Tribology (IMKT), Leibniz University Hannover, Garbsen, Germany
Professor at Department of Mechanical and Metallurgical Engineering, School of Engineering, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
Research focus on energy efficiency and sustainability through tribology in machine elements & engine components (especially bearings and seals), biotribology (load-bearing implants), and triboelectric nanogenerators. Emphasis on the development of numerical multiscale tribo-simulation and machine learning approaches as well as the modification of surfaces through micro-texturing and coatings (diamond-like carbon and 2D materials).
Univ.-Prof. Dr.-Ing. Carsten Gachot
Head of the Tribology Research Division
Institute of Engineering Design and Product Development
TU Wien
Since October 2016 Head of the Tribology research area at the Vienna University of Technology in the Institute of Engineering Design and Product Development with a focus on solid lubricants for aerospace applications, 2D materials, tribology of machine elements, computer-aided material tribology and tribochemistry.
Dr. Katharina Völkel
FZG, Technical University of Munich
Head of Department Clutches and Electromechanical Drive Systems
She is responsible for the research area “Clutches and electromechanical drive systems” at the FZG. Among other things, she researches tribological issues in lubricated boundary friction contacts of wet multi-plate clutches and brakes. The reduction of drag losses to improve the efficiency of drivetrains is also an important topic.
Program Planning Committee
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Dr. h. c. Albert Albers
Professor Andreas Almqvist
Prof. Dr. Martin Dienwiebel
Dr. Marcella Frauscher
Dr. rer. nat. Lutz Kogel
Dr.-Ing. Michael Gless
Dr. Markus Grebe
Dr. Manfred Jungk
Dipl.-Ing. Rüdiger Krethe
Dr. Markus Matzke
Prof. Dr. Ardian Morina
Dr. Johannes Müllers
Dr. Thomas Ruehle
Univ.-Prof. Dr.-Ing. Stephan Tremmel
Adjunct prof. Victoria Van Camp
Dr. Manfred Jungk
Dr. Dmitriy Shakhvorostov
Prof. Dipl.-Ing. Dr. Andreas Pauschitz
Dr. Arshia Fatemi
Optimal access to participants
Trade exhibition
The conference will be complemented by a trade exhibition in the foyer of the TAE on an area of over 300 m². An ideal opportunity to present your products and services to a high-caliber audience of decision-makers, specialists and managers.
The spatial connection between the foyer, cafeteria and lecture rooms gives you optimum access to the participants. We recommend booking in advance.
Stand bookings for the exhibition will be possible from March 2025. The booking form will then be activated here.
Your contact