On June 18, 2025, as part of the Lightweight EU project, a scientific and industrial seminar entitled “Lightweight Materials” was held, providing a platform for dialogue between scientists and industry representatives. The event was jointly organized by the Frantsevich Ukrainian Materials Research Society (UMRS), Frantsevich Institute for Problems of Materials Science National Academy of Science of Ukraine, the Ukrainian Cluster Alliance (UCA), and Kyiv Academic University (KAU).

The Lightweight EU project, implemented within the Interreg Europe program, was presented at the seminar. UCA Executive Director Oleksandr Yurchak presented the opportunities offered by the project, which aims to develop innovations in the field of lightweight materials, integrate Ukrainian scientific institutions and enterprises into European production chains, and attract them to international research programs.

This project opens up opportunities for Ukraine to strengthen cooperation between clusters, scientific organizations, businesses, and government agencies, creating conditions for the development of new technologies in mechanical engineering, transportation, aviation, the defense industry, and other sectors where the use of lightweight materials is of strategic importance.

Discussions with stakeholders – scientists, businesses, and cluster representatives – were a key part of the seminar.
Participants discussed a number of challenges:

• insufficient funding for applied research;
• lack of modern infrastructure for large-scale testing and prototyping;
• need for better integration of scientific developments into industrial processes;
• difficulty in commercializing developments in the field of titanium, aluminum, and composite materials.

Scientists from leading institutes of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine and universities presented the latest achievements in the creation of titanium and aluminum alloys, ceramic and metal-ceramic compositions, and polymer composites. Representatives of enterprises, for their part, outlined the real needs of production, emphasizing the importance of ready-to-implement technologies and clear partnership mechanisms.

The meeting confirmed that Ukraine needs not only individual scientific developments but also a systematic approach to the development of lightweight materials, through the combined efforts of science, business, and clusters, as well as through international programs.