The 3rd International Conference on Intelligent Factory Technology and the 12th International Conference on Digital Enterprise Technology (ICIFT 2026 & DET 2026) was recently held in Beijing.

Guided by the China Graphics Society (CGS), International Academy for Production Engineering (CIRP), and International Academy of Engineering and Technology (AET), the conference was hosted by CGS Intelligent Factory Professional Committee, jointly organized by Beihang University, Tsinghua University, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics (NUAA), and Queen's University Belfast (QUB), and co-organized by Beijing University of Technology, CGS Digital Design and Manufacturing Professional Committee, Beijing Satellite Manufacturing Factory, and Beijing Institute of Technology (BIT). The event gathered more than 200 experts, scholars, industry elites and key researchers in the fields of intelligent factories and digital enterprises from countries and regions including China, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Sweden, Hungary, Australia, Ireland and Canada.

Zhao Gang, Deputy Party Secretary of Tsinghua University and Chairman of the CGS, and Li Yingguang, Director of CGS Intelligent Factory Professional Committee and Professor of NUAA, served as General Chairs of ICIFT. Zhao Gang also served as the Chair of ICIFT 2026. Paul Maropoulos, Professor of QUB, served as General Chair of DET, and Li Yingguang as the Chair of DET 2026.

The opening ceremony was presided over by Li Yingguang. Zhao Gang, Lyu Jinhu, Vice President of Beihang University, Paul Maropoulos, and Cong Baoqiang, Party Secretary of the School of Mechanical Engineering and Automation, Beihang University, delivered speeches respectively. They extended a warm welcome to all participants and expressed the hope that the conference would serve as a bond to facilitate the transformation and practical application of intelligent manufacturing technologies in the high-end manufacturing sector.

More than ten internationally renowned scholars including Lihui Wang, Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering, delivered keynote speeches. They delivered in-depth insights on core key technologies of intelligent factories and their engineering applications, covering artificial intelligence, intelligent machining, human-computer interaction, digital twins, intelligent assembly and other frontier areas.

As an international and interdisciplinary academic event, the conference established a high-level platform for global academic exchanges. It not only advanced the iterative upgrading and innovative breakthroughs of cutting-edge intelligent factory technologies, but also set exemplary benchmarks in typical high-end scenarios such as aviation equipment and precision manufacturing, offering insights for the intelligent transformation and upgrading of the traditional manufacturing industry. The conference facilitated the sharing of the latest research findings, in-depth technical discussions and cross-border cooperation, injecting strong impetus into the innovative breakthrough and high-quality development of intelligent factory and digital enterprise technologies.

At the themed parallel sessions, experts from universities including BIT, Xi'an Jiaotong University and Northwestern Polytechnical University, as well as institutions and enterprises such as AVIC Manufacturing Technology Institute and Beijing Satellite Manufacturing Factory, delivered thematic presentations on intelligent workshops, intelligent processes, intelligent equipment and intelligent assembly.

Open sub-forums and academic salons centered on five themes: university-enterprise integration, interdisciplinary integration, science-education integration, AI large models in manufacturing, and microwave and metamaterial technologies. Speakers included experts from Dalian University of Technology, Southeast University, Politecnico di Milano, the University of Nottingham, as well as AVIC Chengdu Aircraft Industrial (Group) Co., Ltd., China Academy of Engineering Physics and other organizations. Through extensive exchanges, the sessions provided valuable ideas and practical references for the intelligent transformation of the manufacturing industry and the training of professional talent in intelligent manufacturing.

In the paper presentation session, young researchers from Beihang, NUAA and other universities shared their latest research achievements on frontier topics such as digital twins, human-machine collaboration, intelligent machining, microwave metamaterial applications, advanced CFRP manufacturing, and multi-robot cooperative control. The presentations covered key links of intelligent factories ranging from basic algorithms and process optimization to equipment development, fully demonstrating the innovation vitality and academic potential of young scholars in the field of intelligent manufacturing.

ICIFT 2026 & DET 2026 has drawn to a successful close. Participants engaged in extensive exchanges and in-depth discussions to reach a consensus, further strengthening academic cooperation and technical collaboration, and injecting robust momentum into the technological innovation and industrial development of intelligent factories.

Editor: Liu Tingting