The 7ᵗʰ International Conference on RARE EARTH MATERIALS (REMAT2026) is a continuation of earlier conferences (series started in 2008) organised by the Institute of Low Temperature and Structure Research of the Polish Academy of Sciences every two or three years in Poland. For the last edition in 2024, the location was moved to Vilnius, Lithuania. This time, REMAT Committee and society decided to organise the event in Palermo jointly by University of Palermo, Vilnius University, and the Institute of Low Temperature and Structure Research. The organisers, with Prof. Maria Luisa Saladino (University of Palermo) as the conference chair, have scheduled 66 lectures and 73 poster presentations, and they expect over 160 participants from 24 countries around the world, including as many as 99 participants from 7 CEI countries.
The conference will explore various innovative aspects of systems containing rare earth elements. The rapid development of high-tech industries—in which rare earth elements are, in many cases, an indispensable component due to their unique physical properties—combined with the geopolitical turbulence and economic changes in the global economy that we are all witnessing, is driving the research and development of new technologies that optimize the use of these elements and introduce new methods for their separation and recycling.
One of the aims of REMAT conference is to enable the establishment of collaborations between research groups and students and young researchers showing a passion for new materials and concepts in rare-earth materials applications. Four tutorial-type keynote lectures are planned, presented by the most prominent researchers in their specialties, which will serve as an introduction to the more advanced invited and original lectures presented at the five specialized thematic sessions. The opportunity to present one's own research results by students and discuss them with more experienced researchers will be of great educational value, and the establishment of scientific contacts with speakers from the world's leading centres will ultimately contribute to increasing the potential of national units.