May 19 – 20, 2026 | Frankfurt/Hanau, Germany

Here you see a a first outlook on the program of the automotive CAE Grand Challenge 2026. More presentations will added here as soon as they are confirmed.

 Tuesday, May 19, 2026 

Optimization & Robustness: Challenges of Multidisciplinary Design Optimization

Chair: Prof. Dr.-Ing. Axel Schumacher - University of Wuppertal

Practical Advances in Multidisciplinary Optimization: Reducing Computational Effort and Improving Solution Quality

Dr.-Ing. Jana Hahlweg - Dr. Ing. h. c. F. Porsche AG

Including NVH Requirements in MDOs: Challenges and Strategies

Dr. André Backes - TECOSIM GmbH

From Structure to Flow: A Multidisciplinary and Optimization Driven Workflow Redefining What’s Possible for Cast Components and Runner Systems

Sanjay Girish, Thomas Spoida - Bionic Mesh Design GmbH

Kube KAB3L – HV-Cables as an Interdisciplinary Modeling Approach

Vitali Gerbershagen, Cedric Guarino - Kube GmbH Ingenieurbüro

Material Modeling - Focus Structural Analysis: Advanced Modelling of Material Damage and Failure

Chair: Mark Gevers - TECOSIM GmbH

Industrial Requirements Material Modeling

Dr.-Ing. Tony Porsch - Volkswagen AG

Hardware Validation of a Micromechanics-Based Stress State Dependent Failure Model for Ductile Steel and Aluminium Materials in ABAQUS, LS-DYNA and PAM-CRASH

Dr.-Ing. Sirus Rafiee - Waldaschaff Automotive GmbH

User-Defined Plasticity and Fracture Model for Mesh-Adapted Automotive Structural Analysis

Dr.-Ing. Chongyang Zeng, Prof. Dr.-Ing. Xiangfan Fang - University of Siegen

Advanced Modelling of Material Damage and Failure using OpenRadioss and Radioss

Marian Bulla - Altair Engineering GmbH; Prof. Dr.-Ing. habil. Stefan Kolling - TH Mittelhessen University of Applied Sciences; Paul Du Bois - Hermes Engineering NV

Interactions between Loading Path and Plastic Flow in Ductile Damage and Failure Modeling

Daniel Muñoz Valentin, Alberto Regidor, Javier Ferrer Revenga, Borja Garcia - newgentechs

Material Modeling - Focus Structural Analysis: Advanced Modelling of Material Damage and Failure

Stefan Wacker - DYNAmore Gesellschaft für FEM Ingenieurdienstleistungen mbH et al.

Experimental Calibration and Validation of Radioss Adhesive Laws for Automotive Structural Adhesives

Dr. Daniel Campos Murcia - Applus+ DatapointLabs; Brian Croop - DatapointLabs

Full Vehicle Simulation: Virtual Verification and Certification

Chair: Bart Peeters Weem - BMW AG

New generation of crash-tolerant structure - FLEXCRASH

Christian Kurzböck - VIRTUAL VEHICLE Research GmbH

Virtual NCAP Integration in Full Vehicle Simulation Workflows

Dr.-Ing. Sami Bilgic Istoc - IPG Automotive GmbH

Thoughts on Virtual Homologation of Crashworthiness: A Software Vendor’s View

Prof. Dr.-Ing. André Haufe - DYNAmore, part of Synopsys

Animator4-based Virtual Testing and Assessment tool for comprehensive NCAP Safety evaluation

Suba Siva Chandran Kalimuthu - GNS mbH

Durability / Fatigue: Fatigue Simulation HV-batteries (Vibration Fatigue)

Chair: Dr.-Ing. Matthias Weinert - Ford-Werke GmbH

Advanced Mechanical Simulation of Sheet Molding Compounds: Accounting for Process-Induced Fiber Orientation

Dr. Hannes Grimm-Strele - Fraunhofer-Institut für Techno- und Wirtschaftsmathematik ITWM

Improving HV Battery Structural Robustness: Coupling Operational Loads with Swelling-Induced Stresses

Lucas Crombet, Dr. Simon Erker - AVL List GmbH

Presentation Title tba

Dr. rer. nat. Michael Hack - Siemens Industry Software GmbH

Durability of Battery Housings and Body Structures Considering Vibrations and Multiple Joint Characteristics

Helmut Dannbauer - Engineering Center Steyr GmbH & Co KG

 

 Wednesday, May 20, 2026 

CAE Process & QA: Automated CAE Model Quality Checks for Certification Readiness

Chair: Dr.-Ing. Dirk Rensink - SEGULA Technologies Germany

CAE process for Head Impact simulation and improved structural design in HMI systems

Sebastian Schulze - AUO Mobility Solutions Germany GmbH

Presentation Title tba.

Dr. Andreas Kuhn - Andata Entwicklungstechnologie GmbH et al.

Detecting Unknown and Unwanted Crash Behaviors: A Database-Driven Approach to Simulation Quality Assurance

Dominik Borsotto - SIDACT GmbH et al.

Customizable Model Quality Checks for Crash-Simulations with LS-DYNA

Max Hübner - DYNAmore GmbH

The ANSA Checks Machine: A User Focused Framework for Multi Disciplinary/Solver Model Integrity

Livia Emmanouela Baksiova - BETA CAE Systems S.A.

Occupant Safety: Meta Models for Occupant Injury Prediction

Chair: Stefan Kirschbichler - VIRTUAL VEHICLE Research GmbH

Software Environment for ML - Meta Models supporting Occupant Safety Simulation

Dr. Lars Aschenbrenner, Michael Otto - Volkswagen AG

Predicting Occupant Injury Risk from Time‑History Meta‑Models

Patrick Obernosterer - Technische Universität Graz

Predictive and Generative Artificial Intelligence Empowering Occupant Safety and Injury Prediction

Prof. Dr. Francisco Chinesta - Arts et Métiers Institute of Technology - ENSAM

Chasing Safer Outcomes: Exploring Metamodel Capabilities for Occupant Injury Prediction in Crash Analysis

Ionut Mihnea, Dana Ionia Rat - ARRK Research & Development S.R.L.

Interpretable Modal‑Space‑Based Surrogate Models for Occupant Injury Prediction

Dr. Masahiro Okamura - JSOL Corporation

AI, ML, Big Data: How can AI Actually Help Designing a Vehicle?

Chair: Dr.-Ing. Axel Hänschke - CPS Pekka Stuckert Consulting Unternehmensberatung

Industrial Requirements AI Supported Vehicle Design

Thorsten Pohl - Stellantis; Dr.-Ing. Dirk Rensink - SEGULA Technologies Germany

AI-based Change Description and Results Exploration for Vehicle Development

Dr. Daniela Steffes-lai, Prof. Dr. Jochen Garcke - Fraunhofer-Institut für Algorithmen und Wissenschaftliches Rechnen SCAI

AI meets CAE - How Structures can be Optimized in Automated Ways

Tomoya Hayashi - Nature Architects, Inc.; Jan Ophey - FEV Vehicle GmbH

Integrating Generative AI into CAE Workflows with Simulation Data Management

Marko Thiele - SCALE GmbH et al.

Machine Learning Supported Crashworthiness Designs

Dr. Stefan Müller - SIDACT GmbH et al.

Agentic AI for DtM: Automated Formability and Stamping Analysis

Tilman Steininger - Synera GmbH

Autonomous Vehicle Design: Context, Intelligence, Action

Dr.-Ing. Moritz Frenzel - Altair Engineering GmbH

 

 

Program subject to change.