New production concepts, antimicrobial surfaces, innovative materials, and current market and regulatory issues—these four topics shape the program of [MEET THE EXPERT] Implants 2026. With nine high-profile keynote addresses, complementary short presentations, and posters, the conference offers a concise overview of the developments shaping the implant industry today and tomorrow.
| 08:30 | Registration, Welcome Coffee and Exhibition | |
| 09:00 | Welcome Message | |
| New Production Concepts | Chairperson: Francisco Faoro | |
| 09:15 | Keynote: Raphael Wagner (Straumann) | Insights from Industry |
| 09:35 | Keynote: Adrien Rodrigues (CHARMILLES) | Digital five-axis Laser Blasting, an alternative to conventional blasting processes for orthopedic Implants |
| 09:55 | Flash Presentations Exhibitors and Posters | (1 min. each) |
| 10:25 | Break, Exhibition and Poster | |
| New Production Concepts | Chairperson: Martin Stöckli | |
| 11:10 | Loïc Mosser (ICube) | Robotized additive manufacturing of technical paste-like materials on curved and moving surfaces |
| 11:20 | Keynote: Michaela Maintz (Oral and maxillofacial surgery | 3D Print Lab – University Hospital Basel) | Patient-Specific Solutions – 3D-Printed Implants and Computational Bone-Implant Modeling |
| Market Challenges | Chairperson: Christiane Jung | |
| 11:40 | Keynote: Nora Schweizer (J&J / Expert group Market Access Swiss Medtech) | Access to innovation: a Swiss regulatory and reimbursement perspective |
| 12:00 | Keynote: Tobias Bodenmüller (medmix) | PPWR and its Impact on the Industry |
| 12:20 | Lunch, Exhibition and Poster | |
| Antimicrobial Surfaces | Chairperson: Katharina Maniura | |
| 13:50 | Keynote: Benjamin Fischer (Oerlikon Balzers) | A journey to the surfaces of operating rooms |
| 14:10 | Keynote: Pune Nina Paqué (Clinic of Reconstructive Dentistry, UZH) | Oral Biofilms - Bridging Science, Technology and Clinical Application |
| 14:30 | Thomas Schaer (University of Pennsylvania) | Aerosolized Bacteria Model of Operating Room Contamination of Orthopedic Implants |
| 14:40 | Christopher Hartl (OFI - Österreichisches Forschungsinstitut für Chemie und Technik) | Test strategies for the characterization of antimicrobial surfaces and materials: insight, overview and outlook |
| 14:50 | Keynote: Andrea Montali (AO Foundation, Innovation Translation Center, Davos) | A look into the surgeon’s toolbox: antibacterial coatings |
| 15:10 | Keynote: Qun Ren (Empa Biointerfaces) | Materials-Based Antimicrobial Solutions and Testing |
| 15:30 | Break, Exhibition and Poster | |
| Materials and Surfaces | Chairperson: Michael de Wild | |
| 16:15 | Keynote: Leopold Berger (Kairos Medical) | Biodegradable Magnesium Implants: Current Developments and Future Challenges |
| 16:35 | Maxence Hannard (Empa) | Trace iron in body fluids: a hidden driver of magnesium implant degradation |
| 16:45 | Martina Cihova (Empa) | Hidden Heterogeneity at the CoCrMo Surface: A Spatially Resolved View on Implant Biocorrosion |
| 16:55 | Benjamin Kruppke (Institut für Bioprozess- und Analysenmesstechnik e.V.) | Bioinspired Hydration Coatings to Reduce Friction and Wear in Hip Resurfacing Arthroplasty |
| 17:05 | Keynote: Arnaud Scherberich (Department of Biomedicine / University of Basel) | Translational and material aspects in the engineering of hypertrophic cartilage organoids for bone regeneration |
| 17:25 | Roundup | |
| 1 | Sven Zaugg (University of Applied Sciences Northwestern Switzerland FHNW) | Batch variability of albumin-based scaffolds for cartilage tissue engineering |
| 2 | Endre Horvath (University of Applied Sciences Northwestern Switzerland FHNW) | Micro- and Nanomechanics of BSA-Loaded PLGA Microspheres |
| 3 | Yanik Streit (Empa) | Laser-Induced Oxide Heterogeneity on Titanium: Implications for Implant Surface Function |
| 4 | Irina Ilic (Surgical Fusion Technologies) | Computational Modelling of an Ultrasonically Assisted Subcortical Anchoring System |
| 5 | Nicolas Bouduban (Swiss m4m Center) | Medical Device Integrated Hybrid Manufacturing |
| 6 | Jiri Nohava (Anton Paar TriTec SA) | Interesting applications of pin-on-disc in biotribology |
| 7 | Jean Geringer (Mines Saint-Etienne) | Antimicrobial Cationic Surfaces for 3D-Printed Immediate Denture Base Resins |
| 8 | Marc Bohner (RMS Foundation) | Needle-like hydroxyapatite particles as immunological modulator for enhanced osteoinduction |
| 9 | Stefan Jakobs (RMS Foundation) | Two fix-and-replace techniques for acetabular T-type fractures: primary stability under cyclic loading, measured optically |
Registration is open via the conference website.
Group discount: Groups of 4 or more participants benefit from an attractive discount.
Sponsoring & Exhibition: Showcase your company to a highly specialized audience by becoming a sponsor or exhibitor. A few opportunities are still available.
Look forward to an inspiring day featuring high-caliber technical presentations, engaging discussions, and numerous opportunities for personal networking. We are looking forward to welcoming you on September 15, 2026, in Solothurn!