At the 79th annual meeting of the International Welding Institute (IIW Annual Assembly 2026), which took place in Salzburg, Austria, the Slovak Republic was represented by Prof. Ing. Janette Brezinová, PhD. from the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering of the Technical University of Košice, together with a representative of the Welding Research Institute (VÚZ) Bratislava, Ing. Peter Ďurík, IWE. The event was also attended by Prof. Ing. Ján Viňáš, PhD., IWE. and young scientists were represented by doctoral student Ing. Štefan Novotný.

The event brought together approximately 980 participants from all corners of the world, representing academia, research institutions and industrial practice. Participation in this prestigious international forum brought new professional knowledge, created a space for establishing international contacts and exchanging experiences with leading experts in the field of welding and joining materials. The program also included a presentation of the results of research conducted at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering of TUKE, which contributed to the promotion of the department's scientific and research activities and the visibility of Slovak research in the international arena.