21 - 23 September 2026, Timisoara, Romania

Organized by

Politehnica University Timișoara

Department of Steel Structures and Structural Mechanics

In cooperation with

Romanian Academy, Timisoara Branch

Centre for Technical, Fundamental and Advanced Research

This conference follows the successful series of CIMS conferences held in Timisoara (1992), Liege (1996), Lisbon (2000), Rome (2004), Sydney (2008), Glasgow (2012), Baltimore (2016) and Łódź (2021). It gathers leading researchers from the area of stability of metal structures and (since 2012) of composite materials structures. Particularly, problems of buckling, post-buckling and mode interaction and failure of metallic structural systems and those made of composite materials are of interest. This area of study has received a great deal of attention over the last few decades and results of research in this area have strongly contributed to the progress in the field of structural stability and to the evolution and development of engineering design codes. The nineth international conference on Coupled Instabilities in Metal Structures, CIMS 2026, will be co-organized by the Steel Structures and Structural Mechanics Department of the Politehnica University Timisoara, in co-operation with the Romanian Academy – Timisoara Branch.

The conference welcomes the submission of quality papers which make a good and significant contribution to our knowledge and understanding and to research advancement with regard to the stability aspects of metal and composite material structures. Particular emphasis is to be paid to the advances made in the analysis and design of structural systems which are associated with stability aspects involving more than one mode of buckling. Theoretical, numerical and experimental research related to the buckling of metal, notably steel, stainless steel and aluminium structures or metal-composite structures are central themes of the conference as are reliability based studies related to the design of coupled instability phenomena. You are warmly invited to actively participate in the Conference.

TOPICS

CIMS2026 aims to provide a forum where researchers and designers join to present, discuss and disseminate the most recent theoretical, numerical and experimental advances in all areas related to thin-walled structures, including but not limited to:

  • Theoretical formulations and analytical procedures
  • Numerical simulation and FE computation
  • Experimental testing
  • Buckling, post-buckling and collapse of structures
  • Cyclic and dynamic behaviour of structures
  • Buckling of sandwich plates and shells
  • Elasticity, plasticity, viscoelasticity, anisotropy and their effects on structural failure
  • The sensitivity of structures to imperfections and residual stresses
  • The behaviour of structures at elevated temperatures
  • Fibre-reinforced thin-walled composite and hybrid structures
  • Exploitation of buckling for structural applications
  • The reliability and resilience of structural systems
  • Design codes of practice and standards

COMMITTEES

CHAIRMAN

Dan Dubina, Romania

CO-CHAIRMAN

Viorel Ungureanu, Romania

SCIENTIFIC COMMITTEE

S. Adany, Hungary
I. Arrayago, Spain
J. Becque, UK
E.M. Batista, Brazil
D.V. Bompa, UK
B. Brune, Germany
D. Camotim, Portugal
E. Carrera, Italy
M. Casafont, Spain
S.L. Chan, Hong Kong, China
K.F. Chung, Hong Kong, China
D. Dubina, Romania
L. Dunai, Hungary
G. Garcea, Italy
L. Gardner, UK
F. Guarracino, Italy
G.J. Hancock, Australia
H. Hofmeyer, Netherlands
M. Jandera, Czech Republic
J. Kesti, Finland
Z. Kołakowski, Poland
M. Kotełko, Poland

T. Kubiak, Poland
A. Landesmann, Brazil
R. Landolfo, Italy
H.-T. Li, China
J. Loughlan, UK
M. Macdonald, UK
M. Mahendran, Australia
F. Mazzolani, Italy
T. Misiek, Germany
Z. Nagy, Romania
M. Nedelcu, Romania
D. Nethercot, UK
Cao Hung Pham, Australia
K. Rasmussen, Australia
B. Schafer, USA
L.S. da Silva, Portugal
N. Silvestre, Portugal
V. Ungureanu, Romania
I. Vayas, Greece
A. Wadee, UK
F. Walport, UK
B. Young, Hong Kong, China

LOCAL ORGANIZING COMMITTEE

Ioan Both
Andrei Crisan
Florea Dinu
Adrian Dogariu
Dominiq Jakab

Călin Neagu
Ioan Mărginean
Edward Petzek
Aurel Stratan
Raul Zaharia

INFORMATION

ANNOUNCEMENTS

LANGUAGE

English is the official language of the conference. Abstracts, full papers and presentations at the conference should be in English.

Venue

The conference will be held at the Central Library of the Politehnica University Timișoara, Bd. Vasile Pârvan nr. 2b, 300223 Timișoara, Romania.

Central Library of the Politehnica University Timișoara

Papers

CALL FOR ABSTRACTS

All accepted papers will be presented during the working sessions. Oral presentation is the unavoidable condition for the publication of a paper in the Proceedings. The Proceedings will be published in an outstanding publishing house. The publication of an international journal special issue is also being considered – it would include full-length versions of selected papers presented at the Colloquium. The email address is viorel.ungureanu@upt.ro.
Authors are invited to submit 200-300 words abstracts of papers on the topics listed above between now and the deadline given below. The abstracts should clearly highlight the objectives and conclusions of the respective studies. Both abstracts and full papers will be reviewed by outstanding experts in the field and the procedure will conform to the standards required for peer-reviewed conference papers.

IMPORTANT DATES

Abstract submission:15 November 2025
Abstract acceptance:01 December 2025
Full paper submission:15 March 2026
Peer review:15 April 2026
Full paper acceptance:31 May 2026
CIMS 2026:21st – 23rd September 2026

REGISTRATION

Coming soon

Conference programme

Coming soon

TRAVEL AND ACCOMMODATION

CITY OF TIMIŞOARA

The oldest settlements in Timisoara area are more than 7500 years old. The first documentary evidence of Timisoara dates from 1212, under the name of Castrum of Tymes (Timis fortress). The first stone fortress was built between 1307 and 1315 on the orders of Hungarian king, Carol Robert, Prince of Anjou. In 1552, Timisoara fortress was conquered by the Ottoman army and the whole surrounding area was transformed into an Ottoman province. On 1716, the Austrian Habsburg troops led by Prince Eugene of Savoya liberated the city which later became a free imperial city in December 1781. In 1918, in accordance with the Versailles peace treaty, the Timisoara City and Banat Province became part of Romania. In the 20th century Timisoara became a metropolis with more than 400,000 inhabitants that concentrate the economical, commercial, demographic and cultural interests of a large area, in this part of Romania. On 16 December 1989 Timisoara was the place where the anti-Communist revolution started.

In 2023 three cities were awarded the title of European Capital of Culture for 2023 in Europe – Elefsina (Greece), Timisoara (Romania) and Veszprém (Hungary).
Union Square, Timisoara

TRAVEL INFORMATION

Timișoara is served by Romania’s third-largest airport, Traian Vuia International Airport, located 10 km away from the city center. Flights to and from international or domestic destinations can be made by airlines like Lufthansa, WizzAir, RyanAir, BlueAir, TAROM.
The most convenient way to get from the airport into the city is by taxi (or UBER), at a cost of 50 –75 RON (about 10-15 EUR). There is always the option to take a bus or to rent a car. You can find various car rental companies (Avis, Hertz, Europecar, Ascar, TOP Rent a Car, Maya Rent a Car) at the Timișoara Airport.
Romania’s currency is Leu (plural “Lei”), commonly abbreviated as RON. Foreign currencies may be exchanged at banks, authorized exchange offices, airport, ATMs and larger hotels. Major credit cards (Mastercard and Visa) are widely accepted.
The exchange rate is 1 EUR = 5.10 RON
Alternatively, there is the option to fly to/from Budapest (Hungary). Pay attention, this airport is located 286 km away from Timișoara, which will add around 3 – 4 hours to your trip (by car, bus or train).

VISA INFORMATION

U/EEA/Swiss citizens do not need a visa when crossing the border to Romania, but they are required to present a valid national passport, or any document recognized by the Romanian state that certifies their identity. Citizens of non-EU/EEA countries are required at border crossing points to present a passport and a valid entry visa and an invitation (if required). Please check the list of countries whose nationals do / do not need entry visas for Romania here www.mae.ro.

ACCOMMODATION

Please note that May is a good month to visit Timișoara, therefore early hotel booking is highly recommended.
To help the attendees find a hotel near the conference venue, we have lined up the hotels below, within walking distance from the meeting venue, or in the downtown area:

Hotel Timișoara (4*)

Timișoara, Str. Marasesti no. 1-3
Check hotel

Savoy (4*)

Timișoara, Spl. Tudor Vladimirescu no. 2
Check hotel

Zet Hotel (5*)

Timișoara, Str. Mareșal Constantin Prezan 80
Conference participants benefit from special accommodation rates (450 lei ~ 90 eur/single room and 600 lei ~ 120 eur/double room). Please indicate that you are attending the CESARE conference when checking in.
Check hotel

Pensiunea Park (4*)

Timișoara, Str. Remus no. 17
Check hotel

Casa del Sole (4*)

Timișoara, Strada Romulus no. 12
Check hotel

Hotel Perla corp A (4*)

Timișoara, Str. Protopop George Dragomir no. 9
Check hotel

Hotel Perla D'Oro (3*)

Timișoara, str. Evlia Celebi nr 14
Check hotel

Hotel Ibis (3*)

Timișoara, Calea Circumvalațiunii 8 – 10
Check hotel

Hotel Silva

Timișoara, Str. Victor Babes no. 25
Check hotel

Casa Politehnicii 2 (UPT guesthouse)

Timișoara, Bd. Mihai Eminescu nr.11

*Please note that the reservation is made via email: casapoli2@yahoo.com

Check hotel

More options are available on www.booking.com or www.trivago.com

Maria Theresia Bastion

Sponsors

Contact

Prof. Viorel UNGUREANU
Tel./Fax. +40 (0)256 403 932;
E-mail: cims2026@cims.ro; 

viorel.ungureanu@upt.ro

Department of Steel Structures and Structural Mechanics
Faculty of Civil Engineering; Politehnica University Timișoara
1 Ioan Curea, 300224, Timișoara, Romania

Central Administration Building of the Politehnica University Timișoara