INVITATION ONLY
This event is invitation only. If you are interested in being added to the guest list, please complete our Register of Interest form.
Please note that the event runs from 12.00pm on Tuesday 1 December to 5.00pm on Wednesday 2 December. Delegates will need to commit to all days and sessions.
Please review the full session descriptions in: Community Conference 2026, as you will be asked to select your sessions and site visit after you click Register.
Join us for Community Conference 2026, the key event in the AEC calendar, bringing together awardees and Academy Fellows from across disciplines, sectors and career stages.
This year we’ll be in Birmingham from 1-2 December for a conference that will be bigger than before, with over 170 awardees and Academy Fellows in attendance.
This year's theme is "Engineering intelligent futures", bringing together engineers and innovators to explore how sustainable thinking, AI, and inclusive collaboration can shape a better future for people and the planet.
By attending the Community Conference, you will:
- Share your work and expertise with a global engineering community
- Build connections across academia, industry and policy
- Shape conversations that influence the Academy’s work
- Learn from others and explore new ideas and approaches
- See engineering in action, joining one of four exciting site visits
Collaboration is at the heart of every session, and the programme is driven by the community.
Explore our Community Conference page in the Awardees Area for more information on the conference.
Photography/filming notice
Please note that photography/filming may take place during this event. All photographs and videos will be securely stored on the Academy’s servers and used for editorial, marketing and media use by the Academy and selected press or industry media. Please let us know if you do not agree to this processing. Please refer to our General Privacy Policy for more details.
Venue and accessibility
It is very important to the Royal Academy of Engineering that our events are accessible to all. If you have any accessibility requirements, please contact the Events team more than one week in advance of this event so that necessary arrangements can be made. Contact details: [email protected].
Click here for further information about accessibility at Park Regis Hotel.
Diversity monitoring form
The Academy is committed to equity, diversity and inclusion and one of our goals is to develop an engineering community fit for the future. To help us achieve this, we would like to collect some basic anonymous data about the event attendees. If you would like to help, please complete the diversity monitoring form by logging into your user account on our website and completing ‘Update my D&I data’.
Site visits
HS2 Curzon Street Site
University of Birmingham Edgbaston Campus
Tyseley Energy Park
National Buried Infrastructure Facility, University of Birmingham
Session 1
Unconference
Engineering Excellence: Windfall Micro-hackathon
Session 2
Beyond Innovation: Turning Engineering Excellence into Lasting Impact - Fireside chat
How Intelligent Futures Are Really Built, from Graduate to CEO – workshop
From Solar Forecasting to Grid Flexibility: The Role of AI - Panel discussion
Community Clinic on Inclusive Skills
Session 3
Future-Ready Engineers: Perspectives from Educators and Students
Systems Thinking in Dialogue with AEC – workshop
Pitch Perfect
Conversation on collaboration and the future of sustainable medical device manufacturing in Africa
Please review the full session descriptions, as you must select one site visit and three conference sessions when completing your registration. Please note that all sessions are allocated on a first-come first-served basis until capacity is reached.
Programme*
Tuesday 1 September
| 12.00pm | Registration and lunch |
| 1.30pm | Depart for site visits |
| 2.00pm | Mandatory site visit (please refer to the sessions tab) |
| 4.00pm | End of site visit |
| 6.00pm | Networking drinks and dinner |
| 9.00pm | Retire |
Wednesday 2 December
| 9.00am | Registration and welcome address |
| 10.00am |
Session 1: Choose which session you want to attend during registration.
OR
|
| 11.00am | Break |
| 11.15am | Session 1 continues |
| 12.15pm | Lunch and exhibition |
| 1.15pm |
Session 2: Choose which session you want to attend during registration.
OR
OR
OR
|
| 2.15pm |
Comfort Break |
| 2.30pm |
Session 3: Choose which session you want to attend during registration.
OR
OR
OR
|
| 3.30pm |
Interactive industry showcase |
| 5.00pm |
End |
* Programmes are subject to change.