The 4th Digital Twin International Conference (DigiTwin 2024) was successfully held from October 14 to 18, 2024. Organized by Politecnico di Milano and co-organized with Beihang University’s Digital Twin International Research Center and Elsevier’s Digital Engineering journal, the event brought together leading experts from around the world to advance the frontiers of digital twin technologies. The conference theme, “Make More Digital Twins,” sparked lively discussions and demonstrated cutting-edge research.
Group Photo for the on-site participants of DigiTwin 2024
DigiTwin 2024, held in a hybrid format, enabled global participation with in-person sessions at Politecnico di Milano, Beihang University, and Purdue University, along with 19 online sessions. The conference is featured by 196 academic presentations and has attracted over 2,600 registered participants from 22 countries, where over 160 attendees participated in person, including the experts from Italy, China, the United States, Germany, France, Singapore, and more.
The opening ceremony was co-hosted by Professor Andrea Matta from Politecnico di Milano and Professor Fei Tao from Beihang University. Keynote speeches were delivered by well-known researchers across the world, such as Professor Andrew Y.C. Nee from Singapore, Professor Nabil Anwer from France, Professor Jan C. Aurich and Professor Stefan Pickl from Germany, all of whom serve on the Digital Engineering Editorial Board. The topics of keynote speeches ranged from digital twin-enabled manufacturing to data-driven decision-making in complex systems, these topics underscored the pivot role of digital twins in industrial and technological innovation.
Welcome addresses and keynote speakers
Within the three-day event, the in-person and online sessions cover a wide range of digital twin-related topics, such as manufacturing systems, additive manufacturing, digital twin networks, smart construction, and healthcare applications of digital twins. Such a hybrid format enhanced the content and accessibility for international scholars and promoted a valuable academic exchange of innovative ideas.
On-site presentations and industrial panel
This event concluded with an awarding ceremony to recognize outstanding contributions, where the Outstanding Scientist Award was presented to Professor Andrew Y C Nee, the Outstanding Organization Award was presented to Professor Nabil Anwer, and the Young Scientist Award was shared by Dr. Ang Liu and Dr. Elisa Negri. Moreover, Dr. Riku Ala-Laurinaho, Professor Tianliang Hu, Dr. Joshua New, and Dr. Minglei You shared the Best Presentation Award, Dr. Christian Kober and Dr. Yiqi Jia shared the Best Student Presentation Award, and Xiaomi Technology along with SANY Heavy Industry shared the Digital Twin Innovation Application Award.
Awardees of the DigiTwin 2024
DigiTwin 2024 not only served as a platform of sharing state-of-the-art digital twin-related technologies but also set the stage for future developments in this field. Looking ahead, DigiTwin 2025 will be hosted in Munich, Germany, followed by DigiTwin 2026 in Skövde, Sweden, with a continuous support from Digital Engineering by Elsevier. Overall, DigiTwin2024 was a huge success, and such a success underscores the importance of international collaboration and innovation in the rapidly evolving field of digital twins.