Celebrating Collaboration and Innovation: CenTiRe Spring IAB Conference Recap

Last week, the CenTiRe Spring Industry Advisory Board (IAB) Conference wrapped up with incredible momentum, marking another successful gathering of technical leaders, university researchers, and innovators from across the tire and automotive industries.

The event brought together a strong representation from industry members, whose engagement and insights are the backbone of CenTiRe’s collaborative model. Their contributions during technical sessions, proposal evaluations, and strategic discussions continue to shape the direction of pre-competitive research that directly impacts the future of our field.

Equally important was the robust involvement of university researchers from both Virginia Tech and The University of Akron. Their presentations showcased exciting research progress, technical rigor, and a clear alignment with industry needs. It was inspiring to see how academic innovation and industry application continue to come together under the CenTiRe banner.

A major highlight of the conference was the approval and funding of three new research projects, which will be the subject of future articles. These projects reflect pressing challenges and opportunities identified by our members and will further CenTiRe’s mission to deliver impactful, real-world solutions. We look forward to the knowledge and breakthroughs these collaborations will bring over the coming year.

Huge thanks to all the IAB members, researchers, and students who made this conference a success. CenTiRe thrives because of their passion, partnership, and pursuit of innovation, which certainly meets our center’s mission of being ‘the future of tire research’.