meccanica feminale 2026 - Review & impressions
#mfbw26 | 24/02 - 28/02/2026 | Furtwangen University, Schwenningen Campus
Around 90 women from academia, research and industry attended the 17th Winter School meccanica feminale on the Schwenningen campus. Participants enjoyed practical courses, exciting workshops and plenty of networking opportunities – all specifically designed for women in STEM subjects such as mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, medical technology and industrial engineering. What made it special was that all participants, lecturers and speakers were women, creating a space for exchange, mentoring and inspiration on an equal footing.
All images, unless otherwise stated: Copyright Netzwerk Frauen.Innovation.Technik BW
Opening & Keynote
This year's meccanica feminale was opened by Heidi Schwager, event director and academic staff member at the network Frauen.Innovation.Technik (FIT) Baden-Württemberg.
At the opening ceremony, Ms Antje Gramlich from the Baden-Württemberg Ministry of Science, Research and the Arts (MWK) also addressed the participants with some inspiring words.
Prof. Dr. hum. biol. Ulrike Salat, Professor of Molecular Biology and Vice-Rector for Cooperation and Society at HFU, opened the Winter School with her keynote speech on "More than m/f/d: What diversity really means in the engineering profession".She provided exciting insights into her research areas and stimulated lively discussions on genetics and diversity in technical professions.
COURSES BY WOMEN FOR WOMEN
The Winter School focused on day courses and courses lasting 2.5 days, which strengthened both technical knowledge and personal skills. Participants could choose between technical topics such as artificial intelligence, drone construction or innovative development processes, as well as career and social skills modules, allowing them to put together their own individual programme.
As in previous years, courses that allowed participants to actively programme, especially with Python, were very popular. An overview of the entire programme is available here..
NETWORKING DURING THE SOCIAL PROGRAMME
The supporting programme gave participants the opportunity to expand their networks and take part in workshops and lunch talks on topics such as time management, mentoring and practical applications. Site managers Stella Shah and Larissa Petrol provided insights into Amazon's logistics, while experts from the VDA expert network and the VDI Womentoring programme were on hand to share their knowledge and experiences.
meccanica feminale 2026 was actively supported by Amazon, VDA and the Technisches Hilfswerk (THW). The partners provided female specialists and experts, thereby helping to promote women in technical professions in a practical way.
An overview of the supporting programme of meccanica feminale 2026 can be found here..
We look forward to next year! Join us and bring all the women you know with you :)
You can find more impressions of the events on Instagram, LinkedIn and Facebook under the hashtags #mfbw26 or #scientificaBW.
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Das Netzwerk F.I.T bedankt sich herzlich bei allen Teilnehmerinnen, Dozentinnen, Rednerinnen, Sponsoren, Kooperationspartner:innen und Unterstützer:innen!
The F.I.T network would like to thank all participants, lecturers, speakers, sponsors, cooperation partners and supporters! Above all, on behalf of the project management, Prof. Dr. Ulrike Busolt, we would like to thank the Rectorate of Furtwangen University - especially Andrea Linke - and the Baden-Württemberg Ministry of Science, Research and the Arts for their trust in our work.
The meccanica feminale is a project of the Ministry of Science, Research and the Arts Baden-Wurttemberg.
