ICorr joins international leaders in corrosion to advance AI-enabled corrosion education, international collaboration and the development of the next generation of corrosion professionals.
The President of the Institute of Corrosion (ICorr), Dr Yunnan Gao, represented the Institute at the 2026 Global Corrosion Science Summit, held in July 2026 at the University of Science and Technology Beijing (USTB), bringing together leading representatives of the international corrosion community to discuss the future of corrosion science, technology and professional education.
The high-level summit was jointly organised by the Chinese Society for Corrosion and Protection (CSCP), USTB’s National Materials Corrosion and Protection Scientific Data Center and National Center for Materials Service Safety. International participation included the Association for Materials Protection and Performance (AMPP), the Institute of Corrosion (ICorr) and the Centre Français de l’Anticorrosion (CEFRACOR).
The summit focused on two important and closely connected themes: the future application of artificial intelligence (AI) in corrosion science and engineering, and the development and future direction of undergraduate corrosion education internationally.
ICorr contributes an industry and professional perspective
Dr Yunnan Gao, President of ICorr, participated in the discussions alongside Professor Li Xiaogang, President of CSCP; Alan Thomas, Chief Executive Officer of AMPP; and Professor Philippe Marcus, President of CEFRACOR.
The participation of the three major international corrosion organisations – AMPP, ICorr and CEFRACOR – provided an important opportunity to consider how corrosion education can better reflect the rapidly changing requirements of industry and the profession.
Speaking from the perspective of ICorr and the engineering profession, Dr Gao highlighted that corrosion is not simply a materials degradation issue. Effective corrosion management is fundamental to industrial safety, asset integrity, reliability and the safe operation of major engineering infrastructure.
He emphasised that the demand for appropriately trained corrosion and materials professionals is increasing as industries respond to energy transition, infrastructure development and the rapid growth of advanced manufacturing and high-technology engineering.
Dr Gao stressed that undergraduate corrosion education should therefore have a strong connection with real industrial engineering problems and practical case studies, supported by greater involvement from industry professionals and by internationally recognised professional certification and competency frameworks. Such an approach can help graduates develop the practical problem-solving capabilities required by industry while also strengthening their international professional competitiveness.
Developing corrosion education for a changing industrial landscape
During the summit, USTB professors Dong Chaofang and Yan Yu presented the historical development of undergraduate corrosion education at the University and outlined proposals for its future development, including educational objectives, curriculum structure and future areas of focus.
The proposed programme aims to respond to the growing need for corrosion and protection expertise across sectors including energy, marine engineering, aerospace, advanced manufacturing and other major engineering industries. It also seeks to integrate materials science, corrosion science, engineering practice and artificial intelligence.
International experts provided feedback based on their experience of corrosion education and professional development in their respective countries. Discussions covered curriculum design, international cooperation, practical training, industry engagement and future career pathways for corrosion graduates.
Professor Philippe Marcus highlighted the increasingly interdisciplinary nature of corrosion engineering and the growing demand within European industry for highly skilled corrosion professionals who can address complex engineering challenges while working with advanced manufacturing, digital technologies and engineering applications.
Alan Thomas emphasised the importance of closer collaboration between universities, professional organisations and industry, including practical engineering experience, professional development and international opportunities for students. AMPP also indicated its willingness to support international technical exchange, education, resource sharing and cooperation.
International collaboration and opportunities for students
One of the significant outcomes of the summit was agreement among AMPP, CEFRACOR and ICorr to support the development of USTB’s proposed “Smart Corrosion Protection for Advanced Equipment” undergraduate programme.
The international organisations agreed in principle to contribute to the curriculum development process, support access to international internship opportunities, and explore the mutual recognition of professional corrosion engineering qualifications for graduates.
For ICorr, these developments are particularly important. The Institute has long recognised that the future strength of the corrosion profession depends not only on technical research, but also on establishing effective pathways through which students can progress from academic study into professional engineering practice.
International exposure, industry-based learning and recognised professional competency frameworks can help bridge the gap between university education and the practical responsibilities expected of corrosion professionals working on major assets.
AI and the future of corrosion engineering
A further central theme of the summit was the potential impact of artificial intelligence and digital technologies on corrosion science and engineering.
The participants recognised that AI has the potential to support areas such as corrosion monitoring, data analysis, prediction, materials development, integrity management and remaining-life assessment. However, the discussions also reinforced the importance of ensuring that AI is underpinned by sound corrosion science, engineering judgement and high-quality data.
For ICorr, this represents an important evolution rather than a replacement of fundamental corrosion engineering knowledge. Future corrosion professionals will increasingly need to combine a strong understanding of materials, electrochemistry, corrosion mechanisms and engineering integrity with capabilities in data science, digital technologies and AI.
The summit therefore highlighted the need for a new generation of corrosion engineers who can work across traditional disciplinary boundaries and apply both established engineering principles and emerging technologies to complex real-world problems.
Strengthening global cooperation in corrosion
The 2026 Global Corrosion Science Summit also represents a further step in the continuing international cooperation between ICorr and CSCP.
ICorr and CSCP have developed an increasingly close relationship through a series of joint initiatives, including the UK–China Corrosion Summit, international technical exchanges and wider collaboration on corrosion education, professional development and global corrosion awareness.
The Beijing summit builds on this relationship by bringing together leading corrosion organisations from China, the UK, France and the United States to consider common challenges facing the global corrosion profession.
The discussions demonstrated a shared understanding that corrosion is a global engineering challenge and that its effective management requires international cooperation in research, education, professional development, standards, engineering practice and knowledge exchange.
ICorr’s commitment to the next generation
Commenting on the summit, Dr Yunnan Gao said:
“The future of corrosion engineering depends on developing professionals who are able to combine fundamental corrosion science with practical engineering experience, digital technologies and an understanding of the needs of industry. International collaboration provides an important mechanism for sharing knowledge, developing educational programmes and creating opportunities for young engineers to build truly global careers.”
He added that ICorr is pleased to contribute its professional and industry experience to the development of future corrosion education and looks forward to working with its international partners to strengthen pathways from education to professional competence and ultimately to safe and reliable engineering practice.
The Institute of Corrosion welcomes the outcomes of the 2026 Global Corrosion Science Summit and looks forward to continuing its collaboration with CSCP, USTB, AMPP, CEFRACOR and other international partners in advancing corrosion science, professional education and the global corrosion engineering profession.
The Institute of Corrosion remains committed to connecting education, industry and professional development – helping to ensure that the corrosion engineers of tomorrow are equipped to meet the challenges of increasingly complex, digital and sustainable engineering systems.
