The International Institute of Refrigeration at MCE Mostra Convegno Expocomfort

From March 24^th to March 27^th 2026, the international tradeshow MCE Mostra Convegno Expocomfort gathered over 1,600 exhibitors from the civil and industrial plant engineering, air conditioning, renewable energy, and water sectors from all over the world, took place at Fiera Milano, Rho (MI), Italy. In addition to the presence of industrial exhibitors, several congresses and events took place within MCE, to present the latest advancements from industry and academia, as well as to discuss about current and future policy and sustainability scenarios. More than 120,000 visitors attended the tradeshow, demonstrating the great success of the expo and the constantly growing importance of these sectors in the global economy.

 

The International Institute of Refrigeration was present at MCE, represented by Dr. Francesco Fabris, Scientific Coordinator.

 

On March 25th and 26th, the IIR provided scientific patronage to the 54^th AiCARR (Associazione Italiana Condizionamento dell’Aria, Riscaldamento e Refrigerazione) International Congress “Decarbonising our future: energy, economic and social aspects of smarter and digitalized buildings and cities”. More than 50 presentations from industry, universities and research centres provided significant insights and encouraged interesting discussions among over 130 congress participants on the present and future developments of the HVAC sector towards efficiency and sustainability.

 

 

On March 26th, the IIR was also represented by Dr. Fabris at the conference “From the F-Gas Regulation to alternative refrigerants: impact on new and existing systems”, organised by Centro Studi Galileo, gathering policy and technology experts from several countries. The conference was divided in two sessions: a first one dedicated to the current regulation and policy context, as well as to the market transition, and a second one dedicated to technology, components and systems for low-GWP and natural refrigerants. In the latter session, Dr. Fabris presented the 2025 IIR and UNEP “Cold Chain Technology Brief: Road Refrigerated Transport in Hot Climates” (which can be accessed open access on FRIDOC).

 

Both AiCARR and Centro Studi Galileo, the organisers of the two conferences, are part of the IIR global network of experts as Corporate Members. These events represented a great occasion to share knowledge on the latest advancements on sustainable cooling, refrigeration and heat pump technologies between researchers, industry and institutions, as well as to reinforce IIR’s network and collaboration with national associations.