It all started in 1953 with the establishment of the SAS Engineering and Metallurgy Laboratory in Bratislava and Košice, which was later renamed the SAS Engineering and Metallurgical Technology Laboratory. Further subsequent divisions and the creation of new institutes in 1968 from the Department of Machine Mechanics of the Institute of Mechanics and Automation of SAS, the Institute of Machine Mechanics of SAS was established. In 1980, the Institute of Materials and Machine Mechanics of the Slovak Academy of Sciences merged with the Institute of Machine Mechanics of the Academy of Sciences of the Slovak Republic to form the Institute of Materials and Machine Mechanics of the Academy of Sciences of the Slovak Republic. From 2022, due to a change in legal form, it will be called the Institute of Materials and Machine Mechanics of the Slovak Academy of Sciences, a public research institution.
 
The institute, which transformed itself and moved forward during the decades of its existence, was not only a witness to scientific progress but also an active creator of it. However, it is not only about the years and names of institutions. Behind all this, there are dozens to hundreds of names of scientists, workers, and their powerful stories that shaped the institute and its direction. These are the people who make up the heart and soul of this institute, from young enthusiasts who enter the world of research with big visions and a desire to change the world, to experienced scientists with great knowledge and skills. Their cooperation is a fundamental pillar of our institute's success. After all, the results say everything.
 
We celebrated this important milestone on 08.12.2023 with a festive Kolloquium for the institute's 70th anniversary. Among the guests, in addition to current colleagues, there were also former and retired employees who, after the opening words of the director of the institute, Dr. Martin Nosko, had the opportunity to remember during the presentations Dr. František Simančík and Dr. Karol Iždinski, to the very beginnings, because they also included historical views deep into the past. Presentations and speeches gave us a comprehensive view of the institute's development over the years and the opportunity to understand what challenges and successes shaped its path.
In the next part of the program, division heads presented their workplaces. Each clarified the focus of the division's scientific research and presented plans for the coming period. The presentations introduced the employees and other participants to the current events at the institute and the vision of the future direction of the institute.
 
At the end of the program, the institute's director, Dr. Martin Nosko thanked everyone present for accepting the invitation to celebrate this important jubilee and invited everyone to a celebratory lunch. The icing on the cake was cutting the birthday cake, which was huge and delicious.
The lunch offered space for informal conversations building relationships within the team and reminiscing about times gone by.
The overall atmosphere was full of nostalgia and joy from the joint meeting.
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