Whether in motor vehicles or wind power generators – Permanent magnets are of enormous global importance for efficient energy conversion. Especially when the use of rare earths can be dispensed with. What is driven must also be cooled: Magnetocaloric materials and processes enable energy-efficient and environmentally responsible cooling technologies. Functional Magnetic Materials: Performance Enhancements for Electric Drives and Thermal Management are therefore the focus of the 6th RUHR Symposium at the University of Duisburg-Essen.