The use of fiber-reinforced composites has been consistently increasing across various industries due to their superb stiffness/strength-to-weight proportion. Earlier studies on the design of such composite structures mainly involved simple quasi-isotropic laminate configurations. Over time, stiffness tailoring techniques have been adopted to utilize the directional properties of the material. Recently, variable-stiffness (VS) composites with curved fiber paths have started to gain prominence thanks to the advancements in relevant design techniques and manufacturing technologies. VS composites enable attaining higher structural performance levels due to improved load distribution, and they have found various applications including vehicle panels, building components, sports equipment, and prosthetics. Stiffness properties of fiber composites can be further tuned as a function of time using mechanical actuation techniques. Despite its significant utility, VS concept involves several challenges including (i) increased difficulty of the design problem due to the presence of locally optimal solutions and a greater number of variables, (ii) fabrication-related defects (e.g., fiber breakage) and imperfections (e.g., tow gaps and overlaps), and (iii) limitations in materials and manufacturing technologies. To tackle these hurdles, innovative design and production approaches are essential. This mini-symposium welcomes studies on the development of variable-stiffness composites. Contributions may involve structures with different forms of spatially/temporally changing elastic properties, which can be attained using curved fibers, laminate blending, domain discontinuities, and/or actuation elements. Design objectives of interest include, but are not limited to, maximization of stiffness, strength, buckling load, damping, and natural frequency gaps. Gradient-based, derivative-free, reliability-oriented, metamodel/AI-assisted, and single/multi-objective optimization techniques are all within the scope. Works concentrating on manufacturability, experimental testing, and industrial applications are also of great relevance. The mini-symposium will be an exceptional occasion for researchers from academia and industry to share their latest discoveries and insights regarding the design and fabrication of variable-stiffness composites. In addition, the attendees will have the opportunity to network with other professionals and engage in stimulating discussions.