Speaker
Description
In the last fifteen years, several Nobel Prizes in physics and chemistry have been awarded to material science discoveries – discoveries combined with the expectation to have an impact on our global economy and societies: graphene, gallium nitride, lithium-ion batteries, quantum dots, and metal-organic frameworks.
Since the last five years, global competition between economies on critical technologies is high on the agenda. Research and innovation in these technologies are exposed to a scrutiny against the risk of having choke points. Governments want to ensure ‘technology sovereignty” for the benefit of their economies and societies. Materials – access to critical raw materials as a resource and access to advanced materials as a technology – are an intrinsic part of this discussion.
The European Union considers advanced materials as a priority where societal impact of materials science and technology sovereignty should not – in a figurative sense - turn into antipodes: on one side, a discussion amongst and for scientists and, on the other side, a focus only on technology sovereignty. In February 2022, a few important scientists, researchers and innovators set out their vision in a “Materials 2030 Manifesto” on how to avoid the two antipodes: accelerating research for the benefit of European societies, tackling strategic dependencies and using innovative markets as a launchpad for more growth and jobs.
The subsequent discussions have triggered a European strategy in February 2024 which the European Commission has been rolling out together with Member States. They will also clearly inform the future Advanced Materials Act which the Commission announced under its “Competitiveness Compass” in early 2025 and which it intends presenting later next year. Competitiveness of European industries which matter for advanced materials has become a defining challenge for all.