what to change in the future

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Research and

Innovation

European Research and Innovation

in Materials Science and Engineering:

What to change in the future?

Report from the Materials Summit in Brussels,

10 September 2012

EUR 25606


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EUROPEAN COMMISSION

Directorate-General for Research and Innovation

Directorate G Industrial technologies

Unit G.3 Materials

Contact:Dr. Marcin Sadowski

European Commission

1049 Bruxelles/Brussel

BELGIQUE/BELGI

Tel. +32 229-50324

E-mail: [email protected], [email protected]


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EUROPEAN COMMISSION

EUROPEAN RESEARCH AND INNOVATION

IN MATERIALS SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING:What to change in the future?

Report from the Materials Summit in Brussels, 10 September 2012

2013 Research and Innovation EUR 25606


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Cataloguing data can be found at the end of this publication.

Luxembourg: Publications Offi ce of the European Union, 2013

ISBN 978-92-79-27540-1

ISSN 1018-5593

doi:10.2777/30402

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Contents

Background 4

Outlook for the future 6

The Materials Summit 2012 7

General approach 7

Implementation 8

Financing and management 10

Annexes 12

Agenda of the Materials Summit 13

List of experts endorsing this report and addressing it to the European Commission 14

Participants from the European Commision 14


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4EUROPEAN RESEARCH AND INNOVATION IN MATERIALS SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING: What to change in the future?

Background

Seventy per cent of all technical innovationsare directly or indirectly linked to materials1; thispercentage has been increasing since 1970 andis forecast to continue increasing steadily until2030. European industry cannot remain competi-tive and be really sustainable without a continu-ous innovation in materials. The recent co-signa-ture of the Aarhus Declaration by representativesof Industry and the Materials Research communi-ties captures this relevance2.

Advanced Materials have been identified by theEuropean Commission as one of the five Key Ena-bling Technologies (KETs)3. A High Level Group(HLG) on KETs was established4by the EuropeanCommission, and suggested a long term strategy5for a more effective industrial deployment of keyenabling technologies in the EU.

In October 2010 the first Materials Summit wasorganised by the EC, which came to the conclusion

that materials development can most effectivelybe performed in a hybrid matrix working model,with applications-driven research, technologicaldevelopment and innovation (R&D&I) along the

1 http://www.bmbf.de/pub/hts_fortschrittsbericht.pdf2 http://ec.europa.eu/research/industrial_technologies/

materials-blog_en.html3 COM(2009) 512 final4 http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/sectors/ict/files/hlg_mem-

bers_website_en.pdf5 http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/sectors/ict/files/kets/hlg_

report_final_en.pdf

vertical columns (from ideas to applications)and horizontal cross-cutting multi-applicationmulti-disciplinary research activities. In order toincrease the chances that materials R&D resultsfind their way into applications, and to expeditethis process with economic benefits for the Euro-pean industrial economy, a 3-stage innovationtrajectory was suggested as a model. The firststage basic research is provided by the univer-sities, with support from the European Research

Council (ERC) and the Future and Emerging Tech-nologies (FET) programme. In the second stagethe R&D results are transformed into materialstechnologies applicable in an industrial environ-ment; this activity could be best carried out indedicated multi-disciplinary infrastructures capa-ble of exploring different recipes in parallel andperforming a first scale-up. The third stage, turn-ing materials technology into real applications, isdone within the relevant industry. The importanceof the involvement of the whole value chain was

highlighted.

With regard to grouping materials in the contextof structuring research funding (potential crite-ria: predefined expected performance, classesof materials, materials for specific applications,industries or challenges, others), functionalitywas recognised as the most meaningful groupingcriterion.

An important observation made at the first Mate-rials Summit was the need to consolidate thematerials community, as evidenced by the lack of
http://www.bmbf.de/pub/hts_fortschrittsbericht.pdfhttp://ec.europa.eu/research/industrial_technologies/http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/sectors/ict/fihttp://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/sectors/ict/fihttp://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/sectors/ict/fihttp://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/sectors/ict/fihttp://ec.europa.eu/research/industrial_technologies/http://www.bmbf.de/pub/hts_fortschrittsbericht.pdf


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contacts throughout the community in the past a key step towards which considerable progresshas been made between the first and secondMaterials Summits. During this period, a commonproposal for setting up a Knowledge and Inno-vation Community (KIC) for materials was jointlyput forward by representatives of the EuropeanTechnology Platform for Materials (EuMat), theEuropean Materials Research Society (E-MRS),the Federation of European Materials Societies(FEMS), and the European Materials Forum (EMF).The Alliance for Materials (A4M) a value chainapproach to materials research and innovation was launched, as well as its implementation in

the form of the coordination action for the net-working of main materials collective stakehold-ers in materials science and engineering (Mat-Val). In July 2012, a workshop on Materials forthe 2020 Challenges took place at the EuropeanParliament in Brussels, to discuss the role ofMaterials as a key enabler element for boostingthe industrial and technological growth in Europe.The workshop was organised by STOA (the Par-liaments own Science and Technology OptionsAssessment body), together with four organisa-tions representing the science and technologymaterials community at European level: E-MRS,FEMS, EMF, and EuMat.


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Outlook for the future

The Commission proposal for the next frameworkprogramme for research, development and inno-vation, Horizon 2020, is designed to address theimportant challenges for Europe through fundingexcellent science, technology and innovation. It iscentral to the Europe 2020 Strategy for smart,sustainable and inclusive growth, the InnovationUnion flagship to create a knowledge-intensivesociety, and the goal to complete the EuropeanResearch Area as a single market for knowledge.

Horizon 2020 will bring together EU level researchand innovation funding into a single programme,covering the current 7th Framework Programme(FP7), innovation activities from the Competitive-ness and Innovation Framework Programme, aswell as EU funding to the European Institute ofInnovation and Technology. Activities that werepreviously separate will be brought together tofocus on societal challenges such as health, cleanenergy and transport. Horizon 2020 will enlargethe support traditionally given through FP7 to

downstream activities, in order to help overcomethe so-called death valley and facilitate the

adoption of new technologies by industry, e.g. byfinancing pilot or demonstration projects whereappropriate. Horizon 2020 will be complementedby support to the European Research Area (ERA)and with reinforced synergy with Member Statesand the private sector, as well as with the newproposed programme for the competitivenessof enterprises and small or medium enterprises(SMEs) (COSME).

The KETs of which materials are one underpininnovation across industries and sectors, and the

competitiveness and sustainability of the Euro-

pean industrial economy. As materials R&D&I

is present virtually in the entire range of indus-

trial research activities from enabling research to

applications and demonstration activities, support

to materials R&D&I can be found throughout the

whole Horizon 2020 such as in the ERC, the FET

programme, Leadership in Enabling and Industrial

Technologies (LEIT), Societal Challenges and the

European Institute of Innovation and Technology(EIT).


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ally be adequately addressed in a singleproject. Basic research will still be required,but the fact that Horizon 2020 is movingtowards industrial reality is appreciated.There must also be room for incrementalapplied research that brings more inno-vation into already existing technologies.Materials need to be integrated into thevalue chain. Research and innovation canhave different drivers. Public-private part-nerships (PPPs) are a valuable tool thatcan be flexibly adapted to the most urgentneeds, when industrys commitment issolid.

The value chain should stay in Europe.Research focus should be on areas whereEurope has strengths, and where there islikelihood that industrial production willtake place in Europe. The focus should beon maximising outputs and gains, ratherthan on doing what others already do bet-ter.

International cooperation is encouraged to

accelerate progress, but should be instru-mental to enable things to happen inEurope.

Materials R&D&I can be found throughoutthe whole (proposed) Horizon 2020 suchas in the European Research Council (ERC),Future and Emerging Technologies (FET),Leadership in Enabling and Industrial Tech-nologies (LEIT), Societal Challenges andthe European Institute of Innovation and

Technology (EIT). The completeness ofHorizon 2020 is acknowledged, but prior-itisations remain open in the original ECproposal.

Horizon 2020 will be an extremely pow-erful and promising support scheme toR&D&I, but not the only one within the EU.Synergy should be found also with otherschemes such as structural funds, LIFE+

etc., and with activities supported by Mem-ber States.

There is an important need for monitoring a control tower was mentioned, in orderto secure coherence, maximise impact andavoid gaps or duplications. The EuropeanCommission (EC) is encouraged to continuepromoting and supporting the interactionand coordination of all stakeholders inmaterials science and engineering R&D&I.

To this purpose, future activities shouldsupport monitoring, assessment, bench-marking, road mapping, foresight, coordi-nation, organisation of events, communi-cation and optimisation of interventions,for instance via appropriate and con-

tinuous coordination and support actions(CSAs). These should address (i) the socio-economic, industrial and research reali-ties as well as (ii) the activities carried outwithin Horizon 2020 and (iii) outside it,through other EU schemes such as thestructural funds and national activities,and (iv) benchmarking with research car-ried out outside Europe and how R&D&Iare supported.

Implementation

To focus on materials by design, to ensurethat the best materials are produced foruse, their reliable in-service performance,affordable cost and real sustainability; theimportance of modelling is noted in thiscontext. Ideally, a novel material shouldbe devised when conceiving a new prod-

uct; processing should also be addressed,thus ensuring both novelty for the solu-tion developed and rapidity of its industrialtake-up.

To follow an integrated approach, toinclude consideration of the end-of-life ofthe products/materials and all by-products(e.g. so-called waste or pollution) as muchas possible, in order to vigorously contrib-

ute to a really sustainable industrial econ-omy.


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To integrate all KETs as much as possibleand in particular materials with nanotech-nology, as in the perspective of the year2020 such a distinction fades dramatically.

According to the matrix model mentionedin the first Materials Summit, research andnetworking in materials R&D&I should beboth along the value chain and multi-sec-torial, transverse and cross-cutting.

In the vertical projects, conceived alongthe value chain, support within the LEIT pil-lar should achieve an increase of the Tech-nology Readiness Level (TRL), expectedly

from TRL 2 or 3 (e.g. arising from universityor ERC/FET supported research) up to level6 and in some cases even 7.

The integration of novel materials into sys-tems and support to prototyping should beincluded as far as possible in the projects.

In the horizontal projects, technology-driven acceleration should be boosted with

validation and pilot testing in as manyapplication areas as possible. In a pre-industrialisation stage the follow-up of thepotential applied projects towards marketshould involve highly flexible entities (SME,start-up, etc.). This could be performedvia prototype/pilot lines. The mechanismto implement this action should be coor-dinated with the R&D&I of the MemberStates and their vision for sustainableknowledge-based growth. The possible

synergy with structural funds should beexplored.

Excellence in research must continue tobe promoted. Innovation should be able tofollow research results swily. The partici-pants acknowledge the progress achievedby the EC in FP7 work programme over thelast years.

Education and training should be part ofthe projects in order to help academia indelivering scientists and technologists who

can match the future needs of society andindustry. Continuous training should not beneglected.

In addition, projects should also develop aculture of understanding the importance ofindustrial/intellectual property rights (IPR).Innovation management should be addedto projects. Technology failure is normallynot the first reason for the lack of successof new spin-offs or start-ups. The value ofthe Exploitation Strategy and InnovationConsultants (ESIC) support action in FP7 isrecalled.

How to encourage academics to approachindustry? How to encourage industry toengage with academia? Projects shouldfoster interactions in order to originate sci-entific questions and promote discoveriesas well as boosting industrial competitive-ness and the achievement of socio-eco-nomic targets.

Coordination with Member States and

Associated Countries activities shouldbe boosted. The value of ERANET andERANET+ schemes was mentioned. Moreflexibility in the ERANET+ scheme wouldimprove its effi ciency.

As mentioned above, priority topics shouldbe selected within an approach of pro-gramme-driven support to R&D&I, in linewith the EU policies. Roadmaps and fore-sight studies should be developed when

realistically possible. The actual value ofthe recommended areas of applicationindicated by the competent FP7 advisorygroup6 is confirmed, namely materialsfor health, information and communica-tion technologies, energy, transport andenvironment, but further prioritisation isencouraged.

6 http://ec.europa.eu/research/industrial_technologies/pdf/nmp-expert-advisory-group-report_en.pdf
http://ec.europa.eu/research/industrial_technologies/pdf/http://ec.europa.eu/research/industrial_technologies/pdf/


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The value of the materials roadmap forenabling low-carbon technologies7is high-lighted and the definition of other road-maps is recommended, first of all for bio-materials for medical applications.

Examples of future value chain verticalpriorities can be: (i) materials for energy,(ii) decarbonisation of the European indus-try (including materials for green transport,materials for green energy, energy effi cientbuildings, use of CO

2as a carbon base in

industrial processes), (iii) renovation ofmetallurgy in Europe, (iv) independence ofraw materials supply (including the reduc-

tion of use or substitution of critical or rareraw materials or precursors), (v) openingnew business lines for European industry,centred on materials science and engi-neering (including the support to the crea-tive industries), (vi) supply of appropriateclean water (including the development ofmembranes and catalysers), (vii) maintain-ing the European cultural heritage, (viii)metrology and standardisation.

Support to multi-sectorial multi-applica-tion horizontal R&D&I projects shouldbe secured as well, as mentioned above.Examples can be: joining different mate-rials, self-healing materials, multi-scalemodelling etc.

R&D&I should address modernising exist-ing industries via adding value and ser-vice content or increasing sustainability

and reducing the carbon fingerprint and/or building new companies. The value ofcreativity-driven innovation, both in exist-ing and new industries, was highlighted.

7 http://ec.europa.eu/research/industrial_technologies/pdf/materials-roadmap-elcet-13122011_en.pdf

Financing and management

Materials science and engineering activi-ties are risky. There is normally no patientmoney in the private funding of new indus-trial or commercial activities based uponnew technologies. Most projects funded byventure capital enterprises do not originateprofitable businesses, and private fundsfollow commercial logic. The strategicimportance of public schemes like Horizon2020 is highlighted by the participants.

In order to be manageable, projects mustbe limited in time and deliverables (usual

time limit of 3-4 years). This causes lim-ited possibilities for continuous fundingthroughout the innovation process. Follow-up activities should be foreseen, e.g. amechanism to revisit certain projects aerthe 3rdyear. An appropriate top-up fundingmechanism should be introduced by theEC. Revolving funds to reduce marked riskmay be an idea to explore.

Funding should be used to secure reliabilityand reduce the time to market of the newtechnologies by reducing the technologicalrisk. The problems are complex and man-aging complexity means managing part-nership. This is particularly essential forstart-up companies, e.g. for production andinitial customer/distribution partners, andrelated IPR issues. Capital is thus a meansof bringing partners to a table for the nego-tiation of roles and rights, for a commercial

success of the new technologies.

In defining and implementing Horizon2020, simplification is greatly encouraged.

The (financial) dimension of projects shouldbe appropriate to the TRL and the ambitionof the projects themselves. For instance,larger projects can address higher TRLswhilst small projects can be more adequate

at lower TRLs, and a bottom-up approachcould be favoured. In materials sciencethere can be unexpected discoveries with
http://ec.europa.eu/research/industrial_technologies/pdf/http://ec.europa.eu/research/industrial_technologies/pdf/


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huge impact, so that flexible mechanismsto accommodate these should exist.

The EC should (test the) use of all the instru-ments foreseen in the Horizon 2020 toolbox for supporting materials R&D&I, suchas grants, prizes, public procurement, pub-lic-public and public-private partnerships.If the implementation modes are yet notmature (e.g. for the public procurement),studies to define the best features shouldbe launched with priority. Prizes could be

used to support innovation in the crea-tive industries, via fostering interaction ofmaterials scientists and designers.

The participants of the Materials Summit2012 submit these considerations and recom-mendations to the European Commission as aninput for defining more effective and effi cientR&D&I support measures to the benefit of thequality of life of the European citizens and ofa more competitive, sustainable and inclusiveindustrial economy.


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Annexes

Agenda of the Materials Summit.

List of experts endorsing this report and addressing it to the European Commission.

Participants from the European Commission.


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Agenda of the Materials Summit

10thSeptember 2012, rue du Champ de Mars 21, Brussels, room SDR2

AGENDA

09:30 Welcome coffee

10:00 Opening and introduction: Renzo Tomellini, European Commission

10:30 Keynote speech 1: Recommendations of a financial actorby Jens Petter Falck, Incitia

10:50 Keynote speech 2: Recommendations of a materials research societyby Rodrigo Martins, European Materials Research Society

11:10 Keynote speech 3: Recommendations of a research organisationby Claudine Schmidt-Lain, CNRS

11:30 Keynote speech 4: Recommendations of an industrial sectorby Gernot Klotz, SusChem

11:50 Examples of networks of stakeholders: the Alliance for Materials (A4M), MatValby Marco Falzetti, CSM

12:10 Buffet lunch

13:45 Open discussion

15:45 Conclusions

16:00 Closing remarks

Meeting ends


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List of experts endorsing this report and addressing itto the European Commission

Derk BOL M2i

Harald BOLT Forschungszentrum JlichPatrick BRESSLER MatSEEC

Barbara CASTELLANO SORIN

Gabriel CREAN CEA

Sue DUNKERTON TWI

Jens Petter FALCK Incitia

Marco FALZETTI MatVal

Burkhard JAHNEN DFG/M-ERANETMichal KLEIBER EMF

Gernot KLOTZ CEFIC/SusChem

Jacques KOMORNICKI CEFIC/SusChem

Rodrigo MARTINS E-MRS

Hernan MIGUEZ CSIC

Paul MIJLEMANS UMICORE

Luigi NICOLAIS CNRDaniele PULLINI CRF

Gian Marco REVEL UNIVPM

Peter RIGBY EMIRI

Claudine SCHMIDT-LAIN CNRS

Sisko SIPIL TEKES/MATERA+

Marc VAN ROSSUM IMEC

Lutz WALTER EuratexBerit WESSLER OSRAM

Ehrenfried ZSCHECH FEMS

Participants from the European Commision

Renzo TOMELLINI European Commission

Marcin SADOWSKI European Commission

Aud ALMING European Commission


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EUR 25606 EUROPEAN RESEARCH AND INNOVATION IN MATERIALS SCIENCE

AND ENGINEERING: What to change in the future? Report from the Materials Summit

in Brussels, 10 September 2012

Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union

2013 14 pp 17.6 x 25 cm

ISBN 978-92-79-27540-1

doi:10.2777/30402
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KI-NA-25606-EN-C

ISBN 978-92-79-27540-1

d i 102777/30402

The next The EU Framework Programme for

Research and Innovation, Horizon 2020, will address

the important challenges for Europe through funding

excellent science, technology and innovation.

R&D&I on Advanced Materials will be a key element

in the entire range of industrial research activities,

from enabling research to applications and

demonstration activities.

In September 2012 the European Commission

organised a Materials Summit, bringing together

representatives of main industrial and research

stakeholders to discuss a strategic and modern

vision of optimal features for materials R&D&I.

The summit analysed and assessed the effectiveness

of the support to materials research and innovation

to date, and explored possible options for the

future. This report contains the main considerations

and recommendations that were expressed by the

participants at the Summit.

Studies and reports

what to change in the future

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