To manufacture innovative high-tech and sustainable products, advanced materials play a key role. In response to their growing importance, the European Commission requested scientific advice on how Europe can strengthen its position in this field. The resulting report concludes that while Europe has an excellent research base, it struggles to translate scientific discoveries into commercial and industrial success. The Group of Chief Scientific Advisors presented a set of key recommendations to address these challenges.

Advanced materials, such as composites, nanomaterials, engineered living materials and graphene, demonstrate superior properties compared to traditional materials. They are increasingly recognised as key driver of Europe's industrial competitiveness and technological sovereignty. They are at the base of innovation in fields like energy, healthcare, electronics, mobility, construction and defence. Their development plays an important role in achieving the EU's green and digital transition objectives. 

After a request launched by the European Commission, the Science Advice Mechanism (SAM) started its work. First, an interdisciplinary working group of Europe’s top independent experts, assembled by SAPEA (Science Advice for Policy by European Academies), wrote a formal report about it. 

Based on this ‘Evidence review report’, the Group of Chief Scientific Advisors (GCSA) then drew up a ‘Scientific opinion’, a series of recommendations on how advanced materials can support EU strategic autonomy, and on how cross-fertilisation of innovation can be enhanced in this sector. 

One of the chief scientific advisors and former chair of the group, Naomi Ellemers speaks about the main takeaways of the report. She is professor of Social and Behavioural Sciences at Utrecht University (the Netherlands).

---

From your perspective, how important is the development and deployment of advanced materials for strengthening Europe’s strategic autonomy and long-term competitiveness? 

Naomi Ellemers: Advanced materials are extremely important for Europe. As you can read in the ‘Evidence review report’ prepared by scientific experts, advanced materials are used in all areas of society. They are needed for green energy, building, transportation, defense and medical innovations. 

Developing materials that can replace toxic or unsustainable alternatives, that reduce reliance on critical raw materials, or that allow for repair, reuse and recycling, is crucial for Europe’s strategic autonomy. This is what advanced materials can do.

Adhering to standards that promote sustainability and prevent depletion of resources contributes to the development of a green and circular economy. This can accelerate responsible innovation. When rare and limited materials can be regenerated, recycled, and reused within Europe this will reduce geopolitical dependencies and benefit long term competitiveness.

---

What are the main challenges, or shortcomings currently limiting Europe’s capacity to develop, scale up, and commercialise advanced materials? 

Naomi Ellemers: In the analysis we made - based on the expert evidence - we identified some key challenges: 

A first challenge relates to data and data infrastructures. This is not only important for the discovery of new materials. Reliable access to data also benefits early risk screening and life cycle analyses. This makes it possible to prioritise the development of products that are safe and sustainable. 

A second challenge relates to Europe’s strength in standards and regulation. Here existing provisions such as Digital Product Passports can be improved and become a global benchmark. Transparency about performance rules can benefit the development of high-quality products that are more durable, less toxic and easier to repair. 

The third challenge is to connect materials research and development to marketable products. Here a more coherent ecosystem is needed to support and benefit from top-quality research and cutting-edge discoveries made in Europe. This requires better coordination of infrastructures, investing in education and capacity building across different professions, and development of more circular business models.

---

In your view, what are the three most urgent actions or policy measures that should be implemented to address these challenges and strengthen Europe’s position in advanced materials?

Naomi Ellemers: First, Europe should support the creation of spaces where data are ‘Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Reusable’, and include information about the safety and sustainability of materials. This is not only crucial for research, but also for regulation and commercialisation.

Second, Europe should design predictable decision rules that take into account concerns of multiple stakeholders and offer guidance at every level of technology development. Such standards would allow for preliminary checks on relevant health and safety issues and sustainability issues at early stages of materials discovery and product development. Anticipating regulatory and legal issues, and documenting life cycle and recycling options in this way, will speed up market access and facilitate adoption of products that meet safety and sustainability guidelines.

Third, opportunities for product development, applications, and recycling of advanced materials should not remain theoretical options. Europe needs to invest in hubs, infrastructures, and ecosystems where researchers, regulators, product developers, and secondary users are connected and work together towards these goals. 

---

The 'Evidence review report' and the 'Scientific opinion' identify the gap between research and industrial manufacturing, also called “the valley of death”. What can be done to address this problem? 

Naomi Ellemers: Yes, the gap from proof-of-concept research to industrial deployment is well known. Before full-scale investments can be justified, researchers and companies must build pilot production lines but also require guidance for certification and regulation. To be able to do all these things, they need to have access to equipment, capabilities and resources to develop, test, upscale and validate new technologies. 

This is particularly challenging for small businesses and startup companies. Here, the EU can play a decisive role. Building a shared network to offer easy access to testing, piloting and upscaling facilities across different sectors and regions would help bridge the gap from research to manufacturing, development and production.

Useful links:

• Evidence review report 'Advanced materials'
• Scientific opinion 'Advanced materials'