Materials science has advanced to the point where it is often impractical (perhaps even impossible) to assemble in one place all of the intellectual resources and speciality equipment needed for a large-scale project of this nature. This was the conclusion of a group of specialists, led by Germany's Max Planck Society together with other European materials institutions, in their White Book on ‘Strategies for Future Areas of Materials Science and Basic Research in Europe'1, published in November 2001.

‘Virtual' centres, or networks for materials science will be formed out of research laboratories from academia, industry, and major facilities, the White Book continued. These centres will be linked by high-speed internet connections and will act as hubs for interdisciplinary research. This, the experts predicted, would be “the most efficient use of the Research Infrastructure and facilities that are spread throughout different Member States”.

The White Book identified several major themes that guide discussions on how to improve materials science research in Europe and which continue to inform policy-making to this day. Principal among these is the fact that European prosperity depends on it. We need better theoretical understanding of materials and their behaviour, and the fundamental research needed to obtain this. The study highlighted that this field is highly interdisciplinary and, given the right conditions, offers significant personal and career-oriented benefits. It also stressed the need for continued, long-term investment, particularly basic research, by public authorities and industry.

“The relevance of materials science to modern society needs to be emphasised and promoted beyond the research community and industry to governments and the general public. Forward-thinking and sustainable initiatives for materials science research need to be launched that will attract the world's best scientists and ensure that more fundamental discoveries come our way during the next century,” the White Book concluded.