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The European biomaterials network
News from the EU Report on EU-US Workshop on "Materials for Future Technologies" Now Available
Andreta Nominated Director for Materials Research in EU Fifth Framework Research Programme
The report of the first joint EU-US workshop on Materials Science held in Leuven, Belgium in December 1996 is now finally available from the European Commission Publications Office.
Ezio Andreta has been appointed as Director for Materials Science related research within the 5th Framework Programme due to commence in 1999. His advisor will be Manfred Bauer with Herve Pero, Angel Perez Sainz and Pierre Meriguet amongst the management team confirmed so far.
The report presents the conclusions of specialist working groups on research opportunities directed toward expanding materials limits with the purpose of contributing to the development of new and improved technologies in six fields: • • • • • •
Information and Communication Aeronautics Automotive Energy Environment and Packaging Civil Infrastructure
The European Biomaterials Network
What is the European Biomaterials Network? This is a thematic research project, managed by BioBridge Associates under contract to the European Commission DG XII Brite-EuRam, which funds our activities. The European Biomaterials Network 1 is now in its second year. The shortterm aim is to assist 19 EC-supported projects in the field of new materials for medical uses. These are 4th Framework Programme projects in the Brite-EuRam programme dealing with materials and the SMT programme dealing with standards and testing methods. The medium-term aim is to forge a trans-national Europe-wide community of biomaterials innovators and commercialisers across the academic and industrial sectors. It is difficult to define the European Biomaterials Network (EBN) as a 'project' - it exists as a facilitator, advisor and opportunity-taker to assist the overall aims and therefore has a rather dynamic form. We fulfil a dual function on behalf of the Commission - partly monitoring and partly communicating. We provide advice and direction on progress against technical and financial targets, directly representing the EC Scientific Officer in this capaci~, and give help in the exploitation aspects of the projects participating in the EBN. For the communication function, we publish the Biornateria Newsletter and the Biomateria Web-site, organise annual closed-session workshops for Network participants and plan and manage seminars on biomaterials topics that are open to anyone interested in the area. We also 'spread the word' about activities and progress to other people and organisations within and outside the EU. An additional aim is to assist in developing
One of Dr. Andreta's first actions was to attend a US-EU workshop on the 2nd December 1998 in Boston, USA, on materials science organised by the IUMRS General Secretary, Professor Bob Chang in collaboration with the E-MRS and MRS. Professor Paul Siffert represented the E-MRS at the formal dinner that followed.
projects and consortia for proposals to the 5th Framework Programme (1998-2002) of the EU. Some of the projects included in the Network have finished their contractual life, although there is still work to do in the areas of management of intellectual property. Others, especially those approved in the final call of the Fourth Framework Programme, may not finish until 2002. Ironically, this Network project will finish formally in April 2000.
Participants in the EBN The projects in the N e t w o r k are aiming to push forward the state of the art in three areas, hard materials such as dental and joint prostheses, soft materials such as skin replacements and drug delivery systems, and new methods of manufacturing or testing. The basis of each project is that there is a challenge that current technology cannot adequately answer. In the areas of hard tissue replacements, one very pressing need is to develop methods for making bone and joint implants more resistant to wear, longer-living and with better anatomical and physiological function. In soft materials, the greatest targets are to overcome the many difficulties in engineering tissue and organ replacements. Testing and manufacturing are the bedrock of turning innovations into real-life products. Unless standards and test methods keep pace with innovation, an artificial barrier to technology uptake is in place. 1
Project BRRT-CT97-5008, proposal BETN-1010, Administrative Co-ordinator L P M Lloyd-Evans, Scientific Co-ordinator Dr Julian Braybrook of LGC (Teddington) Ltd
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Andreta Nominated Director for Materials Research in EU Fifth Framework Research Programme
The report of the first joint EU-US workshop on Materials Science held in Leuven, Belgium in December 1996 is now finally available from the European Commission Publications Office.
Ezio Andreta has been appointed as Director for Materials Science related research within the 5th Framework Programme due to commence in 1999. His advisor will be Manfred Bauer with Herve Pero, Angel Perez Sainz and Pierre Meriguet amongst the management team confirmed so far.
The report presents the conclusions of specialist working groups on research opportunities directed toward expanding materials limits with the purpose of contributing to the development of new and improved technologies in six fields: • • • • • •
Information and Communication Aeronautics Automotive Energy Environment and Packaging Civil Infrastructure
The European Biomaterials Network
What is the European Biomaterials Network? This is a thematic research project, managed by BioBridge Associates under contract to the European Commission DG XII Brite-EuRam, which funds our activities. The European Biomaterials Network 1 is now in its second year. The shortterm aim is to assist 19 EC-supported projects in the field of new materials for medical uses. These are 4th Framework Programme projects in the Brite-EuRam programme dealing with materials and the SMT programme dealing with standards and testing methods. The medium-term aim is to forge a trans-national Europe-wide community of biomaterials innovators and commercialisers across the academic and industrial sectors. It is difficult to define the European Biomaterials Network (EBN) as a 'project' - it exists as a facilitator, advisor and opportunity-taker to assist the overall aims and therefore has a rather dynamic form. We fulfil a dual function on behalf of the Commission - partly monitoring and partly communicating. We provide advice and direction on progress against technical and financial targets, directly representing the EC Scientific Officer in this capaci~, and give help in the exploitation aspects of the projects participating in the EBN. For the communication function, we publish the Biornateria Newsletter and the Biomateria Web-site, organise annual closed-session workshops for Network participants and plan and manage seminars on biomaterials topics that are open to anyone interested in the area. We also 'spread the word' about activities and progress to other people and organisations within and outside the EU. An additional aim is to assist in developing
One of Dr. Andreta's first actions was to attend a US-EU workshop on the 2nd December 1998 in Boston, USA, on materials science organised by the IUMRS General Secretary, Professor Bob Chang in collaboration with the E-MRS and MRS. Professor Paul Siffert represented the E-MRS at the formal dinner that followed.
projects and consortia for proposals to the 5th Framework Programme (1998-2002) of the EU. Some of the projects included in the Network have finished their contractual life, although there is still work to do in the areas of management of intellectual property. Others, especially those approved in the final call of the Fourth Framework Programme, may not finish until 2002. Ironically, this Network project will finish formally in April 2000.
Participants in the EBN The projects in the N e t w o r k are aiming to push forward the state of the art in three areas, hard materials such as dental and joint prostheses, soft materials such as skin replacements and drug delivery systems, and new methods of manufacturing or testing. The basis of each project is that there is a challenge that current technology cannot adequately answer. In the areas of hard tissue replacements, one very pressing need is to develop methods for making bone and joint implants more resistant to wear, longer-living and with better anatomical and physiological function. In soft materials, the greatest targets are to overcome the many difficulties in engineering tissue and organ replacements. Testing and manufacturing are the bedrock of turning innovations into real-life products. Unless standards and test methods keep pace with innovation, an artificial barrier to technology uptake is in place. 1
Project BRRT-CT97-5008, proposal BETN-1010, Administrative Co-ordinator L P M Lloyd-Evans, Scientific Co-ordinator Dr Julian Braybrook of LGC (Teddington) Ltd
9etl. ~r ~rl '
17 ~r ~e ~r