MateriNex - Nexus for sustainable materials research in Flanders

Three innovation themes

In consultation with industrial and academic stakeholders, 3 innovation themes were selected for the launch of MateriNex. These innovation themes fit within both the EU research agenda, and the Flemish policy priorities. For each of these innovation themes, there is a roadmap that will provide the framework to elaborate and assess project proposals. Each roadmap contains a limited number of application domains and a number of common 'transversal' challenges in terms of digitalisation and 'safe and sustainable by design' (which includes circularity).

The innovation themes and corresponding roadmaps with application domains are:

materials for battery technology (mobility and storage)
materials for building and construction (low-carbon construction and resource efficiency)
strategic and critical raw materials (ensuring supply, sustainable and circular value chains)

MateriNex as facilitator

MateriNex will assume a facilitating role mainly in terms of project genesis and dissemination of results. To this end, MateriNex has earmarked project funds at the Fund for Innovation and Entrepreneurship for cSBO and ICON projects, including feasibility studies. As materials research is often complementary with respect to application-oriented research, cooperation with the spearhead clusters is an obvious option.

For broad dissemination, MateriNex will cooperate with various stakeholder organisations, including the collective centres and the spearhead clusters. Regular consultations will take place with academia. Ideas for innovations will be jointly proposed to the stakeholder group.

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