On the 18th of May, 2022, EMIRI held its first hybrid General Assembly. More than 20 participants gathered in the VUB facilities in Brussels, including the EU Commissioner Peter Dröll, and about the same number participated online.

The session started with a brief welcoming and introduction session by our Chairman Eric Peeters reminding that the Initiative is celebrating its 10th anniversary with a Gala Dinner in Grenoble in June. Our chairman also took a moment to recognize the hard work that has been conducted during the past months on the Materials Manifesto initiative.

We had the pleasure to count with Peter Dröll, Director of Prosperity at the European Commission – DG Research and Innovation, who presented an overview of the priorities of the Prosperity Directorate and addressed the Materials Manifesto objectives and next steps. After this session, participants had the opportunity to engage with Peter Dröll on a very enriching discussion on the topics presented.

Coming back from a quick coffee break, Philippe Jacques, EMIRI’s Managing Director, updated all the members on the financial status of the Association and requested the approval of the 2021 accounts. Next, he presented the outlook of the strategy and activities for this current year 2022, reviewing the different EU projects where EMIRI is involved and also, EMIRI’s participation at the INDTECH event in Grenoble, among others. After the approval of the budget for this current year 2022, the members formally approved the new Steering Committee and welcomed our newest participant Omar Perego from RSE who will be joining the Committee as a Director for Research Members.

After a lunch break where our physical audience had the opportunity to enjoy a nice networking, we came back to follow-up on the discussion on Materials Manifesto initiated during the morning session. All members agreed on the great opportunity offered by this initiative. We now need to make sure that the Materials Community will be able to translate this ambition into an impactful, sustainable structure.