Innovative Advanced Materials for Europe (IAM4EU) is a new partnership under Horizon Europe, the current Research and Innovation Framework Programme. The Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science has overall responsibility for Horizon Europe, which is European Commission’s largest research and innovation funding programme.
IAM4EU is one of a new group of partnerships under Horizon Europe which have just been agreed between the European Commission and member states for formal establishment during the 2025 - 2027 period.
Following consultation with all relevant Departments and Agencies here, Ireland strongly supported the establishment of IAM4EU as one of this additional group of Horizon Europe co-programmed partnerships. The negotiations for the management of IAM4EU are now underway.
In a related initiative, the European Commission has recently published a Communication on Advanced Materials for Industrial Leadership which puts forward concrete steps to align research and innovation priorities and investments in the EU and ensure European leadership in this key area.
Four priority areas were identified in this Communication, namely Mobility, Electronics, Construction and Energy. These areas were selected for their importance to achieving the twin green and digital transitions. During the consultation process for this Communication, officials from my Department stressed the importance of advanced materials for health applications, including biomedical devices and bioengineering, as a priority for Ireland.
The extent to which the European Commission’s Communication on Advanced Materials for Industrial Leadership will influence the agenda for the IAM4EU partnership is still to be determined. Nine sectors are currently earmarked in the Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda for IAM4EU, including advanced materials for health applications.
The European Commission has assured member states that the four areas identified in the Communication are preliminary areas and may not be the sole focus of IAM4EU. DFHERIS will continue to press for the inclusion of advanced materials for health applications, including biomedical devices, biomanufacturing and bioengineering in the ongoing negotiations for the establishment of IAM4EU and related Horizon Europe Partnerships.
