INL Researcher Among the Minds Behind the EU’s Advanced Materials Report

The International Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory (INL) is proud to announce the contribution of its researcher Laura Rodriguez-Lorenzo to the Evidence Review Report (ERR) on advanced materials, delivered on 21 April to the European Commissioner for Startups, Research and Innovation, Ekaterina Zaharieva.

Produced within the framework of the European Commission’s Scientific Advice Mechanism, the ERR was developed by the Science Advice for Policy by European Academies (SAPEA), a consortium of networks responsible for independently reviewing and synthesising scientific evidence to inform EU policy. Following a formal request in March 2025, SAPEA assembled a working group of 22 experts nominated by academies of science and engineering across Europe. The group was tasked with addressing two central questions:

1. What contribution can advanced materials bring to the EU’s strategic autonomy?

2. How can the cross-fertilisation of innovation in advanced materials be enhanced?

Between June and December 2025, the group collaborated to produce a comprehensive, evidence-based report containing policy recommendations spanning:

• Sustainability
• Manufacturing, scaling and infrastructure
• Basic research
• Digitalisation, data and artificial intelligence
• Policy and governance

The findings serve as a baseline for the Group of Chief Scientific Advisors, whose subsequent Scientific Opinion will inform and support the forthcoming Advanced Materials Act. Among the report’s key recommendations, emphasis is placed on the importance of sustainable innovation, circular economy principles, and safe-and-sustainable-by-design frameworks as practical means of reducing the EU’s reliance on critical raw materials. The report also highlights the imperative role of digitalisation, particularly AI and advanced modelling, in accelerating materials discovery and manufacture, and improving sector-wide data management.

As a nominated expert, Laura Rodriguez-Lorenzo served as Lead Author of Chapter 4- “Basic Research Directions for Future Transition” whilst also providing substantial contributions to Chapter 2- “A Primer on Sustainability: Concepts, Processes, and Best Practices” and Chapter 5- “Digitalisation, Simulation, and AI”. Reflecting on the experience, she noted the richness of the environment, where colleagues shared a common passion for understanding how European research and knowledge in advanced materials can strengthen the EU’s economic autonomy.

At an institutional level, is an active agent in supporting the EU’s sovereignty on advanced materials. The laboratory is a founding member of the co-programmed IAM4EU Partnership and a partner in EU-wide initiatives including the European Chips Act, the Batteries European Partnership, and several other strategic networks. Laura’s contribution to the ERR therefore reflects INL’s broader strategic engagement with the European advanced materials agenda.

Text by: Clara Miranda