EMERGE-EU – PolSCA Office study visit to Brussels focusing on advanced materials

PolSCA Office of the Polish Academy of Sciences is organising a study visit to Brussels focusing on Advanced Materials. This pilot project is an extension of the PolSCA Office’s activities for scientists, building on the success of a similar format implemented for research managers.

The study visit is being carried out in cooperation with international partners from Belgium, Bulgaria, Germany, Slovakia and the United Kingdom. This ensures an international composition of the group, promoting networking and cooperation in the field of new and advanced materials.

The EMERGE-EU study visit will take place on 21–23 January 2026 in Brussels. The participants of the visit are researchers working in the field of Advanced Materials who are at an early stage of their academic careers, i.e. postdoctoral researchers transitioning from R2 to R3. The study visit is an excellent opportunity for future scientific leaders interested in further strengthening their research careers and engaging in international cooperation.

The programme includes the following:

• sessions devoted to the perspective of the Directorate-General for Research & Innovation on advanced materials,
• sessions focused on opportunities offered by the European Research Council (ERC), the COST programme, and EIC instruments,
• sessions addressing issues related to research careers in the context of the European Research Area (ERA),
• matchmaking in a small, international group, including short participant presentations and one-to-one meetings,
• a study visit (site visit) to Ghent University.

This EMERGE-EU study visit is one of the activities organised by the PolSCA PAN Office to strengthen the presence of Polish scientists in the European research and innovation ecosystem, particularly in the field of new and advanced materials. The aim is to support researchers in developing their skills at the transition stage to scientific independence, help them to find their way around the European institutional environment, and build lasting international cooperation networks that can form the basis for future research projects and initiatives at a European level.

Detailed programme of the EMERGE-EU study visit is available here

Public consultations on the Advanced Materials Act (AMA)

The European Commission conducted public consultations on the Advanced Materials Act (AMA) until 13 January 2026. The initiative aims to strengthen the EU’s technological competitiveness and accelerate the deployment of innovations in the field of advanced materials. The AMA is intended to create a coherent and innovation-friendly regulatory framework and to support technology scale-up as well as the transfer of research results to industry. More information about this process is available on the PolSCA Office website.

Summary of the EMERGE-EU study visit is available here